Have you been keeping up with ESO's Loremaster Archives? This weeks entry is all about Hircine and werewolves, and is definitely worth a read. As always, you should submit questions for the series to community@elderscrollsonline.com - I'm sure you guys have some great things you're itching to know. 

Although we've fallen behind on reporting news around the Library, lots of progress has been made. Thanks to the help of laurelanthalasa and the nighthawker, the Emperor's Guide transcription is nearing completion. The next chapter, covering Hammerfell, will go live early next week, and we'll be rolling out the rest week by week. Art, currently absent, will be added as the final step. 

We are also most of the way through uploading the new books from ESO, with most of the remaining texts being journals, notes, or duplicates from previous games. New books are being added every day, and once they're all up, we'll be turning out attention to uploading the Loremaster's Archive series mentioned above, as well as books from Beta that did not make it into the final game. Not to mention, of course, updating the timeline and our articles with all the new information. 

The next part of the Emperor's Guide is now up! In addition to all the expected information about the history, geography, politics, and culture of High Rock, there are some great bits about Dreugh, werewolves, witches, and knightly orders... as well as a clever allusion to a very famous hero from the future. As if all that wasn't enough, our narrator gets himself into the first part of a whole lot of trouble. 

This week's entries were really hard to pick. Although masterfully painted in broad strokes within past lore, Elsweyr has not been explored until now. ESO features gorgeous visual design and wonderful new books to give us a look into this province and its mysterious, alien inhabitants. 

The Moon Cats and their Dance - a great book about Khajiiti philosophy, their forms, and the foreign views of them. Attributed to the famous Clan Mother Ahnissi
Moon Worship among the Cat Men - a biased text about Khajiiti religion and politics. 
A Dance in Moonlight - the story of a maiden who stole the light of the moons. 
The Seven Shadows of Rajhin - a fable about this famous culture hero.
The Thief God's Treasures - another take of Rajhin, this time explaining his relationship with the famous Ring of  Khajiit
Litter-Mates of Darkness - the dual, moon-tied afterlife and worship of the Khajiit.

Due to the great work of Pilaf, we have a scant 765 books remaining! The majority of them are journals and correspondences, and we will continue to add them in the coming days. Give him a big round of applause, and head over to the Online section to read all our uploads thus far. 

The first few parts of The Improved Emperor's Guide to Tamriel are now available. The Guide tells the story of Flaccus Torentius, a painter tasked by Chancellor Abnur Tharn with traveling the provinces and updating the old Emperor's Guide. The book includes excerpts from the previous Guide, other Tamrielic books, and the journal and paintings of Flaccus. All that amounts, of course, to tons of new lore and plenty of throwbacks to the old.

Currently, the dedication, introduction, and Cyrodiil sections are online - we'll be adding more from this enormous book in the coming weeks. You can find it in our Pocket Guides section, as Emperor's Guide. 

Please note that, to keep this collector's item a collector's item, images and scans are not allowed to be republished unless they have previously appeared elsewhere. 

To follow up last week's highlight of the Reachmen, today we'll be looking at the more 'civilized' denizens of High Rock, the Bretons. In addition to the political intrigue for which the region is famous, ESO delves deeper into the lore of the Direnni elves and the ancient mysteries surrounding the Iliac Bay. Here are a few of our favorites: 

A Royal Embarrassment - a anti-Daggerfall Covenant pamphlet lambasting Emeric and his family.
The Knightly Orders of High Rock - an overview of High Rock's social classes and their origins.
The Bretons: Mongrels or Paragons - discuses the dual genetic heritage of the Breton peoples.
Tower of Adamant - a history of the Adamantine Tower.
Once - a poetic history of the Direnni.

As of this post, we have just under a thousand ESO books in our library, largely due to the effort and dedication of Pilaf. Give him a big round of applause when you next see him!

Also brand new this week is TIL's Facebook page. We'll be posting news, questions, discussions, and all kinds of other things there, so if you'd like to stay up to date on TIL and on lore, be sure to head on over and give us a "like". The address is www.facebook.com/theimperiallibrary

Skyrim introduced the defeated 4th era remnants of this culture by way of the Foresworn, and now ESO is expanding on their lore on the other side of the border. Remember to keep in mind the bias 'civilized' authors have against the clans of the Reach when reading the works below. 

