Village Book 1 (1978) is the first is a series of prefabricated hex map books that were filled with hexes suitable for dropping in to any map as needed. This one, obviously, is all about villages.

The first thing you get is a bunch of nested random tables for rolling up your own villages and giving them basic set dressing, a la the Wilderlands of High Fantasy. That’s the highlight. I love this stuff. More, of this, please.

The rest of the book is the maps. I find them hard to read and indistinct to the point that I don’t think they’d save me too much time after the fussing I’d have to do to make them make sense. Nor, once you’ve made sense of them, do they feel particularly thoughtful or interesting or inviting more detailing. I guess they’re OK if you really desperate for something quick. But what do I know, Wikipedia says this thing sold 25,000 units, so I guess folks liked it.