WotC announced a set of premium reprints of the 1st edition rulebooks.
Consists of the Player's Handbook, DM's Guide, and Monster Manual.

Folowing is from their flyer

On Sale April 17, 2012

Key Features
• These premium versions of the original AD&D rulebooks by Gary Gygax make ideal additions to any game collector’s bookshelf or the perfect gift for the nostalgic D&D® player.
• Each book has been lovingly reprinted with the original art and content, but features an attractive new cover design commemorating this re-release of the AD&D core rules.
• Available in limited quantities for a short time only, these are sure to be collectible.

Oh so they are puttiong out 1st ed AND 5th ed. My bet is 1st Ed sales will surprise them. Tehn again, the people who wpuld byuy them are the people who are still playing 1st Ed, and don't need another copy of the rules. I still have my Holy Trinity from 1979.

While I like the idea, I can run up to Half Price Books and get them for $15 a book at MOST. Why should I buy their reprint?

Anyone have a link to the flyer?

I picked up all of the 1st ed books form my kidhood pretty easily, although this was a few years ago now. Everyone was too focused on the latest release to be bothered about them really.

I would be asking "why bother buying something you already own?" but my hypocrite alarm would go off reminding me that this is exactly what I've done with some of the Call of Cthulhu books.

Am I the only one to suffer sticker shock? I got phb new for a tenner back in the day!

I don't see the draw, myself. I also have not been gaming since 1st Edition. I wasn't even born...

I have just about all the core books from 1E & 2E (in both covers for the ones that had them), most 3E/3.5E stuff and about half the 4E stuff plus almost all the BECMI stuff. I will most likely pick these up, even if it is just to add to my collection. I may even run a 1E game...jeez I miss that game...it is not that I do not like the more current incarnations, it was just something felt different back then.

I was gonna grab the 1st ed books from Half Price...looks like this announcement inspired other folks to do the same! Oh well. Only playing Pathfinder lately anyway.