The Star Wars Archives. 1977–1983: Episodes IV-VI: 1977-1983

When it was announced this spring that the German publishing company Taschen (known worldwide for their particularly beautiful and large books) was working on a Star Wars release, expectations were immediately high. This could be one of the most ultimate reference works.Last week was the day: this gigantic work (weighing 7.5 kilos and 33 x 7 x 48 centimeters in size) was delivered. At the back of the credits a nice surprise (the author used two of my interviews, so I am already listed for the 5th time in a reference work) and you would say: give it a big 10 and we don’t talk about anything anymore, do we?Before I start answering this, we start from the beginning: what is “The Star Wars Archives”?It is a book that takes you back to the early 70s when George Lucas made American Graffiti and the first ideas for Star Wars came into being. On the basis of the most beautiful designs, drawings, stills, behind-the-scenes photos and posters, you then go through the trilogy chronologically, with special attention for The Holiday Special, the two Ewok films and the Ewok and Droids animation series (considering that all this is often ignored is a huge plus). The majority of the book is therefore visual. Due to the enormous size, the large images (often full page) look better than ever. Is there anything to read? Certainly: in addition to the foreword by George Lucas, it also contains two exclusive interviews with him, which is also one of the strongest points of this publication.It is clear that in the trade-off between images and text, the first was given priority. As I said above, this makes sense, but in terms of information, this book will definitely not go down as “ultimate”. Over the past 20+ years many books have been published (one can speak of a supersaturation) and the three Making Of books by J.W. Rinzler are way on top.This oversaturation can also be seen on the visual side of the book, since many photos and drawings have already been published. A good example is the designs of Ralph McQuarrie. These should of course be included, but his complete work was released two years ago. For “the collector who has everything” it will sometimes come across as old wine in a new bottle. Nevertheless, there is more than enough new stuff to be found in the photo area, so that even completists can be surprised.Giving a rating to this book is a real brain teaser. Ultimate reference work? Yes and no. Visually it is definitely one of the 5 best but informative far from it. An eye catcher? Absolutely. Taschen has given Star Wars the “coffee table book treatment” and fans of this will enjoy it. Worth € 150 and “a big 10”? With this book, that depends more than ever on what you already have and what you are looking for. What in any case may be concluded is that after this release the “original trilogy reference book work market” is now really saturated.

Before you purchase this monster book, I would firstly consider if you need to spend this much money on a very unwieldy and expensive reference tome. If you have the Jonathan W. Rinzler making of Star Wars books you already have superb insight into the original Star Wars films and their production.However this book is incredibly well presented with many new behind the scenes photos. The information included here covers all aspects of the original trilogy including new interviews with George Lucas. The book is printed on really high quality paper and you certainly get what you pay for. The positives for this book are excellently produced new images and extensive text. The negatives are it is so large and unwieldy especially if you just want to sit in a chair and soak up the information. Also the first fifty pages or so contain an interview with Lucas which tend to veer toward more philosophical inspirations for the movies, which I found a little dull. If you can afford to purchase this item it is definitely worth it. However I would not say it is essential, unless you are a Star Wars completist.

Bought used from world of books.They never disappoint me. Book was still in its wrapper and not used at all. But if it had of been read before then from experience their descriptions are always very good and accurate.

This, quite frankly, enormous book is dedicated to the original trilogy of Star Wars films, it also includes small chapters on the cartoon spinoff ‘Droids’ and ‘Ewoks’, the live action Ewok films and the Star Wars Special.If you have been collecting Star Wars books since 1977 then you will be familiar with its content. This Archive borrows from the three comprehensive ‘Making of’ volume and numerous ‘Art of’ books already published. However its content is told primarily through the use of interviews, many of which are first hand interviews, with others taken from magazines of the day. You will also recognize a number of the photographs included, however many are new and enlightening.Of course what cannot be overstated is the size of the book itself – all 620 pages are A3 sized, beautifully set out and printed on high quality paper, and as a consequence it has a considerable weight!If you only ever buy one Star Wars book this is the one for you.As Darth himself would say: “Impressive … Most Impressive”

I have wanted to get my hands on this book for a long time, conscious of the fact that it seems to be quite rare. I have the three J W Rinzler books on Episodes IV, V and VI and absolutely love them. I was concerned that this book might just regurgitate the same content as those books. The Rinzler volumes seems to cover the subjects in so much detail there surely couldn't be any thing left to say. Well I can report that the Star Wars Archives have pulled together some fresh material and given a new perspective on George Lucas and his quest to make the films. Where as the Rinzler books detail the making of the films in minute chronological order, this book has dispensed with that format. The Star Wars Archives follow the production process through interviews with all the main players. The art work and photos do not necessarily follow along with this text, which some might find annoying. I would also stress again that this is a large, heavy book and no shelf has been built yet to take it. It is also very expensive and so my copy stays protected in its box when I'm not reading it.This is a big book but this means that the photos and art work are presented in a large format that make them even more enjoyable to view. I would thoroughly recommend this book to any keen Star Wars fan or anyone that is interested in film writing and production.