Unofficial Pokemon Books and Magazines

[SmearglePaints]

Anyone own an unofficial book concerning the franchise? Dozens, if not hundreds were published back in the day. Some of them are ridiculous in what they say. I personally own "Pokemon Fever: The Unauthorized Guide" by Hank Schlesinger (nothing of note here), and recently ordered this gem: Pokemon Trainer's Survival Guide.

That one was published in two editions, the second of which covered Pokemon Yellow and, for some reason, added on three more writers.

Anyone else got something? I'm curious if anything else unusual turned up at the time, especially if it resorted to using fake Pokemon on the cover. haha

 

[Takoto]

Re: Bootleg, Counterfeit, and Unofficial Books!

No but damn I wish I did, books like that look hilarious to read.

 

[Zesty Cactus]

Re: Bootleg, Counterfeit, and Unofficial Books!

Pokemon Trainer's Survival Guide.

You're going to love it. It's hilarious and has a ton of mistakes in it.

Besides my own copy of that book, I don't really own anything besides a couple of stray magazines. Beckett, Pojo, et al.

 

[Showsni]

Re: Bootleg, Counterfeit, and Unofficial Books!

I've got "Pokémon Gold and Silver: The Guide!" published by Paragon; also featuring Red, Blue, Snap and Stadium. It was a freebie that came with the Pokémon World magazine, I think; though I actually found it outside on the ground in the rain, and took it home with me. Full of cheerful advice like "Now it's a nasty boulder puzzle for you, young feller-me-lass." "Not this poncy Dragon-flaunting fool agan!" and "It may be worth persevering though, as two Pikachus can get you that most desirable of the Gold and Silver bunch, a little Pichu! If you want to know how one of these is born, ask your Dad."

"Only hours and hours and hours and hours of ceaseless battling will allow you to take on the might of the Red and finally beomce the Ultimate Pokémon Master! But trying telling that to your mum when she's calling you down for tea, eh?"

Wow, I just noticed that they nicknamed their Cyndaquil "BITCH."

Looks like the players were called either GOLD or JEM. There's a Seaking nicknamed SEMPRINI, something nicknamed SHUGGY JOE, Pidgeotto nicknamed CUMBERBILL, then four nicknamed MITCH, MOTHER, DOLLY (Ampharos) and CLIVE (Weepinbell), a Graveller called DEREK, then some boxed Pokémon called SCHIZO!, VALERIE, SPROGFACE, DUDLEY and PETER (Sudowoodo). Hey, later on Typhlosion is nicknamed ITCH (ITCH with a space in front)... Guess the editor saw it?

The Red/Blue guide has Sparky the Raichu, Paul the Kadabra and WINKIE the Wartortle/Blastoise. Hehe. Winkie.

 

[SmearglePaints]

Re: Bootleg, Counterfeit, and Unofficial Books!

You're going to love it. It's hilarious and has a ton of mistakes in it.

Besides my own copy of that book, I don't really own anything besides a couple of stray magazines. Beckett, Pojo, et al.

I really think I will. Someone mentioned it on deviantART, and I was wondering what the hell he was talking about, because he said the Pokemon he drew was based on the one on the cover... So I looked it up and hella freaked out, because I remembered it!

I saw it at Wal-Mart, but never got to do more than skim through it. Now I can own it, all thanks to being adult with money. haha I ordered it for only $1, but it was about $4 shipping-and-handling. How they get you every time.

I'm also interested in magazines, though, particularly ones printed between 1998-2000. Anyone have anything, either official or unofficial, that's either entirely dedicated to Pokemon or has a few big articles?

 

[Takoto]

Re: Bootleg, Counterfeit, and Unofficial Books!

I've got "Pokémon Gold and Silver: The Guide!" published by Paragon; also featuring Red, Blue, Snap and Stadium. It was a freebie that came with the Pokémon World magazine, I think; though I actually found it outside on the ground in the rain, and took it home with me. Full of cheerful advice like "Now it's a nasty boulder puzzle for you, young feller-me-lass." "Not this poncy Dragon-flaunting fool agan!" and "It may be worth persevering though, as two Pikachus can get you that most desirable of the Gold and Silver bunch, a little Pichu! If you want to know how one of these is born, ask your Dad."