Clans of the Reach: A Guide - three particularly hostile clans and their rituals
A Life Barbaric and Brutal - a young Breton is abducted and held as a slave. 
Triumphs of a Monarch - King Emeric's account of Durcorach the Black Drake's raids on High Rock. 
Aspects of Lord Hircine - a Reachmen shaman's description of the Daedra prince.

This is, of course, just a small sampling of the over 750 ESO books added thus far. Take a look at the Online section of the TES Game Books menu to read them all. Have you found a cool book, dialog, or location on your travels through 2nd era Tamriel? Post it over on the Storyboard for us all to ponder and admire.

Two decades ago, a little game named Arena came out for MS DOS, launching a universe now beloved by millions. Todd Howard had this to say in his retrospective: 

As the years went by the technologies changed, we changed, you changed. But the goal remained the same – to create a game that transported you to another place. A game that fueled you with the ideal of endless possibilities. A world you could make your own.

And make it our own we did. In the twenty years since its creation, Elder Scrolls has changed hundreds (if not thousands, or hundreds of thousands) of lives - one of them my own. 

Happy Birthday, Elder Scrolls! Here's to another twenty wonderful years. 

Although the Redguards had featured in two earlier games - Daggerfall and the eponymous Redguard - ESO managed to walk the line between reinforcing previously established lore and introduce some of their own. Here are a few of my favorites from our growing collection:

A Betrayal of Our Heritage - Highlighting the strength of the division between Crown and Forbear
The Book of Circles - this famous series, mentioned back in Daggerfall, is a series of battle maxims.
The Lost Islands of Old Yokuda - A poem reflecting on the islands of Yokuda.
Correct Ways of Slaying Ra-Netu - How to lay the undead to rest in a proper manner.
Sentinel, Jewel of the Alik'r - a history of the city. This overwrought, flowery style seems to be the hallmark of this writer (and several Anonymous ones)
Reverence for the Dead - a bit about Redguard funerary culture

This week, I'd like to give a very special thanks to Pilaf the Defiler, our newest Assistant. He's done a great job adding many, many books to the database, and deserves a big round of applause.

For those of you who are more art minded, The Guardian has posted an excellent collection of never-before-seen concept art. 

The Argonians got a whole lot of new and expanded lore in ESO. Here are a few highlights from our always-growing collection.

The Strange Case of Ja-Reet - how an Argonian is affected by not being connected to the Hist
The Lost Communion - Reawakening one's connection to the Hist using their sap.
Myths and Legends of the Hist - details on Argonian religion and life-cycle
Stormhold, City of Shadowfen - a brief history of Stormhold
A Mother's Nursery Rhyme - A nursery rhyme about losing ones nursery
Argonian Mating Ritual - thankfully PG.

The first two are particularly interesting given the recent revelation on the Hist's motives and the Argonian's many forms - namely, that one can be an "Argonian" without looking like the modern lizard man depiction, as long as one is made by the Hist.

Thanks go out to IceFireWarden for pointing out many of these great books, and to our invaluable Assistants for helping with this enormous task. 

Bethesda announced this very cool book bundle for all us lore fans today. Included are three books of all-new, in-world story and art, totaling 274 pages in all.  Here are the books included, along with some very nice PDF preview to get you started:

Kyne's Challenge: A Hunter's Companion Hardcover: bestiary bound in faux-leather, with full emboss/deboss and spot foil on cover and spine. 168 gold gilded pages with a ribbon marker and 156 original illustrations by Brynn Metheney, Roberto Gomes, and David Keen. 

Gathering Force: Arms and Armor of Tamriel: Soft touch fighter's guide with rounded spine, embossed cover, and silver foil on front and back cover. 56 deckled pages with a ribbon marker and 96 original illustrations by Caio Cacau. 

Agents and Reagents: The Bounty of Mundus: Envelope-wrapped alchemical notebook with cord closure and embossed cover. 48 deckled pages with 47 original illustrations by Brynn Metheney. 

You can read more about the collection, or preorder your copy, at the Bethesda Store.