For the first time, Lucasfilm has opened its Archives to present the complete storyboards for the original Star Wars trilogy — the world-changing A New Hope and its operatic sequels, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi — as well as never-before-published art from early conceptual and deleted scenes.

From the opening chase above Tatooine in A New Hope to the Battle of Endor in Jedi, this book presents the visual inspiration behind now-iconic moments. Readers can finally see a full set of storyboards by legendary artist Joe Johnston, as well as early boards for Episode IV by Alex Tavoularis and for Episode V by Ivor Beddoes, rarely seen Episode VI boards by Roy Carnon, and Ralph McQuarrie's never-before-seen storyboards for Episode V.

About the Author:

J. W. Rinzler, executive editor at Lucasfilm Ltd., is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Making of Star Wars and The Making of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, as well as the London Times bestseller The Complete Making of Indiana Jones.

In 1997, as George Lucas worked to complete early drafts for Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, he enlisted the talents of some of the greatest storyboard artists of the modern era to illustrate conceptual storyboards that would inform the development of the final shooting script, as well as the finished film. Working from Lucas's ideas for scenes and sequences, these artists produced beautiful drawings that helped lay the foundations for the worlds, characters, and shots of the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy. Together, these conceptual storyboards show early takes on favorite scenes; alternate, unused approaches to character designs and environments; and entirely different approaches to key moments. Like wordless comic books, they have an energy and rhythm all their own that is fascinating to explore.

Now, for the first time, Lucasfilm has opened its archives to present the best of the conceptual storyboards for Episodes I, II, and III. Star Wars Storyboards: The Prequel Trilogy collects the best storyboards from all three films together in one striking volume. Throughout this book, readers will find insight into how these conceptual storyboards helped to contribute both to the creation of the Prequel Trilogy and the expansion of the Star Wars universe.

Praise for Stars Wars Storyboards:

"We had no idea the Star Wars prequels could have been this good! Overall, the book gave us a new appreciation for what could have been . . . Plus it's exceptionally gorgeous, and you should check it out." —i09

About the Author:

J. W. Rinzler, executive editor at Lucasfilm Ltd., is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Making of Star Wars and The Making of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, as well as the London Times bestseller The Complete Making of Indiana Jones.

John Knoll was 14 years old when the first Star Wars film (Episode IV) came out in 1977, and it changed his life. By the time the first prequel, The Phantom Menace, was released in 1999, he was its visual effects supervisor — in charge of all special effects — a position he held through Episodes II (Attack of the Clones) and III (Revenge of the Sith). With Knoll as tour guide, this deluxe addition to Abrams’ 365 Days series provides the single most comprehensive collection of Star Wars images, including breathtaking 360-degree panoramic shots of sets and models, as well as concept art, props, film stills, and memorabilia.

The only book that covers all six films, Star Wars: 365 Days is Knoll’s spectacular survey of the visual world created by those films. It shows us George Lucas and his crew creating their universe on location and in the studio — in pages dense with imagery and information, documenting a remarkable sustained creative effort by hundreds of devoted filmmakers and craftsmen.

About the Author:

John Knoll is visual effects supervisor at Industrial Light & Magic, a three-time Academy Award nominee for his visual effects work, and co-creator of the world-changing digital image-processing program Photoshop. This is his first book. He lives in Marin County, California.