"Only hours and hours and hours and hours of ceaseless battling will allow you to take on the might of the Red and finally beomce the Ultimate Pokémon Master! But trying telling that to your mum when she's calling you down for tea, eh?"

Wow, I just noticed that they nicknamed their Cyndaquil "BITCH."

Looks like the players were called either GOLD or JEM. There's a Seaking nicknamed SEMPRINI, something nicknamed SHUGGY JOE, Pidgeotto nicknamed CUMBERBILL, then four nicknamed MITCH, MOTHER, DOLLY (Ampharos) and CLIVE (Weepinbell), a Graveller called DEREK, then some boxed Pokémon called SCHIZO!, VALERIE, SPROGFACE, DUDLEY and PETER (Sudowoodo). Hey, later on Typhlosion is nicknamed ITCH (ITCH with a space in front)... Guess the editor saw it?

The Red/Blue guide has Sparky the Raichu, Paul the Kadabra and WINKIE the Wartortle/Blastoise. Hehe. Winkie.

Hahahahaha. Holy shit. I have that book! I got it with Pokémon World years ago, and I still have it lying around.
I remember cause when I was little, I crossed out the nickname "BITCH" or changed it to like "ITCH" or something so my Mum wouldn't know I had a book with "bad words" in it xD I never really read the book though fully.

Also, if we're counting those books. I have another one from Pokémon World, which is a guide to Pokémon Colosseum, and it's actually really good. It helped me through the game when I was playing it, as it told you how to get items, and when a big battle was coming up and stuff. I can't remember if it had any mistakes in it or not though.

 

[SmearglePaints]

Re: Bootleg, Counterfeit, and Unofficial Books!

A few of you have made mention of Pokemon World magazine... Do any of you have some of the very earliest issues, from like the beginning?

 

[Lil Brother]

Re: Bootleg, Counterfeit, and Unofficial Books!

Pokemon Trainer's Survival Guide.

Haha, I remember seeing that. Best, most bizzare cover ever. I have a book by the same company, thePokémon Trading Card Game Player's Guide. It has tips of photographing all the Pokémon and hidden signs in Snap, which helped me a decade later when I downloaded Snap on the Wii. :3

Mmm, yeah, back in the day I accumulated quite the collection of these kinds of things... no idea where they are, though. I do remember one of them dubbed Marril "Pikablu", though. And I was shocked back in the G/S days to look through them again and find images of the preview Gen 2 Pokémon before they had been revealed outside Japan, and wondered how in the world I had never noticed them before.

I've got "Pokémon Gold and Silver: The Guide!" published by Paragon; etc. etc.

That sounds glorious.

 

[SmearglePaints]

Re: Bootleg, Counterfeit, and Unofficial Books!

The Pokemon Trainer's Survival Guide later released a second-edition, with added information on Yellow and some corrections. It featured yet another fake version of Charizard, and a trainer that looks suspiciously like Kris.

Here it is:

Mmm, yeah, back in the day I accumulated quite the collection of these kinds of things... no idea where they are, though. I do remember one of them dubbed Marril "Pikablu", though. And I was shocked back in the G/S days to look through them again and find images of the preview Gen 2 Pokémon before they had been revealed outside Japan, and wondered how in the world I had never noticed them before.

THIS. Any idea if you still have those magazines, or are they likely to have been lost or thrown out. If so, any idea what magazine it was?

 

[Nekusagi]

Re: Bootleg, Counterfeit, and Unofficial Books!

I have the Yellow guide and both the TCG Guides from Gamebooks. They're amazingly bad and amateurish, like some kid decided to turn his Angelfire site into a book.

I keep them for nostalgia and the lulz. Those things made me a popular kid at school for a while. Also they're good reference material (the fossil one, at least- it's a checklist of sorts of the really rare Japanese promos).

 

[SmearglePaints]

Re: Bootleg, Counterfeit, and Unofficial Books!

