How about the Star Wars collecting books that HAVE everything!
With Christmas fast approaching many a friend or family member of a collector finds themselves wondering about the perfect gift. Nobody wants to accidentally give a collectible the recipient already has in their collection and gift cards are not always available to the places collectors shop. While I cannot help you with every kind of collector out there, I do have a pair of great recommendations for the Star Wars collector in your life...the Star Wars Super Collector's Wishbooks!
For ten years this series of books has become a staple for collectors worldwide. Each volume is packed with thousands of photos and tens of thousands of listings and prices. In 2011 the Star Wars Super Collector’s Wishbook underwent two major changes. The first was a change in publishers (from Collector Books to its new home at Schiffer Publications) and the other a change of format. While the overall structure of the book remained the same, the presentation changed in one important way. For the first time the content was split into two volumes, one for collectibles of every type except toys and the other, titled simply Star Wars Toys, encompassing perhaps the single largest category of collectibles within this license.
This change allowed for a greater number of reference photos to be included and eliminated an element of prior editions, the statement, “See prior editions for photo” on many listings. Over the years the size of these books remained the same, but the volume of collectibles being showcased grew and grew. A larger format with more pages was considered, but the price point for a single massive tome proved higher than for two separate books. And the decision to split the work into two volumes also meant that collectors were not faced with an unwieldy and oversized book on their shelves.
“Impressive. Most impressive.” – Darth Vader (The Empire Strikes Back)
The Star Wars Super Collector’s Wishbook (2011)
This volume represents the sixth edition of this long
running series. I had the incredible
good fortune of meeting the author just prior to the publication of the first
edition and was able to see a black and white proof of the edition before it
went to press. That sample was
impressive in its own right, but did not do justice to the finished product to
come. Over the years this series has
only become more incredible in the sheer scope of its coverage of Star Wars
licensed products.
In this latest incarnation, Mr. Carlton brings back the
format of the earliest editions with larger photos of featured items in every
conceivable category but toys. By
eliminating toys from the mix there is more room for all of the apparel, school
supplies, trading cards, keychains, patches, dishware, and comic books (to name
just a few categories) featured. As many
collectors focus on a specific category or character, having a resource that
not only lists products and prices, but shows you what you might be missing is
a positive boon. Especially when the
illustrations do not require a magnifying glass to be seen!
With 464 pages containing 12,000 color photos and featuring over 24,000 collectibles, The Star Wars
Super Collector’s Wishbook is not only an ideal resource for collectors, it is
a fascinating book to peruse for collector and non-collector alike. Hours can be spent turning the pages and
drinking in the sheer volume of collectibles produced worldwide over the last
35 years. The phenomenon that is Star
Wars was never portrayed as well as it is in the pages upon pages of consumer
goods that grace this gorgeous book. And
when one considers the thousands of hours it took to photograph the featured
items (a staggering percentage of which were photographed by the author
himself) this book, like its companion volume, becomes only the more amazing.
Star Wars Toys: A Super Collector's Wishbook (2012)
The long-awaited sister book of The Star Wars Super
Collector’s Wishbook has been available only a scant few months and is equally
impressive. I got my start as a Star
Wars collector with the Kenner Early Bird Set under the Christmas tree in 1977,
so this book has already become a personal favorite. My own personal knowledge of toys based on
George Lucas’ epic pales against the coverage of this category offered by this
book. At press time the book contained
images and listings of every toy known to the author from the 1978 release of
the first Kenner action figures (Luke, Leia, R2-D2, and Chewbacca of the
aforementioned set) to toys that were released early in 2012!
Like its companion title, this volume offers not only prices
and reference photos, it presents a compelling journey through the history and
scope of just one category of Star Wars collecting. Toys and playthings from all over the world,
some so obscure that most collectors had no idea of their existence, are
brought front and center with colorful pages full of surprises. From the life-long collector to those just
starting out, this book is an invaluable resource for every Star Wars toy
hunter.
With over 8,600 color photos the expansive coverage of toys offered by this edition is nothing short of incredible. Tens of thousands of toys are listed in this prolific chronicle that is further sub-categorized for ease of use. As both a collecting reference book and a history lesson in the success of LucasFilm when it came to marketing the Star Wars saga. It truly is a must-have volume for the serious Star Wars toy collector in your life.
Even collectors who have previous editions of this series will appreciate both of these new books awaiting them under the tree. Personally I own all seven books in the series which are proudly displayed on a bookshelf in the living room below several Star Wars statues. Many are the collector who have maintained a library of all of the past books in the series and anxiously await the arrival of the next (which have been released every two to three years in the past).
Geoffrey Carlton's dedication to and love of Star Wars collecting is evident in all of the books in the series which are further enhanced by feature articles written by fellow fans and collectors as well as the author himself. I have personally had articles I penned appear in three volumes of the series, including the newly released Star Wars Toys. Apart from the additional collectibles that are added to each new release, brand new articles are an added plus to every book in the series.
Hardcover
464 pages
$39.99
448 pages
$39.99
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