The Official Pokémon Handbook: Difference between revisions

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'''The Official Pokémon Handbook''' by [[Maria S. Barbo]] (ISBN 0439103975) is a handbook that was published by [[Scholastic]] in July 1999, advertised as "your complete companion to all 150 Pokémon characters!" to serve as a rudimentary, paper version of a [[Pokédex]]. Despite this, and like many printed Pokémon books, it has multiple errors and misprints. It contains an entry for each of the original 150 [[Generation I]] Pokémon. A Deluxe Collector's Edition was published later with entries for {{p|Mew}} and {{p|Togepi}}.

The entries for each Pokémon are structured in an easy-to-read page setup. Each Pokémon has either an entire page to itself, or shares a page with another member of its evolutionary family.  

Stock artwork of each Pokémon is the main focus of its entry page. Underneath the picture is a short description about the Pokémon, styled in a way that is similar to a Pokédex entry. Occasionally, a page will also contain a "Pokédex Pick", which is additional information about the Pokémon, often an anecdote about the Pokémon's appearance in the {{pkmn|anime}}.

Levels are not given for when Pokémon will learn techniques, although they are listed in the order in which they are learned. Moves learnable by [[TM]]s are not listed.

At the very bottom of the entry there are evolution chains to show what the Pokémon evolves into or evolved from. Pokémon that do not evolve or have not yet been revealed to evolve do not show an evolution chain.

At the beginning of the book there is an introductory chapter titled "A Word From [[Professor Oak]]". The chapter describes the premise of the handbook and of the Pokémon world in general (this information is largely influenced by anime [[canon]]). It also contains a preface called ''The Pokémon Journey'', an illustrated map of the [[Kanto]] region, and another preface, ''Battle Basics'', as well as a ''How to use this book'' diagram.  

At the end of the book, there is a list of ''Top 10 Ways to Care for your Pokémon'', ''Secrets of the Gym Leaders'', ''Meet the Elite Four'', some FAQs, information about {{p|Togepi}}, a sneak peek of Generation II Pokémon, and a checklist of all the Generation I Pokémon. The Deluxe Collector's Edition also has some more information on different characters from the {{pkmn|anime}}.

* In {{p|Lapras}}'s entry, its lower jaw is colored blue as opposed to the white in its official artwork.

* The moves {{m|Flamethrower}} and {{m|Thunderbolt}} are omitted from the original book.

* In {{p|Lickitung}}'s entry, it states that it will confuse its opponent with its {{m|Wrap}} technique and then attack a maximum of five times with its {{m|Supersonic}}, instead of the other way around.

* {{p|Pikachu}}'s entry states that its species as a whole has a natural dislike for being held inside [[Poké Ball]]s. This, however, only applies to [[Ash's Pikachu]].

* Koffing's page says that James said Koffing "smells like old sneakers soaked in stinkbug juice mixed with some rotten eggs and dead fish with just a touch of skunk fumes!", but when he said this in ''[[EP026|Pokémon Scent-sation!]]'', he was referring to the scent of {{p|Gloom}}.

* In the first and early printings of the second edition, {{p|Hitmonlee}} and {{p|Hitmonchan}}'s entries state that they do not evolve, yet both contain an evolution chain graphic suggesting that the former evolves into the latter. Later printings and the Deluxe Collectors' Edition remove this.

* On the back of the Deluxe Collector's Edition, it says ''All you ever wanted to know about Pokémon Trainers {{Ash}}, {{an|Misty}}, {{an|Brock}}, {{TRT}}, and more!'' However, Team Rocket is a villanous team, not a Pokémon Trainer.

* In the Gym Leader section, it incorrectly identified Misty as [[Celadon City]]'s gym leader, and [[Erika]] as [[Cerulean City]]'s gym leader, when it should be the other way around.