Star Wars Art: Ralph McQuarrie Hardcover – Illustrated, September 27, 2016

"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..."...in the later months of 1977, Ballantine Books published a special product: the Star Wars Portfolio, a collection of 21 production paintings created to inspire the craftsmen and women who helped realize the vision of filmmaker George Lucas in his epic motion picture, "Star Wars." This unique piece of early "Star Wars" merchandise was followed by similar portfolio editions of the succeeding movies in the "Star Wars" Original Trilogy, the Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Portfolio (24 Art Prints in Cardstock Envelope) and the Return of the Jedi Portfolio. The man behind these paintings would soon become a legendary figure in the history of the beloved "Star Wars" Saga, Ralph McQuarrie. "Star Wars Art: Ralph McQuarrie" is a massive 2 volume tribute to this talented illustrator and in this "Star Wars" fan's opinion, one of the most definitive books on the Saga ever published.The 2 books that comprise this collection are hardcover tomes with black cloth covers, each adorned with a black and white reproduction of sketches drawn by Mr. McQuarrie: both are contained within a similarly designed slipcase which features a full color reprinting of a production painting of early versions of the droid duo C-3PO and R2-D2. Weighing approximately 20 pounds (I couldn't resist putting it on a scale!), this is a serious and stunning set of art books!It should be understood by the reader and collector that much of the material in these volumes has been published before in the many different books and other publications released about the Saga since "The Star Wars Portfolio," such as: The Art of Star Wars, Episode IV - A New Hope book by Carol Titelman, first published in 1979 and revised for the "Star Wars Special Edition" in 1997, along with its Original Trilogy sequel volumes, The Art of Star Wars, Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back by Vic Bulluck and Valerie Hoffman, and The Art of Star Wars, Episode VI - Return of the Jedi; and The Illustrated Star Wars Universe (Star Wars) by Mr. McQuarrie and Kevin Anderson, first released in 1997. Many additional pieces of previously unreleased production art were displayed in the limited edition treasure The Art of Ralph McQuarrie by John David Scoleri and Stan Stice, published in 2007 by Dream and Visions Press. The books in this collection add to those previous tomes with an even greater wealth of never before released art by Mr. McQuarrie. The true achievement of this very special edition is that it compiles all of Mr. McQuarrie's colossal creative contribution to the "Star Wars" phenomenon in one published work. For fans of the Saga, these books reveal the immense, imaginative vision of this gifted artist and also showcase the lasting influence Mr. McQuarrie still has on the ongoing "Star Wars" mythology that is cherished around the world.As the reader immerses him or herself into this collection, they will find themselves taken to the very beginning of the "Star Wars" Saga as George Lucas and Mr. McQuarrie collaborate in bringing to life "a galaxy far, far away." From Mr. Lucas' sparse pencil sketches of his initial toughts on the designs of the X-Wing and Tie Fighter craft, Mr. McQuarrie's fully painted production illustrations of the distinctive space ships soaring into battle to the evolving realizations of the vast and various characters and worlds in the "Star Wars" universe, this multi-volume set can be considered the ultimate book of Genesis in understanding the birth and ever growing saga that is "Star Wars." A highlight of this tome are the expanded reproductions of many of Mr. McQuarrie's famous conceptual paintings. These "detail" images give the reader the opportunity to more closely examine the technique of the artist. As someone who has been fortunate enough to have actually seen some of Mr. McQuarrie's original production paintings at a "Star Wars Celebration" convention, this reviewer was very grateful to have the chance to more fully gaze at these remarkable renderings. The original works of concept art are surprisingly modest in their true dimensions but the power and sense of scope they invoke have always been awe-inspiring. Paging through these volumes, the reader will discover that sense of grandeur again and again.Another highlight of this collection is the accompanying text, researched and compiled from the Lucasfilm archives and edited by Brandon Alinger, David Mandel, and Wade Lageose. Interspersed throughout the 2 volumes this enlightening companion to the wide variety of artwork provides contextual history and rewarding remembrances from Mr. McQuarrie and other artisans in the creation of these cherished works of space fantasy art. An example of these recollections is the following quote from Craig Barron, a matte photographer and longtime friend to the artist:"Star Wars is an entire world created by George's imagination, realized by Ralph's illustrations. It's a timeless universe with its distinct technology and history. It exists whenever you're watching it. It has magic to it."How true.Magnificent in its size, weight and collected contents, "Star Wars Art: Ralph McQuarrie" is quite simply one of the greatest books ever published on the "Star Wars" Saga. It is a volume I happily give my very highest recommendation.May the Force be with you, always!

Honestly this surprised me. I didn't read the product specifications, so when it came in the mail I was shocked by how huge and heavy it is. This is NOT your standard coffee table art book--this is huge. Check the size and weight before you buy. This is a bulky, quality book with beautiful pages, crisp printing, and the content is beautiful. I haven't seen an homage to McQuarrie's art this tastefully done, or this comprehensive and complete.The only downside, which has me waffling between 4 and 5 stars, is that the black felt-like cover captures dust and skin frustratingly easily and is very difficult to clean. I don't want to have to enjoy this book by wearing gloves...Yet any time I handle it, no matter how well I've washed me hands, there are white little smudges all over the black. It's truly jet black felt, so it shows *any* amount of dust/particulate/skin. I'm hesitant to use a damp rag to wipe off those areas before putting it back on display, but it's practically necessary or else this thing just looks worn and scuffed after a single use.

Book arrived on time and was perfectly packed, which is important given this was not an inexpensive purchase. And it is definitely a book --- actually two volumes --- that you will want to kept in pristine condition.Each of the two volumes of the book is huge and is also heavy...Onto the good stuff: this book is a feast for the eyes for any Star Wars fan, especially any fan of the great Ralph McQuarrie!! The reproductions of his sketches, paintings, etc. are all extremely well done --- photos are clear, with a number being given a full page and other paintings also being blown up to focus on a particular area or aspect of the pre-production painting. And very nice to see some of the sketches and paintings for the first time, especially thinking that I had seen it all...It is going to take a long time to get through the wealth of visual (and written) detail in this book. Very cool to learn that McQuarrie was at Art Center with Syd Mead, and that he found Mead's work intimidating!Criticisms? Not much, only that given the available space on the page, that the text itself could have been a little bit bigger.I just hope that Joe Johnston's equally-inspiring Star Wars design work receives a similar treatment one day!!!This book is highly recommended, especially, if, like me, Ralph McQuarrie's work inspired you a long time ago, far, far away...