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Warhammer 40,000 The Ultimate Guide
The first-ever Warhammer 40,000 encyclopedia is here.
Dive into the vast universe of Warhammer 40,000 and explore miniatures from every faction, captured in all their glory through official photography. Follow key characters throughout the evolution of their models and experience in pinpoint detail the warriors who wage endless war across the ravaged galaxy of the 41st Millennium.
Explore the Warhammer 40,000 universe and its factions in striking The first book of its kind, this Ultimate Guide goes into unparalleled detail on the miniatures and lore of Warhammer 40,000 and is sure to delight long-time fans and newcomers alike.Lavishly illustrated with hundreds of beautifully shot photographs of Warhammer 40,000 miniatures that showcase fine details and intricate designs across each faction, from the mighty Space Marines to the ravenous Tyranids, foul Chaos Daemons, deathless Necrons – and more.Written by Guy Haley and Gav Thorpe – these prolific Black Library authors who are household names of Warhammer fandom walk you through this world with richly detailed descriptions and insights into the lore.
Packed with insight into the game’s defining miniatures, Warhammer 40,000: The Ultimate Guide goes deep into the Warhammer 40,000 universe like never before. Whether you’re a new fan who wants a complete guide to the setting, a collector of miniatures, a follower of the lore, or simply looking to celebrate your favorite hobby, this must-have volume is an essential visual journey through the grim darkness of Warhammer 40,000.
© Copyright Games Workshop Limited 2024
Dive into the vast universe of Warhammer 40,000 and explore miniatures from every faction, captured in all their glory through official photography. Follow key characters throughout the evolution of their models and experience in pinpoint detail the warriors who wage endless war across the ravaged galaxy of the 41st Millennium.
Explore the Warhammer 40,000 universe and its factions in striking The first book of its kind, this Ultimate Guide goes into unparalleled detail on the miniatures and lore of Warhammer 40,000 and is sure to delight long-time fans and newcomers alike.Lavishly illustrated with hundreds of beautifully shot photographs of Warhammer 40,000 miniatures that showcase fine details and intricate designs across each faction, from the mighty Space Marines to the ravenous Tyranids, foul Chaos Daemons, deathless Necrons – and more.Written by Guy Haley and Gav Thorpe – these prolific Black Library authors who are household names of Warhammer fandom walk you through this world with richly detailed descriptions and insights into the lore.
Packed with insight into the game’s defining miniatures, Warhammer 40,000: The Ultimate Guide goes deep into the Warhammer 40,000 universe like never before. Whether you’re a new fan who wants a complete guide to the setting, a collector of miniatures, a follower of the lore, or simply looking to celebrate your favorite hobby, this must-have volume is an essential visual journey through the grim darkness of Warhammer 40,000.
© Copyright Games Workshop Limited 2024
1201 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 29, 2024
179 people are currently reading
83 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 11, 2025
I’ll admit, I had my doubts about buying it — in the end, I received it as a gift. Still, both the presentation and the overall description of the universe are of genuinely high quality. There could have been a bit more details about the characters at times, but overall it’s definitely worth the price.
Przyznam, że miałem wątpliwości, czy ją kupić — ostatecznie dostałem ją w prezencie. Jednak zarówno prezentacja, jak i opis całego uniwersum stoją na naprawdę wysokim poziomie. Może momentami przydałoby się nieco więcej szczegółów o postaciach, ale całość jest zdecydowanie warta swojej ceny.
Przyznam, że miałem wątpliwości, czy ją kupić — ostatecznie dostałem ją w prezencie. Jednak zarówno prezentacja, jak i opis całego uniwersum stoją na naprawdę wysokim poziomie. Może momentami przydałoby się nieco więcej szczegółów o postaciach, ale całość jest zdecydowanie warta swojej ceny.
January 8, 2025
Love all the amazing photos, and the presentation of lore with each mini is so much fun to read whether you’re totally new to 40k or a seasoned veteran. The only way to be more perfect was if they had gotten early access to some of the models that were updated almost at the same time the book released so that it could have been up to date for longer than a week. But still 100% worthy of the 5 stars.
June 26, 2025
Great overview of the 40k universe and it's factions. Great high quality pictures and captions.
November 15, 2024
On se retrouve de nouveau dans l'univers de Warhammer 40,000 avec cet ouvrage qui nous présente les figurines majeures de chaque faction, certaines passages se concentrant sur l'évolution de certaines figurines à travers les années et les différentes éditions. J'ai choisi la version anglaise car l'ouvrage est seulement sorti récemment donc si vous voulez la version française, il faudra attendre un moment.
