Replacing the old Deities and Demigods book and much as had been done with other AD&D core rulebooks, giving it a fresh coat of paint, we now get this really great cover by Jeff Easley to replace the old Erol Otus cover.

The change in name was done in part to tamp down paranoias about the evilness and unchristianess of D&D, at a time when fundamentalist evangelical groups like BADD (Bothered About Dungeons and Dragons) were at the peak of their popularity.  So, moving away from gods and towards legends which is more inoffensive to those groups.

The change in art was also in line with the whole change in style for TSR which had been happening in the last few years, away from cartoony or more psychedelic art like that by Erol Otus and in the direction of the more painterly, realistic style of people like Easley, Elmore or Caldwell.