Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary - The Ultimate Guide to Characters and Creatures from the Entire Star Wars Saga Reviews

• Wow!

  
  By A389B5YYA5J8HE on 2006-09-28
  What an amazing, thorough, comphrensive guide to everything Star Wars. NOTHING is left out. You get not only in depth profiles of every major character, but every OTHER character in the universe. It's so detailed that they break down each PART of each weapon, ship, etc. For someone like myself who isn't the biggest Star Wars geek (but wanting to learn more), this is a godsend. There are many, many, hardcore fans out there that can reference almost anything and anyone to do with Star Wars. Well, now you can too, and you don't have to see the films 3245 times to do it.
  
  It's a great companion to the "Ultimate Visual Guide" as well. It is a combination of the Visual Dictionaries for the the other films, so all Episodes 1-6 are covered.
  
  Buy it, NOW!
  
  

• Nice 4 in 1

  
  By ACSW0X4PSPOUF on 2006-11-10
  I bought this for my 9 year old son, who already owns the visual dictionaries from episodes 1 and 3. When this came out and it had all 4 visual dictionaries plus extra goodies thrown in at a fraction of the price to buy all 4 I jumped on it. My son loves it and has noticed many of the illustrations and info not included in the visual dictionaries he already had before. The one gripe I have is that it seems to not have the same quality of photos as the other visual dictionaries, but it might just be me. I don't think he has noticed.
  
  

• THE ULTIMATE STAR WARS REFERENCE BOOK

  
  By A2JP0URFHXP6DO on 2007-01-31
  I'm a Star Wars fan but I am not a fanatic. I can't name each character, droid, or vehicle the way die-hard fans can. So for guys like me, the Star Wars Complete Visual Dictionary makes the perfect and complete reference sourcebook. This oversized hardcover books is packed with 270 pages full of information on the Star Wars universes and backed up by hundreds of full-color photos direct from the films.
  
  The book covers all six Star Wars films beginning with Episode I, The Phantom Menace. We meet Darth Sidious on the very first page and learn about the founding of the Republic. From there we meet characters such as Mace Windu, Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn, and Obi-Wan Kenobi. But this isn't just a book that shows a picture of the character and their name, all sorts of interesting details are included. On the Obi-Wan two-page spread we'll see typical Jedi gear including their lightsaber. Each character, creature, druid, weapon, or vehicle entry includes a text entry about the subject.
  
  Next, the book covers Episodes II and III in the same detail and with the same brilliant color photography. I never realized just how many different blasters were used in the films until I read this book. There's the Naboo Blaster, the KYD-21 used by Zam Wesell, The DC-15 Blaster carried by Clone Troopers, and the Westar-34 blaster of Jango Fett, and many, many more.
  
  Finally the first three original Star Wars films are covered all as one section and if I do have one complaint about the book it's that these films only get 70 pages of coverage while the first three films get 200 pages. I think you can chalk that up to the newer films being broader in scope and having a much larger cast of characters and gadgets. Still, it was the original three films that I was most interested in reading about and I suspect that many share my feelings.
  
  No matter how big a Star Wars fan you are, you'll still want to own this book!
  
  Reviewed by Tim Janson
  
  
  

• The ultimate visual guide to the characters and creatures of the "Star Wars" saga

  
  By A2NJO6YE954DBH on 2006-10-18
  To tell you the truth, I think this volume is entitled "Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary" because if they said it was a visual encyclopedia they would be leaving room for complaint. But DK is marketing this as a dictionary that provides "The ultimate guide to characters and creatures from the entire 'Star Wars' saga," and on that basis they certainly deliver. This volume brings together the four "'Star Wars' Visual Dictionaries," with new material including an more detailed look at Utapau, Mustafar, Order 66, and clone battle tanks from "Revenge of the Sith." At the same time coverage of the original trilogy has been expanded with overviews of the Rebel Alliance, Imperial personnel, the Sarlacc, R2-D2, and the unusual crowd down at the Cantina. So if you have the original four Visual Dictionaries you will find more here, but chiefly the appeal will be to newcomers who need help explaining to the next generation of "Star War" fans the names of all of the members of the Jedi High Council, exactly who makes up the Separatists, and how a Wookie bowcaster works.
  