Différentes figurines nous sont donc présentées par faction, chaque faction ayant ses space marines spécialisés ou ses monstres. L'ouvrage est divisé en cinq parties : une introduction générale ainsi qu'une introduction à l'histoire et au monde de Warhammer. La partie deux se concentre sur les forces de l'Imperium, la partie trois sur les forces du chaos puis les menaces Xenos diverses puis la dernière partie est concerne l'index et les échelles des figurines. Pour chaque faction, nous avons parfois quelques légions comme les Ultramarines, les Iron Warriors et les Imperial Fists et quelques figurines peintes comme des Space Marines comme des Intercessors, des scouts, des intercessors avec jump pack, des figurines uniques comme Uriel Ventris, Marneus Calgar, Abaddon chez les Hérétiques, la figurine de Typhus, toutes peintes avec chaque arme en fonction de la spécialité concernant les Space Marines ...
C'est vraiment un ouvrage super bien complet et on peut voir certaines des figurines qui ont marqué les différentes factions. Parmi toutes les figurines proposées, nous en avons certaines qui ont fait parler d'elles plus que d'autres comme les Desolation Marines, avec l'énorme lanceur de missile qui est largement trop gros ou le Centurion dont je n'ai jamais compris le principe de cette figurine. On a aussi certaines figurines où l'on voit la première édition jusqu'à nos jours avec par exemple la première version de Marneus Calgar en 1988 jusqu'à sa version plus actuelle, sa quatrième, en 2018. On a aussi des tanks, les chevaliers, les Titans, les Aeldari, les autres Xenos ... On a toute une ribambelle de figurines et de mon côté, même si cela ne reprend pas toutes les figurines de 40k, cela me permet de voir quelle faction je vais peindre, laquelle me plaît le moins.
J'avoue que la boîte de figurines qui me plaît le plus, entre autre, est la boarding patrol de la Death Guard mais j'avoue que les poxywalkers ne m'attirent pas du tout dans la boîte. Bref, ce fut un excellent ouvrage, avec d'excellentes illustrations et peintures sur les figurines. En conclusion, un très bon ouvrage à avoir dans sa bibliothèque ; un must-have !
Différentes figurines nous sont donc présentées par faction, chaque faction ayant ses space marines spécialisés ou ses monstres. L'ouvrage est divisé en cinq parties : une introduction générale ainsi qu'une introduction à l'histoire et au monde de Warhammer. La partie deux se concentre sur les forces de l'Imperium, la partie trois sur les forces du chaos puis les menaces Xenos diverses puis la dernière partie est concerne l'index et les échelles des figurines. Pour chaque faction, nous avons parfois quelques légions comme les Ultramarines, les Iron Warriors et les Imperial Fists et quelques figurines peintes comme des Space Marines comme des Intercessors, des scouts, des intercessors avec jump pack, des figurines uniques comme Uriel Ventris, Marneus Calgar, Abaddon chez les Hérétiques, la figurine de Typhus, toutes peintes avec chaque arme en fonction de la spécialité concernant les Space Marines ...
C'est vraiment un ouvrage super bien complet et on peut voir certaines des figurines qui ont marqué les différentes factions. Parmi toutes les figurines proposées, nous en avons certaines qui ont fait parler d'elles plus que d'autres comme les Desolation Marines, avec l'énorme lanceur de missile qui est largement trop gros ou le Centurion dont je n'ai jamais compris le principe de cette figurine. On a aussi certaines figurines où l'on voit la première édition jusqu'à nos jours avec par exemple la première version de Marneus Calgar en 1988 jusqu'à sa version plus actuelle, sa quatrième, en 2018. On a aussi des tanks, les chevaliers, les Titans, les Aeldari, les autres Xenos ... On a toute une ribambelle de figurines et de mon côté, même si cela ne reprend pas toutes les figurines de 40k, cela me permet de voir quelle faction je vais peindre, laquelle me plaît le moins.
J'avoue que la boîte de figurines qui me plaît le plus, entre autre, est la boarding patrol de la Death Guard mais j'avoue que les poxywalkers ne m'attirent pas du tout dans la boîte. Bref, ce fut un excellent ouvrage, avec d'excellentes illustrations et peintures sur les figurines. En conclusion, un très bon ouvrage à avoir dans sa bibliothèque ; un must-have !
October 6, 2024
A great overview of an even greater fictional universe.
Having grown up reading DK encyclopedias and painting miniatures, I had to grab this book as soon as it was available. I'm glad I did - it's a wonderful showcase of these two hobbies. Seeing familiar elements in a larger scale and reading the latest versions of the lore I've absorbed over 20 something years was a great experience. I wholeheartedly recommend this as a great gift to anyone into 40k.
The book begins with some 'meta' pages about the GW, hobby, and gaming side of things. The rest are essentially galleries of the existing model lines, with several asides showing the history of specific miniatures, like Calgar's multiple iterations. These are fantastic, but also the reason I feel I have to knock a star.
That's because this book isn't really a guide. It's a product catalogue of the current 40k range, accentuated with interesting snippets and stand-out moments like the aforementioned Calgar spread. That's still fun, especially for players and hobbyists, but I believe it's lacking information about the development process, history of Warhammer, design insights, multi-writer contributions, how fans self-curate their own experience, and so on.
