Synopses & Reviews
The ultimate guide to Star Wars characters and creatures. The Visual Dictionary is an essential guide to Star Wars. DK's renowned Eyewitness style brings the characters, costumes, droids, and gadgetry of the Star Wars universe to life in astonishing visual detail. Highly defined, annotated photography shows and explains the culture, background, and technology of the Star Wars trilogy. Fans of all ages will enjoy detailed revelations of Star Wars secrets like how a Stormtrooper's equipment works, what the insides of a light saber look like, and what Sand People keep in their bandoliers. A visual glossary explains all the technical terms used in the trilogy. Together with Star Wars: Incredible Cross-Sections, these books comprise a definitive classic Star Wars reference library.
Review
From R2-D2 to Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, get the lowdown on your favorite characters from the Star Wars films, featuring objects from the Lucasfilm archives. Sections on weaponry, vehicles, costumes, creatures and droids are included in this galaxy of information. (kidsreads.com, September 1999)
Review
Who would have imagined, 21 years after the initial release of Star Wars, that the Force would still be with us? And box office receipts in the hundreds of millions of dollars generated by the 1997 rerelease of the SW trilogy prove that interest in the series hasn't waned. The beautifully illustrated DK duo cover characters, costumes, and weaponry in Visual Dictionary, while Cross Sections dissects vehicles and spacecraft. Want to know how a light saber really works or what the interior of an Imperial Stormtrooper's helmet looks like? It's all here. The most remarkable thing about the books is the amount of thought that's been expended on the workings of things that don't exist. The DK books are seriously cool and exceedingly browsable, making them solid items for libraries. Though they are aimed at kids, don't be surprised to see plenty of adults flipping through them as well. (Library Journal)
Review
Guaranteed to catapult Star Wars fans directly into intergalactic orbit, this pair of oversize picture books provide a galaxy full of details about the inner workings of George Lucas's mythical universe. Eschewing the standard behind-the-scenes look at the making of the movies, both books take a realistic, reference-like approach to the imaginary realm. Reynolds's forthright treatment helps to further meld fact and fiction: an archeologist, he notes that he views the world of Star Wars as a culture from another time and place to explore. In glorious photographs, Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary spotlights each of the characters by turn, from the big three (Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo) to the next tier, including Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader, Chewbacca, C-3P0 and R2-D2, as well as a vast supporting cast. Sidebars provide back-stories on many of the characters (Han Solo, for instance, was raised by space gypsies), and a close examination of clothing, weapons (including a cutaway view of Darth Vader's lightsaber) and equipment provides the answers to such questions as what does a Wookiee carry in his pouch. But novices be warned: Vader's true identity is also revealed in these pages. For Star Wars: Incredible Cross-Sections, Jenssen and Chasemore have created intricate drawings of the guts of such assorted craft as Solo's souped-up Millennium Falcon, the Empire's battle station Death Star (highlighted in a four-page gatefold), the gargantuan robotic quadruped At-At and Jabba the Hutt's sail barge. These two stellar guides (created with the support of Lucasfilm Ltd.) are sure to soar off the shelves. All ages. (Publishers Weekly )
Review
If you are a Star Wars fan, and I am, then sit back and be prepared to find answers to hundreds of questions that you may have had about the characters and creatures that populated the amazing world depicted in the movies. But that isn't all. The creators of this large format book have gone beyond the films-they have filled the gaps, created backgrounds, and expanded on the information to really flesh out the Star Wars universe. The pages are filled with high-contrast photographs, including many from the films and new pictures and drawings. Perusing this book may make you want to watch the film trilogy all over again. If that isn't enough, West has a companion title-Star Wars: Incredible Cross Sections. (Children's Literature)
Review
