Hey, what's with this weird book?

          Ancient tomes, codices, scrolls & tablets filled with lore ranging from the mundane to the obscure, seemingly as likely to elucidate as they are to blast one's mind into tatters. They lay in forgotten sepulchers, scrawled upon the walls of oubliettes, crammed into the shelves of mad wizards or held within the holds of temples by wary folk dedicated to safeguarding them. They are coveted by seekers of arcane knowledge, those who wish to protect the world from THAT WHICH IT WAS NOT MEANT TO KNOW, and fools who seek to unleash what lies within for their own ends. People will kill to defend or to steal them with equal ferocity, sometimes without even truly understanding what they're struggling so mightily to possess.

          These books can range hugely in how important they are to a campaign, from being something that the players must be forced to find and then consult to defeat an enemy, to be safeguarded or destroyed to keep it from rivals, pay back a debt, or to simply steal to plunder for arcane knowledge or to make a ridiculous sum of money. It is important to recall how rare books before the modern era were, with a single volume being the result of years of effort on the part of the author who penned it, or the scribe who would later have to re-copy it.

          To use this table, roll 5d8 and then resolve any relevant 1d4 rolls may be attached to that result

d8	Who Authored it?
1	Precursors or the inhabitants of a previous reality.
2	The work of a deity, saint or otherwise somehow divine in origin.
3	A powerful mage or other form of spell caster.
4	An aberration such as a(n)...1: Illithid, 2: Aboleth, 3: Neogi, 4: Beholder.
5	An outsider such as a(n)...1: Celestial, 2: Fiend, 3: Elemental/Genie, 4: Fae, or someone possessed by one.
6	The culmination of the efforts of generations of scholars.
7	Author was taken by a eerie mood and wrote the work in a fortnight.
8	It merely appeared one day, fully formed.

d8	What Form Does it Take?
1	Tablets made of...1: Stone/Clay, 2: Metal, 3: Wax, 4: Wood.
2	Tome bound in...1: Leather, 2: Metal, 3: Ivory, 4: Loose Sheaves.
3	Scroll crafted of...1: Paper, 2: Hides, 3: Leaves, 4: Cloth.
4	Graffiti, Scrawling or Runes etched onto a...1: Structure, 2: Natural Feature, 3: Path or Road, 4: Cave.
5	Tangles of intricate ropes and beads in a language that may not still be known. May be read in the dark.
6	A puzzle box or similar device. The secrets within are whispered into the mind of those who solve it.
7	Scrimshawed upon the bones of a(n)...1: Humanoid, 2: Outsider, 3: Aberration, 4: Monster. May be read in the dark.
8	Woven into the fabric of a(n)...1: Article of clothing, 2: Tapestry, 3: Blanket/Quilt, 4: Tent/Yurt

d8	What Kind of Lore is Inside?
1	The true names of...1: Celestials, 2: Fiends, 3: Genies, 4: Fae.
2	Exhaustively indexed knowledge on an extremely niche topic such as Elven Architecture or Goblin Poetry. Worth a small amount to most, but a huge sum to the right collector.
3	A creeping form of madness which provides insight into the world. In exchange for losing one's mind permanently, the bearer of the work may ask it questions and gain answers 1d6 times per day as if they were using the spells Find the Path, Augury, Identify or Clairaudience.
4	A compendium covering the habits and weaknesses of...1: Outsiders, 2: Aberrations, 3: Magical Creatures, 4: Undead.
5	The true and secret history of a...1: Major empire, 2: Noble family, 3: Trade league, 4: Faith/Cult.
6	Prophecies relating to the...1: End of the world, 2: Death of a deity, 3: Fall or destruction of a major empire, 4: Death of a famous figure, such as a warlord or archmage.
7	Insight into a complicated and fraught magical process such as...1: Summoning outsiders, 2: Alchemy, 3: Reviving the dead, 4: Creating constructs such as golems.
8	Detailed accounting ledgers of a...1: Trade league, 2: Noble family, 3: Guild, 4: Town/City Council.

d8	Is it Trapped or have Guardians?
1	Animates a mouth upon its surface and bites those who try to read it without the proper password. 1d6+3 Bludgeoning damage. Bites again every 2d10 rounds.
2	Lets out a blood-curdling scream and flies away at 60' turn if read anywhere except...1: Under the stars, 2: Within a chamber with no natural light, 3: Upon unworked earth, 4: A place of spiritual significance.
3	Locked. If an attempt is made to force it open it begins to weep gallons upon gallons of...1: Blood, 2: Ink, 3: Water, 4: Ichor.
4	The work is a keystone or plug of sorts, if removed or reproduced then...1: The area containing the work shakes itself to bits in 1d6 minutes, 2: Undead begin to appear around where the work is held, 3: Animals of all stripes become hostile to whomever bears it, 4: Bad luck follows the bearer, the referee may impose disadvantage on 1d2 rolls per day at their discretion.
5	A cult or religious order is dedicated to safeguarding the work in some way. If it is stolen of copied without consent then they will surely seek to rectify the situation.
6	Magically bound to defend the work in some way until their destruction, the guardian takes the form of a(n)...1: Powerful undead creature, 2: Outsider, 3: Monster, 4: Construct.
7	Only certain type of folk are able to read the work, it is gibberish to everyone but...1: Non-spellcasters, 2: Followers of an obscure faith, 3: The mad, 4: Someone who has never taken a life.
8	The work itself is famous. While there is no one specifically looking for it, the very news of it changing hands may attract unwanted attention to those who now have it.