A good example are Primaris Marines. Here, Primaris is explained in-universe, however there was so much potential to add insights about how Citadel decided upon the changes, and storytellers collaborated to turn it from a product release into a narrative update.
These are part of what makes 40k such a huge cultural force, but they're barely touched on. A bit more of that metatextuality from the first ten pages, sprinkled throughout the standard gallery pages, would have made this a solidly perfect guide.
That being said, it's still a very good guide. It nicely frames the contemporary 40k setting, dipping just enough into the storyline to give readers a clear view of what's going on. Photography and art are great inspiration throughout. The hallmark DK annotations fit wonderfully with the detailed sculpts on show, tinging the tome with a gorgeous nostalgia for nerds like me.
8.5/10
Having grown up reading DK encyclopedias and painting miniatures, I had to grab this book as soon as it was available. I'm glad I did - it's a wonderful showcase of these two hobbies. Seeing familiar elements in a larger scale and reading the latest versions of the lore I've absorbed over 20 something years was a great experience. I wholeheartedly recommend this as a great gift to anyone into 40k.
The book begins with some 'meta' pages about the GW, hobby, and gaming side of things. The rest are essentially galleries of the existing model lines, with several asides showing the history of specific miniatures, like Calgar's multiple iterations. These are fantastic, but also the reason I feel I have to knock a star.
That's because this book isn't really a guide. It's a product catalogue of the current 40k range, accentuated with interesting snippets and stand-out moments like the aforementioned Calgar spread. That's still fun, especially for players and hobbyists, but I believe it's lacking information about the development process, history of Warhammer, design insights, multi-writer contributions, how fans self-curate their own experience, and so on.
A good example are Primaris Marines. Here, Primaris is explained in-universe, however there was so much potential to add insights about how Citadel decided upon the changes, and storytellers collaborated to turn it from a product release into a narrative update.
These are part of what makes 40k such a huge cultural force, but they're barely touched on. A bit more of that metatextuality from the first ten pages, sprinkled throughout the standard gallery pages, would have made this a solidly perfect guide.
That being said, it's still a very good guide. It nicely frames the contemporary 40k setting, dipping just enough into the storyline to give readers a clear view of what's going on. Photography and art are great inspiration throughout. The hallmark DK annotations fit wonderfully with the detailed sculpts on show, tinging the tome with a gorgeous nostalgia for nerds like me.
8.5/10
January 2, 2025
This book is a great resource regardless of your knowledge and level of involvement with the universe of Warhammer 40k. If you are new to the franchise and interested in getting a basic feel for the miniatures, lore, and overall vibe of the factions to see if any stand out to you, this a great option. It gives you just enough art, models, and tidbits of lore to help you find a faction which interests you, and provides a few named characters for most of them as a solid entry point to look up if you want to get deeper into it. For more experienced fans its also a great read, whether to get more inspiration for your own faction or if you are interested in possibly picking up another. Sections which show the updates certain models and characters have gone through over time are also interesting as a way to peer into the history of the franchise, which has been seeing a boom of new interest and fans despite how long its been around. Overall, the book presents itself as an ultimate guide to 40k, and while it does not get super deep on any of the detailed lore, it does give you more than enough to start you out as a fan of the franchise and to begin to grasp how much more there is to it just under the surface. I am definitely glad I picked it up!
October 22, 2024
The Ultimate guide indeed. All miniatures are here, as well as the core elements of lore in order to understand the background of every faction and race. Essential for any aficionado of Warhammer 40,000, whatever the way one enjoys this rich and grim science-fantasy settings (modeling, battles, novels, videogames…)
October 2, 2025
40k in 40 words: A stunning compendium with DK’s trademark polish, blending breathtaking art and flawless miniature photography. Comprehensive coverage of chapters, factions, and unit types makes it both an essential reference and a visual feast—perfect for veterans and newcomers eager to explore Warhammer’s vast universe.
November 7, 2024
Great overview of the 40k universe! Beautiful miniatures help to visualize the characters of the universe. This was my first foray into to 40k lore (Space Marine 2 got me hooked) and enjoyed every page!
January 7, 2025
Primarily a guide of miniature photos. However, it's a good introduction to the Warhammer 40k universe and the various factions. There wasn't anything particularly new, but it's a nice gateway for newcomers to the setting.
January 1, 2025
For an introductory… it needs to be more introductory.
February 26, 2025
Love learning more about the gigantic world!!!!
April 10, 2025
Great intro book for 40k with lots of cool art and history.
June 4, 2025
A lot of very important info in this book. A few typos, one or two photos are low res.
February 13, 2025
A fun coffee table book for any Warhammer fan. This book had great pictures of tons of different minis, all throughout the history of Warhammer 40K.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews