Pokémon Ultimate Handbook
The Pokémon Ultimate Handbook by Cris Silvestri (ISBN 0545078865) is a handbook published in October 2008 that acts as a National Dex for all Pokémon, excluding the recently revealed Shaymin. The book contains in depth information on all 491 Pokémon in alphabetical order starting from Abomasnow and ending in Zubat. The book's final pages consist of a special page featuring Darkrai and a section on all legendary Pokémon.
Entries
The entries for each Pokémon were structured in an easy-to-read page setup. Each Pokémon has either an entire page to itself, or shares a page with one of its evolutions, or another Pokémon.
Name
Each entry is topped with a large, slab-shaped bar of a random color. Unlike its predecessors, these bars have both its name and species name inside, and the color does not reference its type.
Stats
Below its name, the entries list the following stats:
- Pronunciation
- Possible Moves (moves the Pokémon will already know and learn along the way)
- Type
- Height and weight
- Region it resides in (either Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, or Sinnoh
The moves do not include the recently learned moves in Platinum.
Below it's picture is its evolution path. If it does not evolve, there will be the words "Does not evolve" curved below its picture.
Image and other information
Each Pokémon has an anime-style picture on its page, with their "flavor text" off to the left or right side, under their name. Pages for legendary Pokémon have stars within their page and their bar will be white with a glowing stroke around it.
Evolution chain
At the very bottom of the entry there are pictures with arrows between them to show what the Pokémon evolves into. Pokémon that do not evolve do not have any Evolution Chain.
Errors
The errors are often within their species names and sometimes, their photos.
- Abra and its evolutions are mistakenly listed as the Psychic Pokémon rather than the Psi Pokémon.
- Azelf is listed as the Stone Pokémon rather than the Willpower Pokémon.
- Cherrim is listed as the Cherry Blossom Pokémon when its simply the Blossom Pokémon.
- Cresselia is listed as the Crescent Moon Pokémon rather than the Lunar Pokémon.
- Croagunk is called the Poison Pokémon rather than the Toxic Mouth Pokémon. It's evolution, however, has the correct name.
- Dialga is called the Time Pokémon rather than the Temporal Pokémon.
- Donphan is listed as the Armor Bird Pokémon when its simply the Armor Pokémon.
- It is mistakenly said that Froslass evolves from Glalie. This error, however, is corrected under Snorunt's page.
- Gliscor is mistakenly listed as the Fangscorpion Pokémon rather than simply the Fang Scorp Pokémon.
- Golem is listed as the Rock Pokémon, like its pre-evolved forms, however it is known as the Megaton Pokémon.
- Ledyba and its evolution have their species name misspelled as Five Start, rather than Five Star.
- Pachirisu is called the Electric Squirrel Pokémon when its simply the EleSquirrel Pokémon.
- Palkia is called the Space Pokémon rather than the Spatial Pokémon.
- In Piloswine's page, Mamoswine and Swinub's pictures are reversed.
- Poliwag and Poliwhirl's pages both leave out Politoed
- Porygon's picture is used for Porygon2's page and vice versa. The evolution line on all three Pokémon all have this error.
- Rotom is listed as a Legendary Pokémon, as well as Phione, whose status is still up for debate.
- Scizor is called the Scissors Pokémon rather than the Pincer Pokémon. It has been called this in the anime at one point.
- In Skorupi's page misspells scorpion as scorpian.
- Squirtle is called the Water Pokémon rather than the Tiny Turtle Pokémon.
- Staryu is called the Star Fish Pokémon rather than the Star Shape Pokémon.
- In Surskit's page, pond is misspelled as pound.
- In Torkoal's page, coal is misspelled as coral.
- In Zangoose's page, cat is misspelled as car.
- In Zigzagoon's page, tinyraccoon is is misspelled as tynyracoon.