I agree with the generic creature book first then campaign specific books after that. I may not want to do mythic iceland or vikings or ninjas, I may just want to do my own thing and a generic monster book would be more appropriate for my needs.
But the generic book has to be fairly vague with some detail but nothing truly specific (Orcs live in the south, elves dont eat meat, all halflings are thieves). I think the true tragedy that is D20 (all all its ancestors) was the wandering monster by HD/Level idea.
A generic "typical" listing, and then a few paragraphs of adjusting the template.
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