STAR WARS: THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO CHARACTERS
FROM JEDI TO SITH TO BOUNTY HUNTER TO ALIENS!
FROM JEDI TO SITH TO BOUNTY HUNTER TO ALIENS!
STAR WARS: THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO CHARACTERS
Published by Ballantine Books/Del Rey
Written by Andy Mangels
Released November 1995. Now Out of Print.
199 pgs., Trade Paperback (ISBN: 0-345-39535-2) $18.95
Click here to purchase STAR WARS EGTC at Amazon
THE FIRST DETAILED, ILLUSTRATED, COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO THE MAJOR AND MINOR CHARACTERS OF THE STAR WARS UNIVERSE!
A Best-Seller by Andy Mangels since 1995!
Half a million copies in print!
The first book written by Andy Mangels, Star Wars: The Essential Guide To Characters was the debut book in a new line of projects detailing George Lucas' expanding Star Wars franchise. Released in late 1995 in a large-format trade paperback, the book has gone through at least nine printings from Ballantine/Del Rey! A British edition was published by Boxtree, and seven spin-off books followed in the U.S.
The 101 detailed entries in the book included all the major Star Wars characters, as well as minor alien characters who may have only been glimpsed onscreen for a few moments, Artist Michael Butkus created a specific illustration for all the characters, including many novel characters who had never been "seen" before.
Mangels got the assignment to create Star Wars: The Essential Guide To Characters book after writing an article on Boba Fett for Topps editor Bob Woods and Star Wars Galaxy magazine. Star Wars: The Essential Guide To Characters book was edited by Sue Rostoni at Lucasfilm, and Steve Saffel at Del Rey. Following his well-received work on Star Wars: The Essential Guide To Characters, Mangels went on to write for many Star Wars licensees.
BACK COVER COPY:
Keep Your Eye on the Empire! Research the Rebels!
Features detailed profiles of all the most important characters in the Star Wars Universe.
Covers the movies, the books — classic and new — the comics, the TV specials, the games, and the rest of the expanding universe of Star Wars.
Describes the history and personality of each character, with vital statistics, weapons of choice, and vehicles used.
Includes photographs and original line drawings — with multiple illustrations of most characters for better visual reference.
Brings you up-to-date on recent characters and events if you've been away from the Star Wars universe for a while.
The universe of STAR WARS is expanding faster than ever before. . .
With the ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO CHARACTERS in hand, you'll never lose your way.
Interviews about STAR WARS: THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO CHARACTERS
• Star Wars Galaxy #5 (Fall 1995, Topps)
—"Star Wars 101" interview with Andy Mangels about The Essential Guide to Characters (author uncredited, 4 pp.)
to read page one, click here
to read page two, click here
to read page three, click here
to read page four, click here
Star Wars: The Official Magazine #1 (August/September 1996, Titan, England)
— "Character Building" interview with Andy Mangels by Andy Lane (1 pp.)
to read this interview, click here
The Best of Star Wars #1 (1988, Topps)
In 1997, Topps assembled a list and produced The Official Best of Star Wars Ballot. They snail-mailed it, emailed it, posted it on websites, published it in the British Star Wars magazine, and gave it out at conventions. Total vote tally was in excess of 200,000 people!
— Best Non-Fiction Reference Book #2 "The Essential Guide to Characters" (16%)
To see the voting results, click here
— Best-Selling Non-Fiction Reference Book #2 "The Essential Guide to Characters"
To see the voting results, click here
Reviews of STAR WARS: THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO CHARACTERS
Paul Hughes, Editorial Reviewer on Amazon:
"Lucky for us, Andy Mangels has poured over all the movies and the collateral novels, comics, and computer games to put together this illustrated guide to the major and minor characters of the Star Wars universe. . .An impressive survey in both depth and breadth, this guide fills in the gaps on some of Star Wars' most well-known personalities while revealing characters you may have never heard of."
LadyWinter from Longmont, CO on Amazon:
"The Essential Guide to Characters is a great guide of all the characters from the original trilogy and the expanded universe. . . a great addition to the collection of someone who considers themselves a know-it-all, or someone who enjoys writing in the Star Wars universe.
"
Karral Blade from London, England on Amazon:
"Fantastic information on all of the main characters up to the book Darksaber. I have read it over and over again and it really puts you into the heart of the Star Wars universe!"
click picture below for larger version
Andy Mangels has also written for many other Star Wars licensees.
Click here for a complete listing!
Click here for a complete listing!
OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES
Star Wars: The Essential Guide To Characters
Written by: Andy Mangels
Purchase at Amazon
Star Wars: The Essential Guide To Vehicles & Vessels
Written by: Bill Smith
Purchase at Amazon
Star Wars: The Essential Guide To Weapons & Technology
Written by: Bill Smith
Purchase at Amazon
Star Wars: The Essential Guide To Planets & Moons
Written by: Daniel Wallace
Purchase at Amazon
Star Wars: The Essential Guide To Droids
Written by: Daniel Wallace
Purchase at Amazon
Star Wars: The Essential Chronology
Written by: Kevin J. Anderson
Purchase at Amazon
Star Wars: The Essential Guide To Alien Species
Written by: Ann Margaret Lewis
Purchase at Amazon
Star Wars: The New Essential Guide To Characters
Written by: Daniel Wallace & Michael Sutfin
Purchase at Amazon
Star Wars: The Essential Guide To Characters
Written by: Andy Mangels
Purchase at Amazon
Star Wars: The Essential Guide To Vehicles & Vessels
Written by: Bill Smith
Purchase at Amazon
Star Wars: The Essential Guide To Weapons & Technology
Written by: Bill Smith
Purchase at Amazon
Star Wars: The Essential Guide To Planets & Moons
Written by: Daniel Wallace
Purchase at Amazon
Star Wars: The Essential Guide To Droids
Written by: Daniel Wallace
Purchase at Amazon
Star Wars: The Essential Chronology
Written by: Kevin J. Anderson
Purchase at Amazon
Star Wars: The Essential Guide To Alien Species
Written by: Ann Margaret Lewis
Purchase at Amazon
Star Wars: The New Essential Guide To Characters
Written by: Daniel Wallace & Michael Sutfin
Purchase at Amazon
all Star Wars art, characters and logos are ™ and copyright © 2003 Lucasfilm, Ltd. All rights reserved. Their use on this webpage does not imply ownership and constitutes usage for review, promotional, and historical/archival purposes only.