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Star Wars Legends: Novels
The Star Wars Storybook
The intergalactic adventures of Luke Skywalker and the Rebel Alliance as they battle the evil Imperial forces which have overthrown the Old Republic.
Numerous color stills from the award-winning film illustrate an account of Luke Skywalker's adventures after joining the Rebel Alliance to help defeat the Imperial forces that overthrew the Old Republic
Numerous color stills from the award-winning film illustrate an account of Luke Skywalker's adventures after joining the Rebel Alliance to help defeat the Imperial forces that overthrew the Old Republic
80 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
December 7, 2016
Another book to add to my collection. My mother is awesome! I really do love these books. Ohhh and the smell? *squee* I love the smell of older books. Haha. Yes I'm weird I know. Need to find something to put these in so they can be safe.
November 17, 2024
This probably doesn't deserve five stars, objectively. I suppose it should have four, but I'm being subjective today, and five is where the rating will stand. This is the elementary age version of the original Star Wars story, complete with pictures. As such, it's truncated and cuts out some of the more violent moments like Darth Vader's choking scenes, whether he tends to it manually...
or via the force.
My version of this is an original which I've had since I was a wee tot. I don't know if it's been updated since the initial publication, but it would need some polishing to make it more canonical, starting with the title. (It doesn't even have the "Episode IV: A New Hope" subtitle attached to it which is something that was added when the second movie came out.) There are also deleted scenes that never made it to the movie, not even the special editions, such as one where Biggs and Luke talk on Tatooine just before Biggs heads off to join the rebellion. There's also a brief scene with Luke looking to the sky with his macrobinoculars to see the space battle going on at the beginning. In the accompanying picture, he's wearing a Gilligan hat...
...which is never seen in the movie. I wondered what happened to it, and after extensive research I discovered that Gilligan himself absconded with it. I always suspected he didn't hail from this galaxy. It turns out he's Jar Jar Binks' son. (Human mother, Gungan father, so he looks human but got Jar Jar's mental deficiencies, which explains his idiocy.)
"Tis embarrassing, but my afraid my've been banished. Meesa caused maybe one, maybe two-y leettle bitty accidentes, huh? You'd say boom da Minnow, den crashin' der Skipper's heyblibber, den banished."
The Heyblibber in question was one on display in the museum section of the Star Destroyer Persecutor where Gilligan was working as a janitor. During the Battle of Scarif, Gilligan activated it and crashed it into the ship's power generator which disabled it. The rebels erroneously assumed they did the damage and came up with the plan to push The Persecutor into the docking station which controlled the deflector shield. This destroyed the shield, allowed the rebels to transmit the Death Star's plans, and a series of events ensued which terminated in the collapse of the entire Galactic Empire.
Of course, the bosses didn't know that would happen, but they'd had enough of Gilligan, enrolled him in a foreign exchange program with our galaxy, and hastily hied him hither though it was hardly an even trade. They got John Travolta's twin brother Jason who went missing at birth, a fly ass dude who joined the Rebel Alliance and even took his platform shoes with him.
The funk is strong with this one.
During their downtime, he taught everybody in that galaxy far, far away how to tear down to hits like Fly, Mynock, Fly by Carbonite Convention and Gundark Wonderland from Hoth, Wind, and Fire.
I seem to have gotten off track. I guess kids today would still enjoy this, but I'm not sure. A lot has changed since 1978 when this book came out. Most kids who are into Star Wars like the flash and bang of the newer movies and shows, and this one is rather tame by comparison. Being as young as they are, they don't have sense enough to appreciate the glory of the original. Shit, Vader's entrance was the best thing I'd ever seen in my life back then, and I still get a thrill every time I see it.
There weren't any VCRs back then, and you had to catch Star Wars when it came on television. Nowadays they show it all the time, and you can't get away from it, but back in the early 80s you had to wait for network TV to do a special showing. If you had cable, your chances improved slightly, but it was still a treat. This book, and the two following it, scratched that itch for me when there was no Star Wars to be seen, and it did it often. I didn't know how to read back then, but I looked at the pictures over and over, especially the back cover:
This may be the most well-loved book from my childhood, though I guess Go, Dog. Go! could give it a run for its money. When I did learn to read, this was still too advanced for me, but I eventually got to where I could handle it. I don't reckon third or fourth graders would have too much trouble with it, but anyone younger might need a little help.
