So I started this discussion on the FB page about a year ago - hoping someone here who isn't on that page can weigh in. Here is some relevant description:

I don't know what this is. I would really rather not open the shrink, but I am getting tempted to. It is clearly not thick enough to be the whole product.
Some changes/things I've noticed.

There are spacing errors on the rear text.

There are italicized proper names on the rear, which are not italicized on the released product.

The logo is quite different, not seen before.

The TSR logo is of a poor print quality (as it seems is most of it).

There are staples under the cover (can feel them).

There is no dash in Thri Kreen.

Some have theorized a mockup, or a printer proof. Would like to find someone who KNOWS, though.

If you have other theories, let me know!

Here is what Tim Beach had said on FB:

"It doesn't look familiar to me, but I left TSR a few months after Thri-Kreen was released.
Is it thick enough to be the book -- 128 pages?
In addition to promotional pieces, TSR sometimes created mock-ups for displays, so it's possible it's for that."

Will contact Pickens - thanks!

I'm very close to opening it. The issue, though, is that I am 99% certain that this is an official shrink. All the shrink clues are there - nice seams, air holes, etc etc.

So it was done somewhere officially like the rest of the modules.

If I don't hear anyone telling me not to, Im gonna open it up at like 5pm.

C

Wow, that was a bit unexpected, but not entirely.  A lot of times promo pieces and/or mock-ups are cobbled together from whatever is around at the time.  It might have been part of a TSR sales display or used in a sales photo.

What FoulFoot mentioned is also conceivable, where someone else created this to portray it as something it was not.