A sourcebook is a collection of texts on a particular subject intended for use as an introduction to the subject. The selected texts are typically edited, laid out, and typeset in a uniform format before binding, and the result is often a
hardcover
A hardcover, hard cover, or hardback (also known as hardbound, and sometimes as casebound (At p. 247.)) book is one bookbinding, bound with rigid protective covers (typically of binder's board or heavy paperboard covered with buckram or other clo ...
book similar to a
textbook
A textbook is a book containing a comprehensive compilation of content in a branch of study with the intention of explaining it. Textbooks are produced to meet the needs of educators, usually at educational institutions, but also of learners ( ...
. In contrast,
course readers are prepared by simply photocopying or scanning the selected materials and then adding covers, front matter, tables, and pagination, they are usually bound as
softcover
A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, also known as wrappers, and often held together with glue rather than stitches or staples. In contrast, hardback (hardcover) books are bound with cardboar ...
books, and they are usually prepared for a specific course.
Academic use
In American
universities
A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
, a sourcebook may function as a supplement to or as a replacement for a textbook. Sourcebooks are also often the result of the increasing ease of
self-publishing
Self-publishing is an author-driven publication of any media without the involvement of a third-party publisher. Since the advent of the internet, self-published usually depends upon digital platforms and print-on-demand technology, ranging fro ...
, prompting authors and teachers to assemble their own custom packets of readings which become sourcebooks in their fields. Hence, they may be helpful in academics and
education
Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...
since they provide a more diverse range of information.
In American
law school
A law school (also known as a law centre/center, college of law, or faculty of law) is an institution, professional school, or department of a college or university specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for b ...
s,
casebooks are similar to sourcebooks, offering selections of
legal case
Legal proceeding is an activity that seeks to invoke the power of a tribunal in order to enforce a law. Although the term may be defined more broadly or more narrowly as circumstances require, it has been noted that " e term ''legal proceedings'' ...
s and commentary, forming the basis for analysis and discussion. Rather than simply laying out the
legal doctrine
A legal doctrine is a framework, set of rules, Procedural law, procedural steps, or Test (law), test, often established through precedent in the common law, through which judgments can be determined in a given legal case. For example, a doctrine ...
in a particular area of study, a
casebook contains excerpts from
legal case
Legal proceeding is an activity that seeks to invoke the power of a tribunal in order to enforce a law. Although the term may be defined more broadly or more narrowly as circumstances require, it has been noted that " e term ''legal proceedings'' ...
s in which the law of that area was applied. It is then up to the student to analyze the language of the case in order to determine what rule was applied and how the
court
A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and Administration of justice, administer justice in Civil law (common law), civil, Criminal law, criminal, an ...
applied it.
Games
In
game
A game is a structured type of play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or video games) or art ...
s, a ''sourcebook'' is a publication intended to supplement the core materials of a game. Sourcebooks are usually used to complement
role-playing games
A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, eith ...
and
tabletop or
wargaming
A normal wargame is a strategy game in which two or more players command opposing armed forces in a simulation of an armed conflict. Wargaming may be played for recreation, to train military officers in the art of strategic thinking, or to st ...
series, and often contain optional rules, scenarios, or other materials that players can use to extend or enhance the central game. While the
splatbook A splatbook is a sourcebook for a particular role-playing game (RPG) that is not needed for play, but is devoted to a particular facet, character class, or fictional faction, providing additional background details and rules options. For example, a ...
is a ''sourcebook'' which focuses on a specific fictional aspect of the game in depth. The association of ''sourcebooks'' to tabletop series emerged with many published sourcebooks for gaming like for the
World of Darkness games. Similar patterns are observed with the ''clanbooks'' for ''
Vampire: The Masquerade'', ''tribebooks'' for ''
Werewolf: The Apocalypse'', ''traditionbooks'' for ''
Mage: The Ascension'', and so on.
[Horvath, Stu (2023). ''Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. pp. 54–55. .]
Sourcebooks may also refer to guidebooks meant for beginners containing instructions, rules or advice as in the ''handbooks'' for ''
Minecraft
''Minecraft'' is a 2011 sandbox game developed and published by the Swedish video game developer Mojang Studios. Originally created by Markus Persson, Markus "Notch" Persson using the Java (programming language), Java programming language, the ...
''.
Popular gaming series with many sourcebooks include:
* ''
GURPS
The ''Generic Universal Role Playing System'', or ''GURPS'', is a tabletop role-playing game system published by Steve Jackson Games. The system is designed to run any genre using the same core mechanics. The core rules were first written by St ...
''
* ''
BattleTech
''BattleTech'' is a wargaming and military science fiction franchise launched by FASA Corporation in 1984, acquired by WizKids in 2001, which was in turn acquired by Topps in 2003; and published since 2007 by Catalyst Game Labs. The trademark ...
''
* ''
Dungeons & Dragons
''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical ...
''
* ''
Shadowrun
''Shadowrun'' is a science fantasy tabletop role-playing game set in an alternate future in which cybernetics, magic in fiction, magic and fantasy creatures co-exist. It combines genres of cyberpunk, urban fantasy, and crime fiction, crime, wit ...
''
See also
*
Source literature Source literature (understood as printed texts) is a kind of information source. It might, for example, be cited and used as sources in academic writings, and then called the literature on the subject.
The meaning of "source literature" is relati ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
*Hjørland, Birger (ed.)
Source literature Core Concepts in Library and Information Science.
Game terminology
Library science