I have no idea how often I went through this, but I certainly put it through it's paces, sometimes while sitting Indian style in front of my Fisher Price record player, listening to the soundtrack. As destructive as I could be, I apparently learned how to properly care for a record as young as three or four years old. I think mama handled putting on the needle for a while, but I got to put it on and turn it over. I can't imagine letting any three or four-year-olds I know handle a record at all, so mama was being pretty risky. I still have the records (there were two), and they still play without any scratches or skips. My tastes have changed over the years, but I clearly remember that The Little People Work (aka the Jawa/Sandcrawler theme) was my favorite song on there back then. I have no idea why since so many other tunes are more exciting, but there's no explaining the whims and caprices of a preschooler. I also used to play the record as I played with my Star Wars toys, and act out the scenes that went with the music, or I might just sit and listen and watch the record spin. Ah, memories, memories.
The fact that this book survived is a miracle; the force must be with it. The spine started to come apart probably around the time I was five years old, and I think granddaddy repaired it with some yellow electrical tape.
The pages eventually tried to separate, and it's now literally hanging on by a thread.
Okay, so it's technically three threads holding the pages to the cover, but that's still pretty sad. One time when I had it along for a car ride, I fell asleep while looking at it, and my head landed on one of the first pages. It was a warm day so my forehead was a little sweaty and stuck to the page. When I jerked awake, I tore the page and became rather distraught. (It's amazing how we remember our most traumatic experiences no matter how many decades ago they might have occurred.) Luckily, mama or somebody was able to fix it with some tape, and it was ready for service once more.
When I learned how to write my name (kind of), this was the first book to get my ex libris mark.
I eventually learned that when you ran out of space on one line, you continued on the left side of the line below instead of just circling around and heading back the way you came. I also learned you didn't turn your consonants backwards either when you were running in reverse. Well, give me a break; I was just a padawan! I couldn't have been more than 13 or 14 years old. At least I got the i and the e's right! Who are you to judge me?!
I doubt a child in today's world with their tablets and swipey smart screen things could enjoy this anywhere near as much as I or any child born and raised in an analog world did, but they might. You know your kids better than I do, so you be the judge.
or via the force.
My version of this is an original which I've had since I was a wee tot. I don't know if it's been updated since the initial publication, but it would need some polishing to make it more canonical, starting with the title. (It doesn't even have the "Episode IV: A New Hope" subtitle attached to it which is something that was added when the second movie came out.) There are also deleted scenes that never made it to the movie, not even the special editions, such as one where Biggs and Luke talk on Tatooine just before Biggs heads off to join the rebellion. There's also a brief scene with Luke looking to the sky with his macrobinoculars to see the space battle going on at the beginning. In the accompanying picture, he's wearing a Gilligan hat...
...which is never seen in the movie. I wondered what happened to it, and after extensive research I discovered that Gilligan himself absconded with it. I always suspected he didn't hail from this galaxy. It turns out he's Jar Jar Binks' son. (Human mother, Gungan father, so he looks human but got Jar Jar's mental deficiencies, which explains his idiocy.)
"Tis embarrassing, but my afraid my've been banished. Meesa caused maybe one, maybe two-y leettle bitty accidentes, huh? You'd say boom da Minnow, den crashin' der Skipper's heyblibber, den banished."
The Heyblibber in question was one on display in the museum section of the Star Destroyer Persecutor where Gilligan was working as a janitor. During the Battle of Scarif, Gilligan activated it and crashed it into the ship's power generator which disabled it. The rebels erroneously assumed they did the damage and came up with the plan to push The Persecutor into the docking station which controlled the deflector shield. This destroyed the shield, allowed the rebels to transmit the Death Star's plans, and a series of events ensued which terminated in the collapse of the entire Galactic Empire.
Of course, the bosses didn't know that would happen, but they'd had enough of Gilligan, enrolled him in a foreign exchange program with our galaxy, and hastily hied him hither though it was hardly an even trade. They got John Travolta's twin brother Jason who went missing at birth, a fly ass dude who joined the Rebel Alliance and even took his platform shoes with him.
The funk is strong with this one.
During their downtime, he taught everybody in that galaxy far, far away how to tear down to hits like Fly, Mynock, Fly by Carbonite Convention and Gundark Wonderland from Hoth, Wind, and Fire.
