Living Books series (various versions, platforms and re-issues)

Living Books was a series of interactive storybooks for children, first produced by Brøderbund and then spun off into a jointly owned (with Random House) subsidiary, which were distributed on CD-ROM for Mac OS and Microsoft Windows. The series began with the release of Just Grandma and Me (an adaptation of the book by Mercer Mayer) in 1992; other titles in the series included The Tortoise and the Hare, Arthur's Teacher Trouble (and other adaptations of books by Marc Brown), Dr. Seuss, and Berenstain Bears titles.

While most games aren't really hard to find at all, since some of them have been made available on Wanderful Interactive Storybooks apps for the iPad and Mac in 2012, their V1.0 versions, international releases, and re-issues from the 90s are hard to find, and a few of the versions/re-issues are rumored to have become extinct.

Just Grandma and Me (Tandy VIS release, 1992)
The very first edition of the first Living Book, Just Grandma and Me, was originally released by Tandy Video Information System (VIS). It has a smaller 320x200 resolution like many other older MS-DOS games and also had a few differences in the graphics and sound.

This version was so scarce to find on any auction sites like eBay or Amazon, and it has not made its way online ever since, nor has anyone made playthroughs of this version. Only scans of the front and back of the box as well as the CD label had been found on The Old Computer website.

I bought the game on eBay in late 2015 and have uploaded the full game (also with scans of the box, CD label, and user guide packed in the file folder) on MEGA.

The key is: !m7jwTFgjtFKO0fR3i0Rj_A

However, the original .EXE application "LBPLAY" doesn't work on any Windows computer, so I injected the "DIB" device driver, the "GRANDMA.EXE" application, "FILE.DLL", "RSRC.DLL" and the "PAGES" 512 outline file from the 1993 512x384 re-issue to replace the original files to make it playable on Windows XP. Editing the outline file, I also included the Arthur's Teacher Trouble preview at the end of the story because there was no Previews button on the Options page. BigRedMonster86 (talk) 00:09, May 17, 2018 (UTC)

Arthur's Teacher Trouble (Lost PC Guide version, 1999)
Despite the V1.0 version of the game that can be found on eBay, Living Books Wiki stated there is also a PC Guide version released in 1999. This was only an international release, and it is stated that it has become extinct because it only appeared in the magazine of the same name. This version, however was very scarce to find on eBay, and I have recently bought it and will upload that one on MEGA as well. BigRedMonster86 (talk) 00:09, May 17, 2018 (UTC)

V1.0 releases of the first four games (1992-1993)
Despite the 1994 re-releases by Random House being available on eBay, the original V1.0 Broderbund releases of the first four games from 1992-1993 are becoming hard to find online. The first two games had previews for Arthur's Teacher Trouble and The Tortoise and the Hare. The Ruff's Bone preview also had one difference from the later version of the preview: Towards the end, a line was changed from "Then get Broderbund's Living Book, Ruff's Bone!" to "Then get Living Books' Ruff's Bone!" due to the series turning into a joint venture with Random House.

The original V1.0 versions predate the hybrid format, so the MPC Windows and Macintosh versions were shipped on separate discs. I am uploading V1.0s for all the first four titles in their MPC Windows platforms on MEGA. I also have the Macintosh platforms except for The New Kid on the Block, so until I get that one, I will have to hold the MEGA uploading of the Macintosh platforms. BigRedMonster86 (talk) 00:09, May 17, 2018 (UTC)

Living Books 1993 Sampler CD
Despite the usual Living Books Smapler that was integrated into each product, Living Books Wiki states that there was a much older sampler CD that was just a collection of the V1.0 demos all packed onto one disc, with no extra interface. This sampler CD has become extinct, and there is no information about it online.

Living Books Sampler V2 (1996)
This sampler is very similar to the first sampler (which was included on The Berenstain Bears Get in a Fight), except this one includes every title that uses the 512x384 resolution. This one is mostly identical, except for the opening and closing screens. Simon does not give out contact information when the game is quit, instead just leaving on a simple "Okay, bye!" This one still lacks the fading just like the previous sampler. For Sheila Rae, the Brave, the opening portion has a black background instead of white in the real game, and also plays as if it were in "Read to Me" mode, since you can't click on the pictures to navigate.''' This sampler was a seperate disc itself with no extra interface, and was not included with or in any Living Books game. However, the sampler has not been leaked online, but a YouTuber by the name of ARemoteAndRandomName posted a video of the playthrough of it on YouTube.