From what I've gathered the Gamebooks guides were written around the beginning of the phenomenon, before it really took off. I kind of want to get the Yellow edition, if only for the cover, but it's hard to find online. I can only find the first edition, and I don't want to risk ordering for the Yellow one because both technically have the same title and I might get the first again.

 

[Lil Brother]

Re: Bootleg, Counterfeit, and Unofficial Books!

THIS. Any idea if you still have those magazines, or are they likely to have been lost or thrown out. If so, any idea what magazine it was?

Sad to say, if I had to bet they're probably long gone... but they may be hiding out in the attic or my closet or somewhere. I'll try and check it out this weekend.

And these not-Pokémon are awesome.

 

[SmearglePaints]

Re: Bootleg, Counterfeit, and Unofficial Books!

I'd really appreciate a look around. I've heard of Marill being referred to as Pikablu in a magazine before, but the exact magazine wasn't known. My friend said she saw an article on "Pikablu" with codes to get it in RB alongside the pink Mariru concept artwork. She thought it was in Pokemon World UK, but I haven't been able to confirm that.

And yeah. Funny what they came up with to avoid lawsuits. haha

 

[The Outrage]

Re: Bootleg, Counterfeit, and Unofficial Books!

How to become a Pokemon Master

 

[SmearglePaints]

Re: Bootleg, Counterfeit, and Unofficial Books!

How to become a Pokemon Master

I own the other Schlesinger book, Pokemon Fever, and I've always wondered what his other Pokemon book was like. Anything fun?

 

[Takoto]

Re: Bootleg, Counterfeit, and Unofficial Books!

I'd really appreciate a look around. I've heard of Marill being referred to as Pikablu in a magazine before, but the exact magazine wasn't known. My friend said she saw an article on "Pikablu" with codes to get it in RB alongside the pink Mariru concept artwork. She thought it was in Pokemon World UK, but I haven't been able to confirm that.

And yeah. Funny what they came up with to avoid lawsuits. haha

Holy damn, you're the guy I was talking to on DeviantART! I'm the one who was talking about that article! xD ...and I still haven't found the name of the magazine. :c Although I'm starting to doubt it was in Pokémon World...

How to become a Pokemon Master

Haha, want. The cover looks so... naff.

 

[Zesty Cactus]

Re: Bootleg, Counterfeit, and Unofficial Books!

I have an old Pojo's Pokémon somewhere... it has a special article on the Gym Heroes expansion. It's sooo beat up because I used to read it all the time X_X

I also have some older Becketts that are... somewhere haha

Oh and somewhere I have an EGM that has a sneak preview of Gold and Silver... holy crap I guess it's more than ten years old now. I feel old

 

[Princess Viola]

Re: Bootleg, Counterfeit, and Unofficial Books!

I don't know the name, but I have this Pokemon guide book with like a guide to all 151 Pokemon. It shows their sprites and Stadium model. What's weird is some sprites are from Green.

And it also has an episode guide and lists Electric Soldier Porygon.

 

[SmearglePaints]

Re: Bootleg, Counterfeit, and Unofficial Books!

Holy damn, you're the guy I was talking to on DeviantART! I'm the one who was talking about that article! xD ...and I still haven't found the name of the magazine. :c Although I'm starting to doubt it was in Pokémon World...

Haha. I was wondering who around here you'd be. And yeah, I'm fairly sure it wasn't Pokemon World, but hopefully this thread will help us figure out which it was.

Oh and somewhere I have an EGM that has a sneak preview of Gold and Silver... holy crap I guess it's more than ten years old now. I feel old

Mind providing scans if you can find it? I'm trying to collect references previewing Gold and Silver, but so far Nintendo Power is my only source.

 

[Takoto]

Re: Bootleg, Counterfeit, and Unofficial Books!

Haha. I was wondering who around here you'd be. And yeah, I'm fairly sure it wasn't Pokemon World, but hopefully this thread will help us figure out which it was.

Yeah xD I made a topic a while ago but no one commented. D:

In a shop I once saw "THE UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO POKEMON CRYSTAL". The "Pokémon"-bit had e not é and wasn't in the normal font/logo, and on the front was not only Suicune but Raikou and Entei. I wanted to buy it. xD