I seem to have gotten off track. I guess kids today would still enjoy this, but I'm not sure. A lot has changed since 1978 when this book came out. Most kids who are into Star Wars like the flash and bang of the newer movies and shows, and this one is rather tame by comparison. Being as young as they are, they don't have sense enough to appreciate the glory of the original. Shit, Vader's entrance was the best thing I'd ever seen in my life back then, and I still get a thrill every time I see it.
There weren't any VCRs back then, and you had to catch Star Wars when it came on television. Nowadays they show it all the time, and you can't get away from it, but back in the early 80s you had to wait for network TV to do a special showing. If you had cable, your chances improved slightly, but it was still a treat. This book, and the two following it, scratched that itch for me when there was no Star Wars to be seen, and it did it often. I didn't know how to read back then, but I looked at the pictures over and over, especially the back cover:
This may be the most well-loved book from my childhood, though I guess Go, Dog. Go! could give it a run for its money. When I did learn to read, this was still too advanced for me, but I eventually got to where I could handle it. I don't reckon third or fourth graders would have too much trouble with it, but anyone younger might need a little help.
I have no idea how often I went through this, but I certainly put it through it's paces, sometimes while sitting Indian style in front of my Fisher Price record player, listening to the soundtrack. As destructive as I could be, I apparently learned how to properly care for a record as young as three or four years old. I think mama handled putting on the needle for a while, but I got to put it on and turn it over. I can't imagine letting any three or four-year-olds I know handle a record at all, so mama was being pretty risky. I still have the records (there were two), and they still play without any scratches or skips. My tastes have changed over the years, but I clearly remember that The Little People Work (aka the Jawa/Sandcrawler theme) was my favorite song on there back then. I have no idea why since so many other tunes are more exciting, but there's no explaining the whims and caprices of a preschooler. I also used to play the record as I played with my Star Wars toys, and act out the scenes that went with the music, or I might just sit and listen and watch the record spin. Ah, memories, memories.
The fact that this book survived is a miracle; the force must be with it. The spine started to come apart probably around the time I was five years old, and I think granddaddy repaired it with some yellow electrical tape.
The pages eventually tried to separate, and it's now literally hanging on by a thread.
Okay, so it's technically three threads holding the pages to the cover, but that's still pretty sad. One time when I had it along for a car ride, I fell asleep while looking at it, and my head landed on one of the first pages. It was a warm day so my forehead was a little sweaty and stuck to the page. When I jerked awake, I tore the page and became rather distraught. (It's amazing how we remember our most traumatic experiences no matter how many decades ago they might have occurred.) Luckily, mama or somebody was able to fix it with some tape, and it was ready for service once more.
When I learned how to write my name (kind of), this was the first book to get my ex libris mark.
I eventually learned that when you ran out of space on one line, you continued on the left side of the line below instead of just circling around and heading back the way you came. I also learned you didn't turn your consonants backwards either when you were running in reverse. Well, give me a break; I was just a padawan! I couldn't have been more than 13 or 14 years old. At least I got the i and the e's right! Who are you to judge me?!
I doubt a child in today's world with their tablets and swipey smart screen things could enjoy this anywhere near as much as I or any child born and raised in an analog world did, but they might. You know your kids better than I do, so you be the judge.
Read
September 21, 2014Adding this now because I've just been watching the movie with my son -- the first time for him (unfortunately, it turns out to be the updated version -- that scene with Jabba, oh dear).
I remember I won this book as a prize in 5th grade, and I read it avidly many times. This was before the dawn of the VCR, so it was the only way to relive the movie. I have a friend who wore out an LP record version of the story, complete with music. I feel old, but fortunately I'm more or less okay with that.
I remember I won this book as a prize in 5th grade, and I read it avidly many times. This was before the dawn of the VCR, so it was the only way to relive the movie. I have a friend who wore out an LP record version of the story, complete with music. I feel old, but fortunately I'm more or less okay with that.
June 21, 2025
The Star Wars storybook version contains something found in few other places. It has photos from the movie that never made the movie, not even in the re-release when new scenes were added. Luke and Biggs on Tattooine for instance. Fans that want to see parts of the movie that were removed and never reinstalled need to check this out. Go into it for the legendary photos however, not for the read, because it is a storybook version of the movie aimed at third graders.
December 9, 2018
In days before mass VCR and VHS tape ownership, this was one of my childhood bibles. My school library had a copy, and I must have signed it out a billions times. I devoured all the unique photos, and I drove myself crazy with these photos after seeing the film...because it was full of photos I couldn't remember from the film! It turns out they were deleted scenes...long before DVD extras were conceived. It also had close-ups and different angles I studied so closely they could have been sitting under a microscope. A timeless treasure of youth I loved beyond all reason.
