Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)

The Halo Encyclopedia is an official guidebook of the Halo Universe, published by Dorling Kindersley. The encyclopedia has a foreword written by Frank O'Connor, head of the Halo Franchise Development Group, with Tobias Buckell editing. It was released on October 19th, 2009.

Official DK Summary
"This is a must-have guide to the Halo universe. Humanity teeters on the brink of extinction, as hostile forces and ancient mysteries threaten to snuff out our first fiery foray into the universe. Take a trip into the world of Halo and discover everything you ever wanted to know about the characters, weapons, vehicles, equipment and locations from Halo, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo Wars and Halo 3: ODST. From the Colonial Administration Authority to the UNSC, you'll find an overview of Halo's human history and structure and gain insight into key organizations. Discover all about the Covenant - its history and religion - as well as the Forerunners, Flood and much more. It's what Halo fans have been waiting for."

- Dorling Kindersley

Contents

 * Foreword by Frank O' Connor
 * Introduction
 * 1) Timeline
 * 2) Humans
 * 3) Spartans
 * 4) The Covenant
 * 5) The Flood
 * 6) The Forerunners
 * 7) The Human-Covenant War
 * 8) Science and Technology
 * 9) Transport
 * 10) Locations
 * 11) Weapons

Reception
Reception to the Halo Encyclopedia was mixed. Some reviewers and readers praised the book's detailed approach to its content. However, other reviewers stated that the book's images were often of poor quality and "at times seem[ing] haphazardly thrown together."

Others criticisms centered on the work's poor editing, most notably its poor spelling and grammar. Misattributions were also frequent, with Scout and Rogue being mistakenly confused as one armor type, and the Truth and Reconciliation being billed as an "Assault Carrier," when the vessel is in fact a CCS-class Battlecruiser.

Trivia

 * On the page describing the Elite ranks, there is a picture of an Honor Guard Councilor for the Councilor rank description. Also, the Major Elite is wearing Assault armor, and the color is much brighter than it really is.
 * The book mistakenly lists the Halo 3 Assault Rifle, the MA5C, to have 24 rounds in a magazine, although the weapon really has 32 rounds.
 * It also lists the BR55HB SR Battle Rifle has a BR55, the battle rifle from Halo 2.
 * On the page describing Brute ranks it shows a War Chieftan with a Gravity Hammer and a Regular Chieftain with a Fuel Rod Gun.
 * It calls the M41 LAAG a Vulcan, even though that name is never used in-game.