The Book of Melee

Since its 2001 release, Nintendo's crown jewel, "Super Smash Bros. Melee," has inspired multiple generations of players to sustain a grassroots community. The Book of Melee is a deep dive into the universe of competitive Melee, gaming's greatest and most unlikely underdog story.

In The Book of Melee, longtime Melee enthusiast and gaming journalist Edwin Budding covers the history of competitive Melee through the lens of its greatest legends, including "The Five Gods of Melee."

• Adam "Armada" Lindgren: The two-time EVO world champion, named the no. 1 Melee player of all time in 2017 and 2018.
• Joseph "Mango" Marquez: The two-time EVO world champion and most successful Melee streamer on Twitch, with over 5,000 subscribers.
• Juan "Hungrybox" Debiedma: The current world no. 1 Melee player and Genesis 6 champion. Listed by Esports Earnings as having made the most prize money out of any Melee player ever ($320,000+).
• Jason "Mew2King" Zimmerman: The Smash Summit 6 champion, named by Guinness in 2017 as having the most esports tournament results of all time.
• Kevin "PPMD" Nanney: The Apex 2014 and Apex 2015 champion, having his journey partially documented within Travis "Samox" Beauchamp's upcoming "Metagame" documentary.

Despite being followed by three sequels, Melee continues to draw thousands of its most hardcore players, as well as hundreds of thousands of viewers, to community-run tournaments. Together, the members of Melee's thriving scene have transcended the game's role as a casual party game to establish it as one of the greatest esports of all time.

Simultaneously absurd, heartwarming, and tear-jerking, The Book of Melee tackles the evolution of the most passionate cult following of the 21st century, from crowded restaurant basements to packed arenas.