I've seen 2 earth staff drops, probably 7-8 ranger rocks, couple slime bloods.no books.

This is one of the infuriating things about P99 / EQ in general, it just depends on how lucky you are in being in the right place in the right time.

My necro never got a book as I always was either busy with real life or taking a break when one dropped, while many of my friends with necro alts ended up with theirs due to right place right time.

I remember seeing one drop out of the bajillion drakes I must have killed. It is another pita hate rare.

Always kinda curious about these items, do they guarantee that the pet spawns at its max level +1, or does it just add a level to whatever pet is summoned?

Adds +1 level to whatever pet you summon. Effectively increases floor by 1 and ceiling by 1 for your pet summoning range.

^