The original Rogue manual.

[Ex]

It's a fun read if you haven't seen it before. Here it is:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/unixlinux/564240-rogue/faqs/2603

Here's a preview:
"2.  What is going on here?
 
     You have just begun a game of rogue.  Your goal  is  to
grab as much treasure as you can, find the Amulet of Yendor,
and get out of the Dungeons of Doom alive.  On the screen, a
map  of  where  you  have been and what you have seen on the
current dungeon level is kept.  As you explore more  of  the
level, it appears on the screen in front of you.
 
     Rogue differs from most computer fantasy games in  that
it  is  screen  oriented.  Commands are all one or two keys-
trokes[1] and the results of  your  commands  are  displayed
graphically  on  the  screen  rather than being explained in
words.[2]
 
     Another major difference between rogue and  other  com-
puter  fantasy  games  is  that once you have solved all the
puzzles in a standard fantasy game, it has lost most of  its
excitement  and  it  ceases  to be fun.  Rogue, on the other
hand, generates a new dungeon every time  you  play  it  and
even the author finds it an entertaining and exciting game.
 
3.  What do all those things on the screen mean?
 
     In order to understand what is going on  in  rogue  you
have to first get some grasp of what rogue is doing with the
screen.  The rogue screen is intended to  replace  the  "You
can see ..." descriptions of standard fantasy games.  Figure
1 is a sample of what a rogue screen might look like."

[Legend]

The rogue manual is a fun read. I particularly like the Epyx version manual. The manual for DND by Daniel Lawrence is also fun to read. Particularly the intro.

[Krice]

What means "fun to read"? It's funny or you have just fun when you read something anything?

[Legend]

fun to read means that it's entertaining and interesting to read. At least I think so.

[Ex]

What means "fun to read"? It's funny or you have just fun when you read something anything?

Do you ever make positive comments about anything? You never have anything useful to say except "this sucks." It must get exhausting looking down your nose at everyone all the time.

[Krice]

fun to read means that it's entertaining and interesting to read. At least I think so.

The style of manuals were like that in old days. I think one of the reasons was that there were people that never owned a computer before or had never played a computer game. You needed to explain things.

[Krice]

Do you ever make positive comments about anything?

Yes, when it's time for that. I'm actually a positive kind of guy.

[Ancient]

I have read it and some sections really sound funny. Thanks for posting that. NetHack Guidebook has introduction story in similar mood. Here:


          Recently, you have begun to find yourself unfulfilled and distant
          in your daily occupation.  Strange dreams of prospecting,  steal-
          ing,  crusading,  and  combat  have haunted you in your sleep for
          many months, but you aren't  sure  of  the  reason.   You  wonder
          whether  you have in fact been having those dreams all your life,
          and somehow managed to forget about them until now.  Some  nights
          you awaken suddenly and cry out, terrified at the vivid recollec-
          tion of the strange and powerful creatures that seem to be  lurk-
          ing  behind  every  corner  of  the dungeon in your dream.  Could
          these details haunting your dreams be real?  As each night  pass-
          es,  you feel the desire to enter the mysterious caverns near the
          ruins grow stronger.  Each morning, however, you quickly put  the
          idea  out  of  your head as you recall the tales of those who en-
          tered the caverns before you and did not return.  Eventually  you
          can  resist  the yearning to seek out the fantastic place in your
          dreams no longer.  After all, when other  adventurers  came  back
          this  way after spending time in the caverns, they usually seemed
          better off than when they passed through the first time.  And who
          was to say that all of those who did not return had not just kept
          going?

[Legend]

The intro to the DND manual really helps set the mood to get ready to play a fantasy computer game. It even mentions classic fantasy characters like conan and the Grey Mouser. I'll see if I can find it and post a snippet.