@Polo458,
Polo458 wrote:
It is the complete five volume shop manual
or
It is a complete five volume shop manual
The is used to refer to specific or particular nouns;
a/an is used to modify non-specific or non-particular nouns. We call the the definite article and a/an the indefinite article. For example, if I say, "Let's read the book," I mean a specific book.