Fans of Frank Herbert’s Dune series are in for a long, lost treat. A fully illustrated and searchable online version of the long out of print Dune Encyclopedia has surfaced.
The book itself has a controversial history. Published in 1984, the Encyclopedia consists of 200 essays regarding the Dune universe, from Al-Harba to Jehanne Butler to the evolution of Arrakis and much, much more. The book was considered authorized at first, but was quietly given non-canon status as Herbert’s son continued to expand the Dune mythos through his own books. With the Dune universe continuing onwards, the Encyclopedia is now considered completely apocryphal.
You can find a magnificent breakdown of the book, its history, and its contents here. Or you can plunge right in to the book itself.