[1] Entries include mundane creatures (dog, deer), carnivores (tiger, bear), creatures of fantasy (griffin, harpy), dinosaurs, and literary creations (jabberwock).

Chaosium originally published Runequest in 1978, and quickly followed this with a second edition the following year.

[2] During this period, Games Workshop made a number of licensed supplements, RuneQuest Monsters being one, a 112-page hardcover book written by Steve Perrin, Greg Stafford, Steve Henderson, Lynn Willis, Charlie Krank, Ray Turney, Ken Rolston, and Sandy Petersen, with a cover by David Gallagher, and published by Games Workshop in 1987.

[3] Paul Cockburn reviewed RuneQuest Monsters for White Dwarf #93, and stated that "the book doubles up both as a useful long-term reference tool, and as an immediately useable game aid.

Woods concluded with a recommendation to not buy this book, saying, "It is quite possible to get by without it, though - the selection of creatures in the [RuneQuest rulebook] is sufficient to get started and to give referees enough examples to invent their own monsters.