Editing Monster Manual (section)

{{Short description|Sourcebook series of Dungeons & Dragons bestiaries}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2017}}
{{Infobox book
| name              = Monster Manual {{Noitalic|(1977)}}
| image             = Image:MonsterManual-1stEdAD&D-Cover.jpg
| caption           = Cover of the original ''Monster Manual''
| author            = [[Gary Gygax]]
| publisher         = [[TSR, Inc.|TSR]]
| release_date      = December 1977
| genre             = [[Role-playing game]]
| media_type        = Print ([[Hardback]])
| isbn              = 0-935696-00-8
| pages             = 112
| congress          = GV1469.D8G93 1979
| dewey             = 794
| isbn_note         = (4th printing)
| followed_by       = [[Monster Manual II]]
}}

The '''''Monster Manual''''' ('''''MM''''') is the primary [[bestiary]] sourcebook for [[Monsters in Dungeons & Dragons|monsters]] in the ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' (''D&D'') [[fantasy]] [[role-playing game]], first published in 1977 by [[TSR, Inc.|TSR]]. The ''Monster Manual'' was the first hardcover ''D&D'' book and includes monsters derived from [[mythology]] and [[folklore]], as well as creatures created specifically for ''D&D''.  Creature descriptions include game-specific statistics (such as the monster's [[Experience point#Level-based progression|level]] or number of hit dice), a brief description of its habits and habitats, and typically an image of the creature. Along with the ''[[Player's Handbook]]'' and ''[[Dungeon Master's Guide]]'', the ''Monster Manual'' is one of the three "core rulebooks" in most editions of the ''D&D'' game. As such, new editions of the ''Monster Manual'' have been released for each edition of ''D&D''.  Due to the level of detail and illustration included in the 1977 release, the book was cited as a pivotal example of a new style of wargame books. Future editions would draw on various sources and act as a compendium of published monsters.