Basic D&D Cover to Cover - Table of Contents & B1

My thoughts while reading the Table of Contents:

• The ToC appears to be very fulsome. There are 127 items listed in the ToC for a 64 page rulebook.
• The optional items are listed as such.
• Off the top of my head, there is nothing that I would expect to be in the ToC that appears to be missing.

My thoughts on reading page B1:

• I really like the artwork by Bill Willingham. I have always though of it as a dwarf and a red dragon fighting a female elf, a fighter and a magic-user. Some people may feel it is too cartoon-y but I like it. 
• The dragon and dwarf won initiative and the elf made a saving throw. We are now at the Magic stage of the combat sequence for the side that lost initiative and the magic-user is casting a spell (but the fighter missed the Missile stage, oops). Next up will be the elf's melee attack.
• I always allow my players to describe what their magic missile spell looks like so I assume that this magic-user is casting that spell.
• I like that the armour, helmets, etc are portrayed as simple and functional. The dwarf and fighter are muscular but their equipment is simple and practical.
• The magic-user looks like a magic-user - star and moon covered robe, pointy hat, and wizened beard.
• I think Willingham's signature is cool. 
• Another example of the legalese on this page - more copyrights and trademarks. The C&D letters are already drafted.
• Reference to the Holmes Basic edition is nice. Not withstanding what Holmes and Moldvay said about each others' Basic rules in Dragon Magazine.
• A sign of D&D's popularity at that time that it was distributed by Random House?

Next: Forward, Acknowledgements and Introduction