Star Wars Novelization: History and Help

[Jovial_Jay]

The Star Wars novel. everyone has a copy, right? The classic gold cover with the blue logo and the yellow starburst. What? That's not what yours looks like?

That's OK. I thought the same thing for a while. And then by accident I discovered that there were a lot of variations to this cover. A Lot. Like 14! At least!!

What I'm looking for is for all the good forum members here at Rebelscum.com to check their copies of the book. Look and see what the cover looks like, and help me track down 1 scan of every printing, or at least one scan of every different printing.

I've got a starter list below, and if you have one of the printings NOT listed, you can chime in with what the cover looks like. Besides the printing on any missing edition (let's say the 31st printing) I'd also like to know the ISBN number, publication date, and price. And if anyone is willing to scan or (heaven forbid) sell a variant I'd be happy to accept those as well.

Thanks all!!

Star Wars (A New Hope) Novelization by George Lucas (nee Alan Dean Foster)
1st McQuarrie
2nd Blue, Yellow Sash "Now A Spectacular..." $1.95
2nd Blue, Yellow Sash "Featuring 16 pages..." $1.95
6th-16th Blue, Yellow Sash "The year's Best movie..." $1.95
19th Blue, Yellow Circle "Over 5 million..." $1.95
20th Blue, Yellow Sash "The Year's Best Movie" no price on cover
22nd Blue, Red circle "Over 5 Million.." $2.50
25th Green, Red circle-white text "Over 5 Million..." $2.95
26th-27th Green, Yellow circle "Over 5 Million..." $2.75
39th Green, Red circle-black text "Over 5 Million..." $4.95
42nd Red emboss, Red circle "Over 5 million..." $4.99
*45th Red, Red circle "Over 5 Million..." $5.99
47th Tom Jung Poster Art "Classic" $5.99
52nd-53rd SE Ingot cover
60th Drew Struzan SE Poster cover
64th DVD cover art

[Dan_Cziraky]

There was a hardcover edition released by the Science Fiction Book Club in June/July 1977, which predated the eventual release of a hardcover edition by Ballantine Books/DelRey in October 1977. Publisher: Ballantine Books, New York. Date Published: 1977. ISBN-13: 9780345274762. ISBN: 0345274768. Both featured the John Berkey cover painting and the color photos from the film.

[Jovial_Jay]

Thanks Dan, Yeah. The hardcovers are another, but smaller, bucket of worms.

SFBC edition (grey book cover)
Del Rey Gold Version (black book cover)
1995 "Last Time on Video" cover
plus three bindups of the Star Wars Trilogy



You can check them all out in the Jedi Journals.

[BryanSimmons]

Okay, here are a few specific questions, all regarding hardcover first editions:

(1) For Star Wars, it seems the Gold covered Ballantine release is much harder to find than the Science Fiction Book Club edition. Do most people find this to be the case?
(2) I have heard and read (and the jedijournals back this up) that the ESB and ROTJ hardcovers were only released through the Science Fiction Book Club. If you look at the releases under the general "Hardcover" all the artwork is more 1990's. Just want to see if someone can definitively confirm that the only ESB and ROTJ hardcover releases were book club editions.

Thanks,
Bryan

P.S. - I'm looking to buy a gold covered SW 1st Edition if anyone has one for sale.

[ThorOakenfelder]

I had or have a yellow hard cover no dust jacket version that may be a library version. I'll have to look around and see if I do still have it for pics.

[KillerVole]

(1) For Star Wars, it seems the Gold covered Ballantine release is much harder to find than the Science Fiction Book Club edition. Do most people find this to be the case?

Hmm... I got the gold covered "Now a Spectacular..." edition for $1 from a local used bookstore over the summer. They had a couple of versions, so I picked the cheapest. You could have some luck with used bookstores; they often carry older editions of stuff, at reduced prices.

[BryanSimmons]

(1) For Star Wars, it seems the Gold covered Ballantine release is much harder to find than the Science Fiction Book Club edition. Do most people find this to be the case?

Hmm... I got the gold covered "Now a Spectacular..." edition for $1 from a local used bookstore over the summer. They had a couple of versions, so I picked the cheapest. You could have some luck with used bookstores; they often carry older editions of stuff, at reduced prices.

Are you talking about a paperback or a hardback? There are multiple paperbacks with the yellow banner but no hardbacks had the yellow banner as far as I know. If it is a hardback can you please post a picture?

[swposterguy]

To my knowledge, the only period hardcovers for ESB and ROTJ ('80 and '83) were from the book club. Never, never seen any others, not even library editions.

[BryanSimmons]

To my knowledge, the only period hardcovers for ESB and ROTJ ('80 and '83) were from the book club. Never, never seen any others, not even library editions.

Thanks Pete. That's what I assumed.

The next question would be why? I mean these were only the hottest movies of the early to mid 1980's - why only the book club editions on hardbacks? I'm sure it was economic but it's hard to believe there weren't even library editions.

[Dan_Cziraky]

This might be because, around that time, libraries started adding paperback books to their collections. Before the early '80s, it was almost unheard of for libraries to carry paperbacks, as the wear and tear made them impractical. But, clear vinyl slipcovers for paperbacks were introduced around 1978 or '79, I believe. I remember my mother using them for her enormous collection of Agatha Christie mysteries.

Today, libraries that have paperback sections don't usually bother trying to save paperbacks from harsh use. They just sell them off in "used book" sales to raise money.