From School Library Journal: Gr 4 Up--This oversized volume is packed with full-color photographs of the characters and costumes, equipment, weaponry, mechanical droids, and assorted creatures from the Star Wars universe. Each character or category is contained within two pages and nary a space is left uncovered. Spreads that are meant to be held vertically are devoted to pictures of some of the larger-than-life figures, such as Darth Vader and Chewbacca. All of the equipment and other items are labeled. Reynolds profiles the personal histories of the creatures and characters and includes salient details about their gear. Data Files provide additional, often fascinating, and personal tidbits about the inhabitants of this fantasy world. While anyone interested in Star Wars will delight in viewing this book, the technological terms and descriptions may be too complicated for young children. Nevertheless, it is a visual treat--the clear, impressive photographs from the Lucasfilm Archives and other sources will capture and hold readers' attention. While not a dictionary in the traditional sense, this excellent guidebook to an appealing fantasy world will be a welcome addition to library collections. (Linda Wadleigh, Oconee County Middle School, Watkinsville, GA)
About the Author
Before becoming involved with Star Wars and Lucasfilm, Dr. David West Reynolds earned his Ph.D. in Classical Archaeology at the University of Michigan, specializing in ancient Egypt and Imperial Rome. His studies and field work have taken him to places as diverse as Anasazi cliff cities in Utah, Inca fortresses in the mountains of Peru, and Swahili ruins in the jungles of East Africa. In addition to his scholarly work, Dr. Reynolds taught archaeology in the college classroom, as well as guiding tours in the field. In 1995 Reynolds undertook a project to re-locate the filming sites in North Africa where the desert planet scenes had been shot in 1976 for the first Star Wars movie. Employing his archaeological skills he successfully tracked down these remote sites and even found 20-year-old Star Wars props still lying out in the open desert. Reynolds wrote a popular magazine article about his journey, and was surprised to receive a call from Lucasfilm. The company revealed that all their records of the old sites had been lost, and they asked him to guide them back to the Star Wars locations in search of sites for the new film, The Phantom Menace. Reynolds subsequently carried out further Star Wars location scouting in South America, but it was for his communication skills that he was eventually hired full-time by Lucasfilm. At Skywalker Ranch, Reynolds held a position on the marketing team behind the record-setting launch of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. In the last two years, in addition to numerous magazine articles he has written several Star Wars books. Four of those books have been New York Times bestsellers, one reaching #1 on that list. Reynolds is now a full-time author and consultant, president and CEO of the consulting firm Phaeton Group Inc., a "constellation of talents" ranging from communications and marketing specialists to scientific engineering, and security experts. A man of many interests, Reynolds has written video games, climbed to the highest mountains in several countries, excavated rare dinosaur eggshells, and researched thousand-year-old books at the Vatican manuscript library. In the course of unusual consulting work he has sculpted a full-size dinosaur skeleton, created models of historic 1950s spacecraft designs, and acted as writer-presenter for television documentaries, including an appearance on Omnibus for the BBC. In his former home state of Indiana, Reynolds explored unmapped caves and learned the sport of rock climbing. Dr. Reynolds remains active in archaeology, continuing to publish scholarly articles and deliver invited lectures as he develops new projects in urban and color analysis for the field. Reynolds lives with his wife Ann in Marin County, California, and spends his spare time touring the beautiful California coast.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction; 2. Special Technology; 3. Luke Skywalker; 4. Skywalker: Pilot and Jedi; 5. Princess Leia Organa; 6. Han Solo; 7. Chewbacca; 8. C-3PO; 9. R2D2; 10. Lando Calrissian; 11. Obi-Wan Kenobi; 12. Yoda; 13. Rebel Leaders; 14. Tauntauns; 15. Medical Droids; 16. Darth Vader; 17. Imperial Leaders; 18. Emperor Palpatine; 19. Imperial Stormtrooper; 20. Stormtrooper Equipment; 21. Specialist Stormtroopers; 22. Imperial Pilots; 23. Imperial Droids; 24. Jabba the Hutt; 25. Jabba's Entourage; 26. Jabba's Entertainers; 27. Boba Fett; 28. Bounty Hunters; 29. Sand People; 30. Jawas; 31. Ewoks; 32. The Cantina Crowd; 33. Creatures; 34. Droids; 35. Acknowledgements