January 25, 2024
Going in I could tell the story was abridged to save space for all the photos- some of which I’ve never seen before. I would have loved to have this book when I was 10 years old.
That said….
What surprised me the most are the subtle changes to the story elements to be found in here- especially dialogue. Some of these changes may have been to save space but others make this a true early edition of Star Wars. Examples: The Rebel Alliance is The World Family, the repeated use of “robot” instead of “droid” and Luke is Gold Five not Red Five.
The lack of the word “droid” is especially curious and noteworthy as I believe George Lucas is credited with inventing the word for Star Wars.
The book also does NOT start “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.”
How does it start?
Certainly not as epic as those words that give us chills, but if you really care you can have fun hunting down a copy down to find out. It’s not hard or expensive, and it’s an edition that belongs in the library of every Star Wars fan.
That said….
What surprised me the most are the subtle changes to the story elements to be found in here- especially dialogue. Some of these changes may have been to save space but others make this a true early edition of Star Wars. Examples: The Rebel Alliance is The World Family, the repeated use of “robot” instead of “droid” and Luke is Gold Five not Red Five.
The lack of the word “droid” is especially curious and noteworthy as I believe George Lucas is credited with inventing the word for Star Wars.
The book also does NOT start “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.”
How does it start?
Certainly not as epic as those words that give us chills, but if you really care you can have fun hunting down a copy down to find out. It’s not hard or expensive, and it’s an edition that belongs in the library of every Star Wars fan.
February 9, 2026
Just remembered I had this.
I must have bought it not long after I went to see Star Wars (twice) the first week it arrived at our local cinema.
Back in those days it was not uncommon for the audience to cheer and clap when the 'white hats' did something memorable and hiss and boo when the bad guys made an appearance.
There was much cheering throughout the film but I swear everyone was too scared of Darth Vader to make a sound when HE was on screen.
Can't remember much about the book really, now except there were some pictures that didn't appear in the film, which confused me.
I probably poured over it avidly as a boy but truth be told it was simply a cash-in softback book that I obviously didn't think worth keeping and threw out somewhere along my journey through life.
After all Star Wars was just flash in the pan that would soon be forgotten and superseded by some other film...
...doh!
I must have bought it not long after I went to see Star Wars (twice) the first week it arrived at our local cinema.
Back in those days it was not uncommon for the audience to cheer and clap when the 'white hats' did something memorable and hiss and boo when the bad guys made an appearance.
There was much cheering throughout the film but I swear everyone was too scared of Darth Vader to make a sound when HE was on screen.
Can't remember much about the book really, now except there were some pictures that didn't appear in the film, which confused me.
I probably poured over it avidly as a boy but truth be told it was simply a cash-in softback book that I obviously didn't think worth keeping and threw out somewhere along my journey through life.
After all Star Wars was just flash in the pan that would soon be forgotten and superseded by some other film...
...doh!
August 31, 2021
I’ve had “The Star Wars Storybook” since it first came out when I was a 9 year old boy in the late 70’s.
Back then we couldn’t afford a VCR and the “Star Wars” movie wasn’t shown on TV very often. Flipping through this book, while listening to the cassette tape of the soundtrack was the next best thing to watching the movie over and over.
Once I was grown up and got the “Star Wars” movie on DVD so I could watch it repeatedly, without each viewing being a special occasion, I realized some scenes from my memory were missing. Now that I have a copy of this book handy again, I see that it’s got some movie stills and scenes that were cut from the final film, such as Luke and Biggs talking on Tatooine about Biggs possibly joining the rebellion, while Luke was still stuck helping his uncle for another season…
It’s a great book. It’s the next best thing to watching the movie.
Back then we couldn’t afford a VCR and the “Star Wars” movie wasn’t shown on TV very often. Flipping through this book, while listening to the cassette tape of the soundtrack was the next best thing to watching the movie over and over.
Once I was grown up and got the “Star Wars” movie on DVD so I could watch it repeatedly, without each viewing being a special occasion, I realized some scenes from my memory were missing. Now that I have a copy of this book handy again, I see that it’s got some movie stills and scenes that were cut from the final film, such as Luke and Biggs talking on Tatooine about Biggs possibly joining the rebellion, while Luke was still stuck helping his uncle for another season…
It’s a great book. It’s the next best thing to watching the movie.
