Among the top-grossing Hollywood blockbusters of all time, Star Wars launched one of the most successful movie and licensing franchises in history. Yet much of the film's backstory was set in Britain, where the original trilogy was made and where early efforts at tie-in merchandising were spearheaded. The author provides a detailed account of the saga's British connection, including personal recollections of fans in the UK, exclusive interviews with staff members of Palitoy who took on the challenge of producing millions of toys, and the story of how a group of writers from the underground press in London combined with Marvel comics to produce the first Star Wars expanded universe.

About the Author
Craig Stevens began as a fan of Star Wars in 1977 and went on to become a world-class collector and the editor of the U.K Star Wars Fan Club magazine. Craig has also become very well-known for constructing some of the most impressive Star Wars models from Lego. He spent several years as a Lego professional. News coverage of his 2015 auction of Star Wars collectibles at Vectis Auctioneers of Thornaby, including a record-breaking GBP17000 amount paid for a Boba Fett action figure brought Craig's Star Wars passion to a world-wide audience. Based in Whitby, North Yorkshire he continues to be an active member of the Star Wars collecting community and has written many influential blogs and articles.

Reviews
"Craig Stevens has amassed a treasure trove of anecdotes from those involved in the pre-release publicity, as well as a thorough examination of how information about the film trickled through to those of us who were anxiously awaiting its release. All in all, a joyous and celebratory look back at an unique era of fandom, the likes of which we'll never see again." - Starburst magazine.

"I enjoyed the book hugely. Craig Stevens has obviously done an enormous amount of good old-fashioned legwork, interviewing people and trawling archives. This is absolutely not the kind of thing you can do just from the internet and a personal collection of literature. The whole thing really brought back the Star Wars atmosphere of 1978-83 very vividly." - Darren Slade. Writer/editor Episode Nothing: Star Wars in the 1970s

"I was completely hooked. It's so refreshing to read about Star Wars from a British point of view. Most of what the book contains is new to me which is incredible when you think how much I've read about the films in the past 35 or so years. Congratulations and thank you for putting together a publication that I'm sure Star Wars fans the world over will really enjoy." - James Simmonds, Editor of Star Wars Bounty Hunter magazine

"This wonderful book lovingly captures Star Wars fever in the UK. The book is filled with accounts by people who were there on the front line. The creators, the marketers, the manufacturers, and last but not least the fans who voraciously ate it all up and begged for more. This book is a love letter to the creation, and consumption of everything that made my childhood a magical and memorable time. Star Wars is forever no matter what galaxy, or side of the Atlantic you're from! BRAVO!" - Tom Berges curator of igrewupstarwars.com

" " - Screentrade Magazine



Book Information
ISBN 9781476666082
Author Craig Stevens
Format Paperback
Page Count 239
Imprint McFarland & Co Inc
Publisher McFarland & Co Inc
Weight(grams) 635g
Dimensions(mm) 254mm * 178mm * 12mm