  I am one of those persons who went to the first showing of each of the films in the original trilogy. I went back repeatedly to see all three films, spending one afternoon watching "Star Wars" twice in a row just so I could pay attention to a different quadrant of the screen each time. This book is fully cognizant of the fact that nearly every scene in the "Star Wars" movies are filled with a wealth of visual information, from the instrument-laden starships and the uniquely crafted weapons to the architecture and culture of dozens of alien worlds. Over the years there have been "Star War" novels, reference books, comics, toys, and games that have provided names and back-stories to many of the backgro8und characters, devices, vehicles and structures George Lucas and the folks at ILM crammed into hundreds of frames. But this visual dictionary goes beyond that, as amply proven by the look at the INSIDE of a Stormtrooper helmet, that explains the four layer construction of outer plastoid composite armor, inner insulation, anti-laser mesh, and magnetic shielding, in addition to the Comtech Series IV speaker that uses three-phase sonic filtering for clear sound, the atmospheric cyclic unit, power cell, and other features all crammed inside the iconic white helmet. In other words, there are enough details here to keep die-hard "Star Wars" fans quite happy indeed and even those with an encyclopedic knowledge of the films will find new information,
  
  "Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary" is written by Dr. David West Reynolds ("'Star Wars' Episode I: The Visual Dictionary"), James Luceno ("Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader"), and Ryder Windham ("'Revenge of the Sith' Scrapbook"), so collectively they have bona fides to spare. The book is divided into four sections representing Episode I, Episode II, Episode III, and Episodes IV-VI, so this visual dictionary follows the numerical chronology (not to be confused with the actual order in which these movies came out). The approach of the book, quite familiar to those who read DK's publications, is to provide a two-page spread on everything from the Phantom Menace to an expanded look at R2-D2. One of the nice things about working so closely with Lucasfilm and Industrial Light and Magic is that this book is able to incorporate hundreds of photographs that are not simply lifted from the films but taken for publicity, costume checks, and the like. The back of the book includes a brief Glossary of terms such as "carbonite" and "Tibanna gas," and an Index of several dozen key places, people and things (not a comprehensive index, but enough to help you track down all references to Coruscant, Padawans, and Luke Skywalker. Consequently I am convinced that my brother, who has all of the original "Star Wars" movie posters framed on the wall of his family room, will really enjoy this book as his Christmas present this year.
  
  

• Star Wars Visual Directory

  
  By A24505CR98NLLV on 2006-11-10
  This rendition depicts full color pictures of a host of Star Wars characters. The utility tools of Star Wars are shown. i.e. pouch,
  light saber, the druids photo receptor, the Senate Guard blue robe and the
  tool demagnetizer. The Revenge of Lith is shown, as well as Order 66.
  Phantom robots are depicted as well. The acquisition is perfect for
  children and young teens. Star Wars enthusiasts will enjoy the rich color
  presentation of the characters and the exotic machinery/tools depicted.
  This would be a good holiday gift for young audiences.
  
  
• A Must for Star Wars Fans
  By A2CSPTFY7QPT78 on 2006-11-10
  These visual dictionaries are wonderful-- clean layouts, stunning photos and inventive descriptions. My son holds this one in high regard!
  
  
• don't bother if you already own all the visual dictionaries
  By A3JO8QWBKNJFWF on 2006-12-26
  I already own the visual dictionaries for I-VI. I thought there was going to be a lot of extra material in this book. I was disappointed. Most of the material is a carbon copy of what's in the individual visual dictionaries. So don't buy this book if you already own the visual dictionaries.
  