October 5, 2018
This is kind of the first literary adaptation of any Star Wars movie. This particular edition is from 1978, so for 1978 standards, it is quite the formidable piece of merchandising. Prose is simple and some of the details are sorta wrong, but it's cool to see some images from the famous deleted scenes in print form. Until the release of the Blu-ray a couple of years ago, and obviously, during the 70s and 80s and 90s, it was one of the only official pieces of merchandising with images from those scenes!
In any case, the book is cool for nostalgic purposes, and can be a pretty interesting read, but nowadays, it might feel a little too old-fashioned. For die-hard fans only.
In any case, the book is cool for nostalgic purposes, and can be a pretty interesting read, but nowadays, it might feel a little too old-fashioned. For die-hard fans only.
August 28, 2018
Closely follows the movie, and has a nice collection of color photos within the pages too.
April 9, 2019
Very good I own this and it is worth 397 dollars.
March 2, 2022
The story of Star Wars book. Bonus Features and Deleted Scenes included. Unfortunately I didn’t like the ending, Chewie still doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. Wookies Unite!
July 8, 2020
I enjoyed reading the cut scenes from the movie and seeing pictures that I had never seen before.
February 13, 2017
1st Read: September 1978 (**** Rating)
I am certain that every boy in grade two had ordered this book as part of their monthly order! What can I possibly say that is new about Star Wars when it first arrived? Absolutely nothing.
This was more of a picture book for me, as I was still struggling with dyslexia and comprehension for awhile yet.
I really have no idea whatever happened to this book. The last time I'd seen it, I remember the front cover had a huge tear in it and it was creased from being shoved in the book closet at the end of the hallway. My older sister probably threw it out along with all my Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Archie Comics, Bionic man, Stretch Armstrong monster, and so many other valuable things today!
I am certain that every boy in grade two had ordered this book as part of their monthly order! What can I possibly say that is new about Star Wars when it first arrived? Absolutely nothing.
This was more of a picture book for me, as I was still struggling with dyslexia and comprehension for awhile yet.
I really have no idea whatever happened to this book. The last time I'd seen it, I remember the front cover had a huge tear in it and it was creased from being shoved in the book closet at the end of the hallway. My older sister probably threw it out along with all my Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Archie Comics, Bionic man, Stretch Armstrong monster, and so many other valuable things today!
July 8, 2015
When I was a little girl, I saw Star Wars in the movie theater and it was a very memorable event. While cleaning out the miscellaneous boxes at our new house, I discovered this book again. It was one that I'd purchased at a school book fair soon after I'd seen the movie and I remember rereading it a few times.
The narrative is a bit long for younger children, but there are lots of big colorful screen shots from the movie. It's a fast read and gives a general feel for the movie. I enjoyed the Star Wars movies when I was younger and I was thrilled to be able to share this book with our girls.
The narrative is a bit long for younger children, but there are lots of big colorful screen shots from the movie. It's a fast read and gives a general feel for the movie. I enjoyed the Star Wars movies when I was younger and I was thrilled to be able to share this book with our girls.
Read
March 3, 2014Ayer revisando algunas cosas en casa de mis padres conseguí esta versión para niños de Star Wars, está conmigo desde hace muchos años (cuando era un niño entusiasmado que acababa de ver La Guerra de las Galaxias) al curiosearla recordé un hecho muy extraño: está ilustrada con fotogramas de la película que incluyen la conversación de Luke y Biggs en Tatooine que fue editada y nunca se vio en el cine.
April 13, 2024
The storybook version of Star Wars IV was fun to read. It has additional scenes from the movie I've never seen before that were cut from the movie, like Luke observing the Star Destroyer with his binoculars and his conversation with Biggs about joining the Rebel Alliance, both with color photos making it interesting to read.
February 6, 2017
Great find for any Star Wars fan, loaded with amazing photos not seen in the film.
August 13, 2009
A photo-illustrated storybook of the first Star Wars movie.
January 17, 2012
Fun way to introduce younger kids to the Star Wars universe when they aren't ready to watch the films yet.
March 6, 2014
Yes, oh yes! This is another book I read repeatedly as a child. Oh, how I loved this book.
What fun to do a bit of research and find it and add it to my shelves!
What fun to do a bit of research and find it and add it to my shelves!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews