From forum member Kosh Vorlontay:
"I have a 1st ed, 2nd print PHB that used to belong to a Jim Perelman. He obtained this book when he was 13. He wrote a 3 page editorial on the flyleaves flaming Gary Gygax for messing up D&D. I would guess from his writing that he was a woodgrain player. Apparently he thinks 'hobbit' should be the correct term used instead of 'halfling'. This is according to his re-write of the entire handbook. There are notes and annotations galore in this book, whole paragraphs x'ed out and new ones written, tables that are described as "This table smokes farty eggs!", reworked spells and the spell progression tables are noted as being wrong with a note refering to the "yellow ref cards" (JG 28 Judges Shield) and Alarums and Excursions. I did not know that 13 year olds had such a colorful language set back then..."
While the commented pages (and introductory rant) by Perelman are both hilarious and nostalgic, the real fun begins when a friend of Perelman's from the 1970's registers on the forum and provides some background. The tale comes full-circle when Perelman is located in Australia and sends his regards.
Relevant forum threads:
- Locating the owner of a previously owned book
- The curious case of the three-page rant in the old PHB
- The Expanded Editorial of Jim Perelman's 1st Ed PHB
In 1979, the LA Times ran an article on the D&D phenomenon, and featured Perelman and his friends. That article can be viewed here.
Lastly, reproduced here in all their glory, are the relevant pages from the Perelman PHB. Not every page with handwriting is here -- there are many, many corrections and additions that Perelman wrote in; we included only ones with significant changes, or funny comments. Thanks to forum member Gnat the Beggar for providing the scans.
The last flyleaf of the book features signatures and quotes from various members of the Acaeum forums who have had the chance to view the book personally. The North Texas Role-Playing Game Convention (NTRPG Con) will host the Perelman PHB for the forseeable future.
