The Illustrated Star Wars Universe (Star Wars) [Paperback]

Kevin J. Anderson (Author), Ralph Mcquarrie (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: September 2, 1997

The ultimate book for every Star Wars(r) fan.

Experience the Star Wars universe as never before in this stunning visual journey that carries you to the farthest reaches--and into the deepest mysteries--of George Lucas's cinematic masterpiece.  Ralph McQuarrie, the legendary main concept artist for all three Star Wars films, and Kevin J. Anderson, the New York Times bestselling Star Wars author, present the ultimate voyage: a vivid and close-up look at the exotic worlds and remarkable inhabitants of the Star Wars universe.

The breathtaking artwork of McQuarrie and Anderson's delightful text are your guide to eight different Star Wars locales.  Here, detailed as never before, are the worlds of Tatooine, the stark desert home planet of Luke Skywalker; Coruscant, the glorious center of the Empire; Dagobah, the swampy world of Yoda; Bespin, site of the famed floating metropolis of Cloud City; Endor, the forest moon sheltering the Ewoks; Hoth, the frozen wasteland and site of a secret Rebel base; Yavin 4, the jungle moon, nearly destroyed by the first Death Star; and Alderaan, Princess Leia's homeworld, cruelly annihilated by the same Death Star.  Each world is lavishly illustrated and described by a qualified expert, including scientists, scouts, soldiers, poets, and even Imperial agents.  The Illustrated Star Wars Universe is an epic achievement, a visionary treat no Star Wars fan will want to miss--and a true collector's item you'll enjoy for years to come.

(r), TM & (c) 1995 Lucasfilm Ltd.
All rights reserved.  Used under authorization.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

A stunning journey, in words and pictures, to eight of the fantastic worlds in the Star Wars(r) universe.

From the Inside Flap

The ultimate book for every Star Wars(r) fan.

Experience the Star Wars universe as never before in this stunning visual journey that carries you to the farthest reaches--and into the deepest mysteries--of George Lucas's cinematic masterpiece. Ralph McQuarrie, the legendary main concept artist for all three Star Wars films, and Kevin J. Anderson, the New York Times bestselling Star Wars author, present the ultimate voyage: a vivid and close-up look at the exotic worlds and remarkable inhabitants of the Star Wars universe.

The breathtaking artwork of McQuarrie and Anderson's delightful text are your guide to eight different Star Wars locales. Here, detailed as never before, are the worlds of Tatooine, the stark desert home planet of Luke Skywalker; Coruscant, the glorious center of the Empire; Dagobah, the swampy world of Yoda; Bespin, site of the famed floating metropolis of Cloud City; Endor, the forest moon sheltering the Ewoks; Hoth, the frozen wasteland and site of a secret Rebel base; Yavin 4, the jungle moon, nearly destroyed by the first Death Star; and Alderaan, Princess Leia's homeworld, cruelly annihilated by the same Death Star. Each world is lavishly illustrated and described by a qualified expert, including scientists, scouts, soldiers, poets, and even Imperial agents. The Illustrated Star Wars Universe is an epic achievement, a visionary treat no Star Wars fan will want to miss--and a true collector's item you'll enjoy for years to come.

(r), TM & (c) 1995 Lucasfilm Ltd.
All rights reserved. Used under authorization.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Spectra; Reprint edition (September 2, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553374842
• ISBN-13: 978-0553374841
• Product Dimensions: 0.5 x 8.4 x 11.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #118,695 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #34 in Books > Arts & Photography > Other Media > Conceptual

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining travel guide to the Star Wars galaxy..... April 12, 2004

By Alex Diaz-Granados VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Take the artistic talents of acclaimed production artist Ralph McQuarrie and the writing skills of prolific author Kevin J. Anderson (The Jedi Academy Trilogy) and you get The Illustrated Star Wars Universe, a coffee table book that gives readers a glimpse of the various planets showcased in George Lucas' original Star Wars Trilogy (1977-83).

Using McQuarrie's production sketches and paintings for A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi and other Lucasfilm projects (including the Endor-based television specials of the mid-1980s plus preliminary sketches for the 1997 Special Edition updates), Anderson takes readers on a grand tour of the most important planets seen in the Luke Skywalker/Darth Vader half of the Star Wars Saga. Starting with Tatooine, the desert world that is the home world to both Anakin Skywalker and his son Luke and ending with Alderaan, the planet where Princess Leia was hidden from her father and was doomed to be destroyed by the Death Star, eight planets are described in individual chapters, each told not by one omniscient narrator but by eight different observers, each with his or her point of view and/or political agenda.

For instance, while the chapter on Tatooine is an anthropologist's dispassionate and scientific report on the desert planet's hostile environment and its hardy inhabitants (ranging from the nomadic and hostile Tusken Raiders and scavenging Jawas to the resilient human moisture farmers and their homesteads), the description of Coruscant, the massive city-planet which was once the seat of power of the Old Republic and is the capital of Emperor Palpatine's Galactic Empire, is a pro-Imperial propaganda article authored by Pollus Hax, the Emperor's chief public relations expert and "spin doctor."

Although much of the artwork featured in The Illustrated Star Wars Universe has been published elsewhere (either in the various Art of Star Wars books relating to the Classic Trilogy or in McQuarrie's Star Wars Portfolios), this combination of production paintings and Anderson's vivid and imaginative text works wonderfully and adds detail and background to both the movies and the post-Episode VI Expanded Universe novels, including Anderson's own JedI Academy trilogy and Darksaber.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Cool March 28, 2000

By Mike

Format:Paperback

This is one of the must haves for a true Star Wars fan. It is a coffee table book, like Dinotopia. Its stunning illustrations follow the reader through the Star Wars Universe, earning points for believability, and romanticism along the way. Though not a true novel, the text is good for guiding one through the drawings on the book. You have to know that you are not getting a novel, but for a Star Wars fan it hardly matters.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The writing is fogetable but the art is amazing October 6, 2000

By Patrick Garone

Format:Paperback

This book really showcases the beautiful artwork of Ralph McQuarrie, who helped establish the look of the Star Wars films way back at the dawn of the story as we know it. In this book we see fascinating early visual drafts of things that we would later see in the movies. Most of it was impossibly fantastic to ever get filmed at the time but maybe we'll see some of it in the next two movies.

The chapters on Alderan and Bespin are particular fascinating and beautiful.