STAR WARS: FROM CONCEPT TO SCREEN TO COLLECTIBLE (a J!-ENT Book Review)

October 19, 2008 by Dennis Amith 

“Fans of Star Wars memorabilia and conceptual art will definitely enjoy Stephen J. Sansweet’s ‘STAR WARS: FROM CONCEPT TO SCREEN TO COLLECTIBLE’ which goes into the original Ralph McQuarrie ideas to the action figures and the various clothing and food lines featuring Star Wars.  This book is just full of information and interviews based on extensive research.  Just awesome!”

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BOOK: STAR WARS: FROM CONCEPT TO SCREEN TO COLLECTIBLE

AUTHORS: Stephen J. Sansweet

COMPANY: CHRONICLE BOOKS

PAGE COUNT: 136 pages

From a galaxy far away to a toy store near you… The evolution of the Star Wars trilogy – Star Wars, the Empire Strikes Back and the Return of the Jedi – from concept to movie to the merchandise that ensued, is truly a fascinating tale.  In word and picture, this book takes you back through that journey and reveals many of the screts behind the phenomenon:  How did Darth Vader’s frightening mask come about?  What role did a spaghetti dinner play in launching the Star Wars comic book series?  What common object inspired the shape of Han Solo’s space ship?  For both diehard fans and those new to the force.  The Star Wars universe is here to explore and savor.

When I was a child, I used to be a collector of the Star Wars action figures and even owned several vehicles.  “Star Wars” was not just a film but it was part of my childhood.  May it be the toys, the comic books and it was one of the few times I can remember going to watch a movie with my parents (a movie that I actually enjoyed with them).

As I got older, I have managed to collect several lines of the Star Wars universe and for many collectors, they have looked to hardcore Star Wars merchandise collector Stephen J. Sansweet for his wonderful book with the “Star Wars Action Figure Archive”.

But Sansweet hit a homerun with his Star Wars coffee table book with “STAR WARS: FROM CONCEPT TO SCREEN TO COLLECTIBLE” featuring an well-written and informative book covering the Star Wars trilogy.  From it’s original concept, it’s artwork to the plans of creating the vehicles and how the popular films eventually led to a comic book series and also one of the most popular toy lines in the world.

According to Sansweet, the book came from nearly 40 hours of taped interviews with two dozen people who worked for Lucas film, Industrial Light & Magic, Kenner Products and 20th Century Fox Film.

The interviews were also backed up with extensive research through files and archives at Skywalker Ranch includin the photo library and prop archives.

What I enjoyed about this book is the many pictures showing the various merchandise including cereal, yogurt and popsicle boxes to International posters, shoes, socks, backpacks, skates, watches, you name it…there is so much featured in this book that as a Star Wars fan, you can’t help but not be happy to own such an informative and well-written book.

For those who are wondering if this book features a lot of conceptual art and if it would benefit the artists who enjoy the Star Wars universe, I will say that there are plenty of conceptual books available that focus primarily on the art.  This book is more or less a smorgasbord of information and pictures and focuses on many areas of the idea and creation of Star Wars but also in the merchandise/collectability standpoint.

This book is excellent!  You can’t go wrong with it because it’s so fully of information and photography.  Sansweet went all out in doing extensive research for the book and getting access to photography that just makes this book, one of the must-own books for “Star Wars” fans.

With so many “Star Wars” related books in the market, this is one of the must-own ones.  Also, you can find it online for a great price these days!  Definitely recommended!

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