I also used this site as a resource:  http://batman-superman.tripod.com/pob/nmlguide1.htm  It summarizes all of NML (with spoilers).  I don’t completely agree with it, but it’s a good starting reference.  It also explains some of my reasoning about putting certain issues in certain places.

We start with the prelude volume.

Road to No Man’s Land
Azrael #47
SOTB #80
Batman #560
Detective #727
Azrael #48
SOTB #81
Batman #561
Detective #728
Azrael #49
SOTB #82
Batman #562
Detective #729
NML #0
Batman Chronicles #16 (stories 2-3 / first story is included in “Aftershock”)

NML #0 could be a tough one, since it does spoil some of the mysteries of the first half of NML.  But that goes to personal preference.  If you’ve read it all before, there’s no reason not to put it there.

And now, the main event…

Volume 1
NML #1
SOTB #83
Batman #563
Detective #730
Azrael #50-51
LOTDK #116
SOTB #84
Batman #564
Detective #731
Azrael #52-53
LOTDK #117
SOTB #85
Batman #565
Detective #732
Batman Chronicles #17
LOTDK #118
SOTB #86
Batman #566
Detective #733
Young Justice in NML
Azrael #54-55
LOTDK #119
SOTB #87
Batman #567
Detective #734

Volume 2
LOTDK #120
JLA #32
Azrael #56-57
SOTB #88
Batman #568
Detective #735
Nightwing #35-37
Batman Chronicles #18
Nightwing #38-39
JLA #33
LOTDK #121
SOTB #89
Batman #569

Volume 3
Detective #736
LOTDK #122
SOTB #90
Batman:  Harley Quinn
Batman #570
Detective #737
LOTDK #123
SOTB #91
Azrael #58
Batman #571
Detective #738
LOTDK #124
SOTB #92
Batman #572
Detective #739
LOTDK #125

Volume 4
Catwoman #72-75
Azrael #59
SOTB #93
Azrael #60
Batman #573
Detective #740
Catwoman #76-77
LOTDK #126
Batman #574
Detective #741
Azrael #61
SOTB #94

Good break points, story wise, are LOTDK #120 and #125.  I also try to group a lot of the “filler” issues that came out in the summer months together in one book.  (I don’t like Larry Hama’s Batman work, and I think his issues in NML are the absolute worst.  Therefore, if I can keep his involvement down to just one volume, I will.  Although I think in my personal breakdown, he creeps into two…but one of those is just for a single issue.  And I can’t just skip Hama’s issues, because at least one of them has a pivotal plot point to the overall NML arc.)

The early Azrael issues were a little difficult to place, because the first four are supposed to take place in a short span of time right after the bridges are blown up.  However, Batman shows up in #53.  Batman does not show up in NML proper until three months into the ordeal, as stated in the opening arc.  So I fudged it a bit.  Also, Azrael #58 is also a Day of Judgement tie-in.

The Catwoman issues are also a bit difficult, because they try to tie the beginning of the arc in with issues that came out in June 1999, and the end of the arc with issues that came out in November, but try to say the story only took three days, or some nonsense like that  (That’s my problem when writers and editors try to give specific timeframes — they want to say a large batch of issues takes place over a large span of time, but most of the stories contained within only cover a few days).  Catwoman #75 shares scenes with Azrael #59 and SOTB #93, so preference goes to those.

Prelude to Knightfall
Sword of Azrael #1-4
Vengeance of Bane
Batman #484-487
Detective #654-656
Detective #657 (p. 1-2)
Batman #488
Detective #657 (p. 3-22)
Detective #658
Batman #489-490

This book is where the subplot of Batman starting to get run down begins.  Personally, I didn’t include Sword of Azrael in my book because I had the trade, and did not feel the need to rip it apart for binding. Now, if you’re really anal about your Batman continuity, LOTDK Annual #2 (marriage of Gordon and Essen) probably should go in there somewhere, because the wedding is mentioned as upcoming in the earlier issues, and in the past in later issues.  However, that story itself doesn’t tie into Knightfall, and would slow the pacing of this book down.  So I fudged it, and included in a previous volume.

Knightfall
Batman #491
Batman #492
Detective #659
Batman #493
Detective #660
Batman #494
Detective #661
Batman #495
Detective #662
Batman #496
Detective #663
Batman #497
Detective #664
Showcase ’93 #7-8 (lead stories only)
Batman #498
Batman: Shadow of the Bat #16-18
Detective #665
Batman #499
Detective #666
Batman #500

Contrary to what DC has tried to say since the original TPB publication, this is the correct placement of SOTB #16-18. They try to place it based on the bat signal on the cover, but if you read the comics, you’ll see why it can’t work between Detective #665 and Batman #499.

KnightQuest 1
Turning Points #4 (optional, published in 2000)
Justice League Task Force #5-6 (Search)
Detective #667-668
Robin #1 (pgs 1-5)
Detective #669
SOTB #19-20
Batman #501-502
SOTB #21-23 (Search)
Detective #670
Catwoman #6
Batman #503-504
Catwoman #7
SOTB #24
Detective #671-673

KnightQuest 2
Batman #505
SOTB #25
Batman #506-507
Legends of the Dark Knight #59-61 (Search)
SOTB #26-27
Detective #674
Batman #508
SOTB #28
Detective #675
Robin #7

KnightQuest may or may not fit into one book, depending on your binding preferences. It’s 36 issues, but with the thicker newsprint of the early 1990s. If it was published twenty years later, then it probably would easily fit into one book (but weigh a ton).

The main reason I kept the Search and Crusade issues integrated is because Az-Bats shows up in his latest costume in the LOTDK arc. DC screwed up on the covers to some issues, mistakenly labeling Crusade issues as Search. Only the 8 issues I’ve listed above are actual Search issues.

I chose this uneven breakpoint, because Batman #505 starts the Abbatoir and new costume subplots, which make the stories thereafter much more consistent. Prior to that, the only main theme of KnightQuest was “the adventures of Azrael as Batman”.

Knightsend
Batman #509
SOTB #29
Detective #676
LOTDK #62
Robin #8
Catwoman #12
Batman #510
SOTB #30
Detective #677
LOTDK #63
Robin #9
Showcase ’94 #10 (first story)

The original printing of the Knightsend TPB works fine.  It does not include the Showcase story, and it cuts out a few pages of Robin #9 that are not completely relevant to the Batman plots.  It is not necessary to include any other Catwoman issues (even #13 which was labelled as Aftermath).  The Catwoman series did a good job of intersecting two stories, so if you are just reading Catwoman straight through, you get a coherent story.  Likewise, if you’re just reading Knightsend, you don’t feel like you’re missing anything from Catwoman.

Following Zero Hour, continued in Batman: Prodigal.