Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Demons of the Hellmouth: A Guide for Slayers

The presentation of this book as having been written by Giles post-series (and "annotated" by the Scooby Gang) - and the price of $25 - makes this book worth it as a collectible item, but if you want more information on the monsters and demons of Sunnydale, I'd recommend The Monster Book first.

A fantastic book with lots of information and background to every villian of the series. And yes, it is nearly every. single. villain. from the show. From main characters, like Spike, Angel, Darla and Drusilla all the way to demons I didn't even remember seeing in the show, let alone remember their names, like the "Asphyx Demon" (from "Get it Done") and the "Glaryk Guhl Kashmas'nik Demon" (from "Normal Again"). It even lists all of the major Apocalypses the group has faced, and how they stopped them.The only thing I think I really don't care for is the notes written in the book. The book is set up as though it was actually written by Rupert Giles, and then it has notes written by Buffy, Willow, Faith and Xander in the margins of the book. But rather than the notes be things the characters would say, it's usually just the characters requoting things they've said in the show. (Ex. there's a page about Anya/Anyanka talking about her death in the series finale, and Xander writes the note "that's my girl, always doing the stupid thing..." because, that's what he said in the show already, so it's supposed to be cute I guess. I don't know, they're mostly fine, but some just feel really out-of-place, like they really wanted to use quotes from the show, but they don't really make sense in context, so they feel super forced.)Overall, it is an extremely thorough look into all the demons, vampires and other forces of darkness Buffy and her friends face over seven seasons of show. The book itself is extremely well made. It's hardcover and pages themselves are more on the side of cardstock than regular paper. Anthony Stewart Head even writes an intro to the book, in which he talks about how he got the role of Giles. I think Mr. Head explains this book best, though, in his intro. That this book is a wonderful way to "bring back many happy memories" of our favorite vampire slayer.

What is it about Buffy the Vampire Slayer that continues to fascinate us, over a decade after the show went off of the air? Well, part of it is the wide array of interesting, frequently frightening, and occasionally thought-provoking villains.This book does an excellent job of spotlighting the various monsters and "Big Bads" from the shows seven television seasons, making it an invaluable research for Buffy scholars (yes, that's a thing!) and fans alike. But what keeps this from being a potentially dry academic work are the various scribbled margin notes, purportedly provided not only by Buffy, but also Willow, Giles, Xander and Faith, many of them hilarious.Ostensibly written by Rupert Giles, Buffy's Watcher, this is actually the work of Nancy Holder, arguably the preeminent Buffy author (in addition to having written many original BtVS novels, she's also done scholarly works, including "The Making of a Slayer"), and she captures just the right zestful flair. This is a fun book to read, as well as being informative.The icing on the cake is a very heartfelt forward written by Anthony Stewart Head, who portrayed Giles so memorably.

I'm glad to have it in my collection but it's not (for me) outstanding. "Written" by Giles, the footnotes from the gang are out of place. I can't see Giles letting them make marks all over his precious books. lol. The second thing that would've made it more 'from Giles' is if instead of screen shots from the show and marketing photos of the actors, we saw what would truly be in the research books throughout the series - sketches. Buffy didn't go around telling vampires and demons 'hold still so I can snap a photo for the book'. There is also no reference to the comics which are well into season 10 at this point. Off hand I'm not sure when this book was supposed to have been written in the timeline of Buffy - but it's obviously after the fall of Sunnydale. I wager it's before Angel kills Giles in Season 8 - but again, no reference. Which is a shame - so many BTVS fans still don't know the series lives on and it's a missed opportunity IMO to show the new storylines to fans young and old. Overall it's neat, decent information (Although I don't always 'hear' Giles - I think the POV switches to a more writers narrative and opinion rather than a matter of fact for future slayers", a must have for us BTVS fans. Had I seen it in person first, would've waited to find it second hand for less money.

If you're a collector or just a huge fan of this series well let me tell you this is a must have. Super high quality and it is a really cool collector's item. Will buy more products from here.

I'm still going through this book. I was slightly disappointed by the books size. I think i thought it would have been larger dimensions. More high school year book size as apposed to normal hardback book size. I do like the pictures and stuff that i read so far. It's a good addition to my buffy collection

My best friend is a Buffy fanatic and she went NUTS when she saw this! She was so excited! I think it's a great addition to any Buffy and book lovers collection

This is my most prized Buffy possession! It is a MUST HAVE for a huge fan! It has in depth details about every "big bad" in the show. It's interesting because it is wrote by Giles after they defeat the first at the end of the tv series. I especially love the quality of this book. It's extremely impressive! I highly recommend this book!!

Fue para un relago y le gusto mucho

Great product, very useful for fans

This is an excellent Buffy companion designed to look like an actual book/journal by Giles. This book is filled with info on the evil Buffy has slayed during the show, written and presented in a journal style. The book is very nicely designed, with aged effect backgrounds and color images throughout. Many of the pages feature doodles and additional handwritten notes by Buffy, Willow & Xander. I love the faux leather cover the book has. It's a very nice book & looks great on my shelf too! Now I'm crossing my fingers that they make a Willow Spellbook in a similar style! One can only hope :D

Having been a Buffy fan since the show originally aired on TV, I'm over the moon with this book! Written "by Giles" it's fun and informative. My primary reason for buying it was to have it autographed. I go to a lot of comic cons and this book is perfect for getting signed because it has so many pictures, not just of the main cast but of loads of smaller characters. Because the book has already been "scribbled" in with comments from Buffy, Willow, Xander and Faith et al, the actor signatures look entirely like they are meant to be there.

This is gorgeous!! The book is designed to look like a journal, with descriptions of all the big bads. It has notes in the margin from the gang... Willow, Xander, Giles, Angel and Faith. It is a book you can dip into every so often and not get bored with it, and it looks amazing on the shelf. Well worth it!!