Creating the Worlds of Star Wars: 365 Days [With CD-ROM]

Five stars is not enough. This is quite possibly THE best behind the scenes Star Wars book. It rivals the original Star Wars Chronicles and (in terms of photos) nearly wipes the floor with the prequel Making Of books. There are literally thousands of pictures here that you have not seen, half of which are pre-1983. Spectacular.

As a Visual Effects practitioner I find this book to be a tremendous resource because of the quality and information the visuals present. From the use of miniatures to CG, this book documents the making of these films, especially the ones Supervised by Mr. Knoll, with great detail with pictures and frank first hand descriptions of shots and techniques. As a Star Wars fan, the inside info and the photos, especially the 360 degree panoramas, are quite illuminating and enjoyable. Well Done!

John Knoll has done something very unusual: He's written a book that is very satisfying, providing infomation that quells rumors, sets records straight and imparts a vast amount of new information about a subject that has become just as much a part of life for some as living and breathing is for us all. And for those of us who place Star Wars in a more normal context, this book is just plain fascinating! To continue this review with examples from the book will not do it justice. The book is configured in a way such that facing pages have incredible photos and a very succinct narrative, rarely more than half a page long. Not that a lot of text would be bad, but Knoll does a such good job of telling the story in this fashion that more text would just take up the room where more of those 'thousand word' pictures could go! The photographs in this work are excellent. Particularly welcome are all the new photos from the first 3 films. Most have never been seen before and those alone are worth the price of this book. And speaking of the price-- $30 full retail is the deal of the century, gang. This book is hardbound for the ages, too. My personal request would be that Mr. Knoll continue with additional volumes on a yearly basis, but I have a feeling that would not be in the cards-- he's one busy guy. I think it would be a great idea to devote each additional volume to a single film at a time, particularly the first 3 films. As wonderful as this book is, and being the gluttons that we are, 365 'days' does not provide enough coverage for all 6 films! Finally, in case you are not aware-- this book is a rather odd format in that it measures 6.5 by 9.5 inches and is 2.25 inches thick. Sort of a 'wide screen' format. But, don't let that phase you. Its a coffee table book that fits on the smallest of coffee tables-- and its easy to read in bed!