Review – Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia is an invaluable resource for Star Wars fans
By Elaine Tveit
Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia by Tricia Barr, Adam Bray, and Cole Horton is an invaluable repository of information about the places, people and things of the galaxy far, far away.
When you are a Star Wars fan, paging through a book dedicated to your favorite subject is endless fun. That’s how we gain all those nifty (albeit arguably useless) bits of trivia about the Star Wars universe; we pore over supplementary texts like visual guides and Wookieepedia pages.
Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia is the ultimate visual guide to the galaxy far, far away. It is the holy grail for any fan who loves the planets, the people and the objects of Star Wars. If a sizable chunk of your browser history is dedicated to Wookieepedia, The Visual Encyclopedia needs to be on your bookshelf.
The Visual Encyclopedia is brilliant because it allows the reader to search for information visually. Let’s say, for example, you want to know what that cat-like beast in the Geonosis arena in Attack of the Clones is called. Simply turn to the “Nature” section in the Encyclopedia and you’ll find the Nexu there on page 33.
Text & images from Star Wars™: The Visual Encyclopedia © and ™ 2017 Lucasfilm Ltd.
Text & images from Star Wars™: The Visual Encyclopedia © and ™ 2017 Lucasfilm Ltd.
Let’s try another example. What if you want to know the name of the Separatist in The Clone Wars who looks like a giant spider? Find the “Military Officers” section in the Encyclopedia. There, under the heading “The Separatists’ Droid Army,” you’ll see a list of commanders. One of them is the spider-faced Admiral Trench.
Text & images from Star Wars™: The Visual Encyclopedia © and ™ 2017 Lucasfilm Ltd.
There is one drawback to a visual encyclopedia for a franchise which is always expanding: it will soon be out of date. Keep in mind, however, that this Visual Encyclopedia bears the results of almost forty years worth of storytelling. It is up to the task of satisfying your canon questions.
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Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia debuts on store shelves on April 4, 2017.