I've recently seen on the net a great book called "Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia", a big book to cover the important stories, characters, history, locations, etc in the AC universe. I was wondering if TES (a legendary series that is much older than AC, with a vast universe and a big community) has printed or the developers are planning to print a big comprehensive book of lore?

Not sure, but I'd buy it in an instant if it ever came out. I guess for now we just have the Imperial Library and UESP...

There is too much lore to fit in one book, the online Imperial Library is the best source for TES lore.

I'd totally love to buy that. Now let the officials @ Bethesda flood this thread and answer our prayer

There's just way too much to fit into one book. TES has books within it - including full length plays! No book could do justice to the complex, weird and wonderful lore behind the series.

It would be more like an encyclopedia set.

UESPwiki isn't good enough?

It is, no doubt about is, but I'm talking about a collector item. For me (and probably others) the net will never match a great looking book you can have on your desk and feel in your hands. With great hardcover, great quality paper and big pictures...

You could print the contents of uespwiki. Ask some artist make it pretty and voila. You can't get more collectible than that for being one of a kind.

All I can say is I'd spend a lot of money for such a book (or series of books). Like the op said, Bethesda is sitting on a huge potential of money and not using it, same goes with TES figurines (I'd die for an Argonian with a spear, or a Dunmer leading a transport Guar or a Khajiit drawing a bow)... they should be more confident that this franchise has grown big enough to support an official brand workshop.

TES is too complex for a single book. I think you can print more about the old Nibenese-Colovian contrast and its impact on cyrodiilic high culture than the entire Assassin's Creed series have to offer in terms of lore.

But there was the Pocket Guide to the Empire, First Edition. I think a printed version was given away with Redguard.

If Bethesda were to produce a couple of books like that, I'd gladly through money at them.

I also have the 3rd Edition of the Pocket Guide to the Empire, which came with the collectors edition of Oblivion.

Redguard also came with a comic book.

As mentioned before, there's so much official lore - in terms of in-game books as well as in-game events, combined with all official Bethesda books (such as those already mentioned, along with the Keyes novels - plus Arena and Daggerfall came with manuals which had extensive lore introductions and bestiaries) - that a single encyclopedia would have to be very restrictive in what it includes.

Not to mention all semi-official lore (as written by Michael Kirkbride on the lore forums - MK wrote a lot of the official lore in the games and continues to post on the forums in an unofficial capacity) - and not to mention the newly mangled lore introduced by Elder Scrolls online.


Most "lore" in the Elder Scrolls lore isn't always to be taken as the complete truth - the fictional writers of the books approach their writing with a particular bias (remember the phrase "history is written by the victor".) What is "true" for one person, isn't necessary "true" for someone else. An official encyclopedia would either have to recognise this bias (for example "Imperials believe that....") or one particular version of events would have to be selected as the absolute truth. Which kind of ruins a lot of the fun of ES lore in the first place.

They've done encyclopaedias for a lot of fiction generated world that have in their own right developed a cult interest. Example is a lot of TV and cinema such as Star Wars or Star Trekk. I think TES has developed a big enough of a cult following to warrant such a thing.

Something thing else which is common is to make graphic novels. Star Wars, Aliens, Pretator have gone onto have graphic novels and yhey sell well. even rpg manufacturers such as Games Workshop have had graphic novels made for their Warhammer universes. i think it would help promote TES is if the broke into the world of graphic novels.

I agree, I'm a collector and I'd love Bethesda to make these available under licence.