is there a guide, or hint book for Betrayal at Krondor? i downloaded the game, thank you, but dont see a hint book. is there one? has there ever been one?

May be more then your looking for but here, 1st search result in google:
http://www.sierrahelp.com/Walkthroughs/BetrayalAtKrondorWalkthrough.html

Just keep on grinding around the roads and after that go through the forest.You can only do so much in each chapter and then the next one starts.

Not necessarily. You can pretty much clear the map and massively train and gear up your characters in the first chapter, if you avoid going where you need to to end it. Recall doing that back when I played it.

That's what I did when playing,travel all roads and the forest and open all chests and train and get best weapons.It's not that hard to do and once you run out of chests and baddies,go start the next chapter.And from memory I think there was a couple of little side quests but it's been a long time since I played it.

Same. Played in 2000 or 2001, but defintely remember doing that. And the overall feeling of... playing a book.
Also, with plenty of supplies, you can get quite some use of skill improving books. Diminishing returns, but can read them again and again and again for further increases. Same for that thing that links your mages much later on, really need to stock on supplies but lots of spells to eventually squeeze out of it.

This is THE guide to BaK: BaK Help Web

Sadly the site went down time ago, but thankfully the Internet Archive got it cached.

Yes,Chapter one was a real character builder and you are right about the book part as it was great and it's really a shame that there aren't any other games to my knowledge like this.Even unlocking chests was a very different way of doing it and again never seen this in another game.I forgot about the collection of herbs and just remembered the (I think) was it Night Hawks or Night something.One spell I remember was Fireball and it took ages to save enough to buy it,but still got it in Chapter One.

There was a strategy guide produced by Prima:

https://www.amazon.com/Betrayal-Krondor-Official-Strategy-Secrets/dp/1559585498

I managed to source a used copy from ebay a few years ago.

All you need is GameFAQ, the best source of info for almost all the games.

thank you all for your input. obviously there is not a hint book to download from GOG. boo & hiss
8-)