Whilst searching for a book from yore
I chanced upon my stairwell door
Without a thought I turned the knob
And immediately branded myself a slob
Two small buckets of Sterilite
Were resting on the left and right
I cracked the lids and gasped aloud
Within the buckets I found a treasure
Books with value beyond measure
Stacked inside were many tomes
Untouched by mold, or worms, or gnomes
My very first set of 1E books
Stolen when we were youngling crooks
I howled to the masses near and far
"My original books! YEE-FUCKING HAH!"

Been looking for these for a dog's age. My nickname (Sheik) is penned on the inside cover of each one! I even have the F-115R set we originally used, with the character sheets and all. Crying material.
Anyone else by chance have their very first books?

I still have every single book, die, miniature, and accesory I ever bought. And I still use them on a regular basis. My poor Dungeon Master Guide, Players Handbook, and Monstrous Compendium binder is so beatup and repaired it's a shock to see.

And believe it or not, I've run the same 2nd Ed. game since 1990 with the same PC's and players. They refuse to be killed! Another shocker, I've DM'ed the entire time and never once been a player since our group is the only one to be found around here. Sad but true.

I have some of my original books.  The PHB with a brown sauce stain (from eating a bacon sarniew while reading it 20+ years ago).

I have my original AD&D books/modules, Frank, though I sold my original SRs, TDs, OCE, supplements, etc. in the mid-90s thinking I'd never play D&D again.  What a dolt  

FormCritic wrote:I have them all...books, modules, notes, home brew...all of it.

Nothing, nada, not a thing.  All my original stuff got traded out for better looking stuff when I would find it at HPB back in the day, and the rattier stuff would be sold or given to friends (this would include first prints of such books as the PHB, MM, and DMG, as I bought all of these pretty much they day they were released). Both my younger brothers have all their original books and such (including older dice), I have not a one.  When the nicer quality dice came out, I remember dumping all the "classic" chipped dice in the trash can...

What I have kept are every single character sheet ever used back in the day, starting with the original sheets we used from the Tom Wham cover art colored character sheets.  At least one sheet for every character anyone ever used from 1979 until now are in the files somewhere, complete with goofy illustrations we made of our characters.  Along with every single spiral notebook of all the combats ever participated in, and every single map we ever drew.  Don't know what I'll ever use them for, but it's nice to know they are all in a box upstairs somewhere...

Mike B.

I still have almost all of my old books and dice.  And they're in good shape too, except for my 1st Ed PH, which has pretty much had it.  I need a new one of those.  And my Basic Rules soft cover is pretty beat up and missing some pages.  I've since replaced it. (thanks Badmike!)

I tend to be very careful with books, even when I'm using them for games,  and most of mine are are still in pretty nice condition.

Not true, man...I still have my tin Clash of the Titans lunchbox from third grade...it was too cool to get rid of.

As far as my D&D bboks, I never kept the originals because I was always busy selling them off - but I'd always rebuy them at a later date. So, yes, I effectively have the same "collection" (which has grown much larger) but not the original books.

I do have the original Dragon magazines I bought back in the day, though...Issues 39-50, approximately.

Deadlord39 wrote:Isn't it amazing how many of us still have the originals? Think about it: Do you still have that Scooby-Doo lunch box from 5th grade? Or the Big Wheel you used to ride all the time when you were 8? Why is it that so many of us saved our D&D stuff, while everything else got sold off, stolen or destroyed?

Man I would give anything if I still had:

Original Star Wars lunchbox
Six Million Dollar Man poseable Steve Austin with power grip
Milton Bradley Dark Tower
Incredible Hulk "Stretch Armstrong"
12" Darth Vader

I cant remember what happened to any of those except the stretcho Hulk.  I actually cut his arms off so I could see what was inside.  Damn that was stupid.  

I still have all my original D&D stuff with the exception of my Players Handbook.  That was ripped into several sections by my dad when I was 12 for not taking out the trash when he told me to do it the first time.  What a jerk.     Several of my original modules have tape, staples, and stains on them.  I still have them but have since picked up replacements.

Kingofpain89 wrote:I still have all my original D&D stuff with the exception of my Players Handbook.  That was ripped into several sections by my dad when I was 12 for not taking out the trash when he told me to do it the first time.  What a jerk.    

That is something to remember now that you are a father yourself...

(I presume you are.  If not, someone else here certainly is...)

1)  Remember how you felt when your dad acted that way.

2)  Recognize the same situations when they occur.

3)  Choose to act in a different manner.