Wow! What a great game for an old school roleplayer like me!

k:
It really got me interested about the original pencil&paper game...
Is there anybody out there who possesses information about the exact function of all the various spells? The names can be quite confusing at times, and you have so many available since the very beginning that... I don't really know what my party members can do! :help:
The PDF manual does not explain much about the spells (it only provides statistics). Did the designers of the game originally mean players to find that out by trial-and-error?
Also, is there a built-in method to view the stats of items (weapons, armor, etc.), in-game? Such as knowing how much damage does a certain weapon inflict. Or, are players supposed to guess, based on name, appearance and price - only?