Anyone who grew up watching the original Star Wars trilogy certainly knows and loves the art and imagination that concept artist Ralph McQuarrie brought to the saga. His paintings are in many ways, the soul of Star Wars.
Now, Disney Publishing has released a deluxe picture book featuring vintage art from McQuarrie and text by award-winning author Tony DiTerlizzi combines the entire first trilogy to tell the story of Luke Skywalker.
The classic tale of good versus evil set in a galaxy far, far away quickly became a cultural phenomenon during its time, inspiring a generation of story lovers and storytellers. Now, the original trilogy of Star Wars shines anew with the vibrant concept art of Ralph McQuarrie, the legendary conceptual designer behind the original trilogy. Collected in a picture book for the first time, McQuarrie’s art is paired with captivating text written by New York Times bestselling author Tony DiTerlizzi—a winning combination that will delight Star Wars fans old and new and delight generations of readers to come.
“This is going back to a time before the models and special effects,” says DiTerlizzi. ‘It’s just one person writing out a story and someone with a paintbrush painting visions from that story. I laid the book out as if I were not only the author, but the artist as well. As I designed the flow of the book, I could see where the text would have to work harder to tell the story and where the art would do the job. As a fan, I also tried to incorporate images that I had not seen in previously published books. There’s no question that the Star Wars myth has impacted me as a storyteller. I am humbled and honored to be the author asked to retell this classic space-age story of good triumphing over evil for the next generation.”
After the jump, check out three double page spreads revealing how amazing this book looks.
