Ultima: The Ultimate Collector's Guide: 2012 Edition [Paperback]

Stephen Emond (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 11, 2011

For more than 30 Years the Ultima series has defined the RPG genre, from Akalabeth to Ascension to Ultima Online and Beyond. Lord British's enduring legacy will forever live in the hearts and minds of gamers around the world. The Quest of the Avatar is Forever.

This mammoth 826 page tribute to the Ultima series contains highly detailed information and pictures for 520 main releases, 286 books & collectibles, and 149 miscellaneous items. A grand total of 955 items from 24 countries across 6 continents!

In addition to regular entries there are comprehensive variation guides for each game. They provide side-by-side comparisons illustrating the differences between different maps, boxes, books, discs, etc. There's even some history & lore for extra flavoring.

Every game in the series is covered in exhaustive detail including Ultima I-IX, Akalabeth, Mt Drash, Runes of Virtue I & II, Savage Empire, Martian Dreams, and Underworld I & II as well as the many Collections & Compilations. Also included are bonus chapters for Ultima X, Ultima Online & Ultima Media.


For the complete Ultima Saga be sure to check out the entire book series:

Ultima: The Ultimate Collector's Guide - 2012 Edition
Ultima Online: The Ultimate Collector's Guide - 2013 Edition
Ultima Online: The Ultimate Collector's Guide - 2013 Gold Edition
Ultima: The Ultimate Companion Guide - 2013 Edition
Ultima: The Ultimate Companion Guide - 2013 Gold Edition

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book is nothing short of amazing. If you're an Ultima fan or video game historian, stop reading now and just buy this." - Warren Spector, Designer
"The amount of research that went into this book is probably comparable to the amount of work we put into making one of the Ultima games to begin with!" - Dr. Cat, Designer
"I can objectively state that this book is by far the most thorough and accurate compilation of Ultima and Ultima related stuff on the planet." - John Wilkinson, Designer

About the Author

I've spent many years playing and collecting video games, but the series I've always been most passionate about is Ultima. The rich storylines, unique characters, and ethical dilemmas really inspired my imagination.

I started writing this guide years ago, mostly for fun and my own personal reference. Over time though it grew into much, much more. I finally completed the first edition of the book in 2007. One of the very first copies was donated for a fundraising auction in support of the UT VideoGame Archive. At that point I was fortunate enough to meet with Richard Garriott (Lord British), Warren Spector, Starr Long, Sheri Graner Ray, Denis Loubet, George Sanger (The Fat Man), and many more gaming legends.

It was a long and challenging road to get to this point, but it has been an fantastic experience. My sincere thanks to everyone who's helped me along the way. As for the future, I'd love to continue writing other guides particularly for Sierra On-Line & Sega.

Stephen Emond
aka: Cmdr Falcon

Product Details

• Paperback: 826 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (November 11, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1467934607
• ISBN-13: 978-1467934602
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #796,786 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I've spent many years playing and collecting video games, but the series I've always been most passionate about is Ultima. The rich storylines, unique characters, and ethical dilemmas really inspired my imagination.

I started writing this guide years ago, mostly for fun and my own personal reference. Over time though it grew into much, much more. I finally completed the first edition of the book in 2007. One of the very first copies was donated for a fundraising auction in support of the UT VideoGame Archive. At that point I was fortunate enough to meet with Richard Garriott (Lord British), Warren Spector, Starr Long, Sheri Graner Ray, Denis Loubet, George Sanger (The Fat Man), and many more gaming legends.

It was a long and challenging road to get to this point, but it has been an fantastic experience. My sincere thanks to everyone who's helped me along the way. As for the future, I'd love to continue writing other guides particularly for Sierra On-Line & Sega.

Stephen Emond
aka: Cmdr Falcon

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing piece of work! February 6, 2012

By Warren Spector

Format:Paperback

As one of the people involved in the creation of several Ultima games included in this book, I might be a bit prejudiced, but holy cow this is an amazing piece of work! Frankly, any warm feelings I may have about individual games or fond memories of their creation are irrelevant, since the book doesn't get into evaluation much. It's all about the comprehensive listing of and visual guide to all things Ultima.

This book is nothing short of amazing. Every box, every disc, every map, every ad, every poster, every t-shirt... everything (well, nearly everything) Ultima is included and illustrated. I can't even imagine the research and years of collecting materials that went into this Guide.

If you're an Ultima fan or video game historian, stop reading now and just buy this.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Staggeringly thorough February 10, 2012

By Dr. Cat

Format:Paperback

I should start off by saying, if you're looking for more info about the gameplay, anecdotes about development, history of Lord British and Origin, etc. there are other books like Shay Addams "Official Book of Ultima" you should consider. But if you're a collector, or doing market research, or have any other reason to want to look into every single product, version, foreign translation, and related product... This is a better source than most game series will ever have. The amount of research that went into this book is probably comparable to the amount of work we put into making one of the Ultima games to begin with!

There are also pages of trivia and interesting facts about each of the games, including things I didn't know myself - I'll be browsing through those for a while. The author also obtained the original lyrics to "The Cheese Song" from Ultima Runes of Virtue from the composer, 'Manda. To my knowledge this is the first and only time those lyrics have been published. There's a photo of one of my origami dragons also, which were mailed out to people who found the secret room in that game.

The whole book is filled with tidbits of info like that, from Akalabeth (and the high school project D&D games that preceeded it) right on through to info on the cancelled Ultima X, and the t-shirts Richard had made up for the team at the end of the series. With info on hint books, trinkets, console versions, compilations, if you're an Ultima completist this is your guidebook!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough! February 6, 2012

By John Wilkinson

Format:Paperback

First, let me say that I am a bit biased, as I've both worked on Ultima Online and have known the author personally for years.

That said, I can objectively state that this book is by far the most thorough and accurate compilation of Ultima and Ultima related stuff on the planet. If you're even a little serious about video game collecting, especially if you're into Ultima, Ultima Online, and/or RPGs in general, this is a book you should own.

I've got my copy proudly on display in my office next to my UO Ancient Wyrm sculpture.