Star Wars Encyclopedia

Except for the fact of missing references to the prequels, but with so many people complaining of their (minor) inferiorities who's arguing? The undying classic trilogy is brought in splendid life with characters, droids, creatures, monsters, and technologies from A to Z.Whether it's the history of the Skywalkers, Jabba the Hutt, droids, Imperial Commanders, Super Class Warships, alien species, or monsters from all sorts of galaxies - this book is the source of information bringing the evolution of how they came to be in each film. Given it was published in 1998 it gave audiences an even wetter appetite to view the trilogy in full splendor and understand how all of it came to be a story.Stephen Sansweet, who also wrote earlier books of STAR WARS collectibles ranging from toys to audio cassettes gives classic depth to the classic trilogy. It's heavy and rich with information, so this is a must for any true fan. By the way, George Lucas, we can't wait until September 21, 2004 for the release of the trilogy on DVD! Even more so for EPISODE 3 in May 2005! MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!

Ever since the first Guide to the Star Wars Universe was published in 1984, there have been many reference books written about the characters, weapons, spacecraft, fauna, flora, and worlds of that "galaxy far, far away...." Raymond Velasco's first Guide had precious little to go on back in '84. Bill Slavicsek was luckier a decade later; the Expanded Universe had grown a bit larger with the new wave of Star Wars-related novels, role-playing game guides, graphic novels, and even young readers' books.But even though Slavicsek's 1994 and 2000 Guides are very well-done, Steven J. Sansweet's huge Star Wars Encyclopedia is a treasure trove of information about the Star Wars saga's details. Following the same format as the Slavicsek "Guides," Sansweet's large and lavishly illustrated one-volume Encyclopedia covers every imaginable topic from the Rebel A-Wing to the Imperial officer known as Zuggs. Because it was published in 1998, precious little information from the current "Prequel Trilogy" appears in this edition of The Star Wars Encyclopedia. Also, the Expanded Universe has gotten larger, so readers who want to find out about topics covered in the New Jedi Order series will be disappointed. Fans will have to wait until 2006 to see the second, updated edition.Still, Sansweet's book is considered to be the best reference work, not only for its thoroughness, but because the author is a vice president at Lucasfilm and is the owner of one of the world's largest private Star Wars collections. He also appears frequently on the "Ask the Jedi Council" forum at www.starwars.com.

Since the dawn of George Lucas' Star Wars Universe back in 1977, there have been numerous attempts to document some, if not all, aspects of that universe. Despite some fine efforts, all of the attempts to chronicle its vast and intricate details have felt somewhat incomplete. Perhaps editor Steven Sansweet felt the same way, for he has managed to develop what is simply the most comphrensive record of all things Star Wars. From the major characters and technology like Darth Vader and the Death Star to most minor detail in a comic rendering like the Knobby White Spider, Sansweet covers all the bases. Every piece of literature about the Star Wars Universe (including sanctioned and unsanctioned novels, comics, Adventure Journals, Customizable Card Game) are documented in this reference piece. The true beauty of the encyclopedia is not just its completeness, but also its ability to help the reader cross-reference all the listings. In parentheses as a footnote to every entry in the book, there is an acronym that indicates the source of the character, technology, or story. A key in the index of the book explains what each acronym stands for. Given the date of the encyclopedia's release, it obviously does not include material written after early 1998 (I strongly suspect that once Episode III has been released and the New Jedi Order Novel series has completed that a new edition will be released). I have owned the "Star Wars Encyclopedia" for almost 4 years now, and I still find myself referring to it for minute details about books I have read. Other times, I just sit down and browse through to see if I can find anything new. That is the mark of a truly fine reference document.

I got this book a few days ago and I think it is great. It is a perfect source of information for those who don't know very much about Star Wars or just aren't sure about something. This is the book I go to if I'm not sure about something. If for some reason you can't find what your looking for in this book the I would recomend one of the guides such as the guide to Planets and Moons, Vehicles and Vessels, Characters, Weapons and Technology, Droids or one of the versions to the Star Wars Universe.

This ia an overall good compilation of almost every star wars book, novel, movie, show, etc. It is very complete although the latest stuff is missing (but of course it was written before the new Star Wars Era). It has a couple of contradictions and confusions, but only hard core fans can actually recognize them. For the amateur it is a very good reference guide, and for the hard core fans it is just a great addition to the collection.