Setting aside the type-in aspect, the idea of having a separate book (or other media) closely integrated with a game is interesting. I'm not sure how much sense it makes nowadays, since you can easily have a PDF/movie/etc on the computer as well, and once you're doing that you might as well integrate it fully into the game. Shenzhen I/O did something like this; it came with a list of datasheets for the electronic components you used in the game, and the devs recommended printing them out and putting them in a binder for added immersion. Some of the other Zachtronics games might have done something similar, I'm not sure.