  
• Amazing...
  By AJFKIYDGCXF4A on 2007-01-19
  I had seen this item in the People magazine for gifts under $50.00. I got it for my boyfriend and he loves it. I never thought that I would have any intrest in the damn thing but I looked at it before wrapping it for Christmas. I thought it was really cool to see how the characters are involved and what they do in the series.
  
  
• A Great Read!
  By A37JZ1ISHV0D2F on 2007-01-19
  I gave this book to my 10 year old son for Christmas. He likes the book because when he watched the Star Wars movies he had many unanswered questions. This book not only points out the amazing features in this series, but it also answers some of those questions. He has spent MANY hours reading the information and looking at the wonderful images. That is why we think any Star Wars fan should read this book!
  
  
• Good if you don't own the others
  By A3K17Y7S1FBTUP on 2007-01-07
  This is basically a compilation of all the previous Star Wars Visual Dictionaries. I use it mostly for prop reference and there's no reason to keep the other 4 Visual Dictionaries if you buy this one, plus there's a few pages of previously unpublished material added in to spice it up a bit.
  
  
• The Complete Visual Dictionary of Star Wars
  By A25V2V2ZUIE9S2 on 2007-03-16
  I love it! All four visual dictionaries in on book and with extra pages. I think it is a great book for any Star Wars fan of any age.
  
  
• Another Awesome buy for Fanatics
  By A3RD732VB076UF on 2007-01-18
  I bought this item along with the Star Wars Worlds as a pair for my husband for Christmas. He along with my 2 addicted sons can't keep their eyes off of them. They come all over with us and are very useful playing Star Wars Trivia Pursuit DVD.
  
  
• Really is complete and kids love it
  By A1V0X0UQELUWTQ on 2007-03-29
  I found this book on Amazon for almost $15 less than at the store. I bought it for my kids who got into Star Wars because of Star Was Lego video games. It has a bios, great pictures and info on most evey character and many which I didn't know or forgt exisited. This is better than getting all the individual books.
  
  The book is probably for age 12+ but my 7yr olds twins love the pictures in it.
  
  
• Fantastic
  By A6NJRSEZR6FIX on 2007-01-16
  This was the greatest book. My son was very Excited when he opened it at Christmas. He carries this book everywhere. He is the Biggest Star Wars FAN at 8 years old. He knows all of the characters from all of the episodes and now has the vivid pictures to review and share with friends.
  
  
• The Complete Visual Dictionary of Star Wars: The Ultimate Guide to Characters and Creatures from the Entire Star Wars Saga
  By A3UBEIOH93W1LH on 2007-04-09
  I bought this book for my 10-year old son. He is the ultimate Star Wars fan. He has been unable to put it down since he got it for Easter. The pictures are outstanding. All of the movies are covered and they had detailed descriptions of things even my son did not know. Great book would recomend for old and young alike. The price for this guide is great because it includes all the information from all the singular books in one cover. Great.
  
  
• A Hit with Even the Youngest Star Wars Fan
  By A2HDN9L9TL87XV on 2007-05-17
  I purchased The Visual Dictionary of Star Wars as a gift for my 2 year old grandson after I had bought him the action figures from the movies. He had watched the movies with his dad who has been a Star Wars fan since he was a youngster. I chose this visual dictionary because of the great photographs of all the characters, creatures and even the weaponry as well as the explanation of each character, etc. All are dealt with in great detail and help to explain to my grandson about each character. This 2 year old carries this book around with him and sits and explores the book by matching his figures with their pictures in the book. He can tell you on which page each character is found and knows them all by name. I have been amazed by this little boy's interest in this book. He is continually wanting someone to "read Star Wars to me" and, of course, we oblige him. This book is a super hit with the entire family. It is the best book of its kind I have ever seen. The book is written on an adult level, but you can be assured it is colorful, well-written, and entertaining to all who pick it up. I will probably buy myself a copy now, so I can learn more about all the world of Star Wars. It is a great coffee table book, also, and invites every visitor to reach out, open the book and become totally engrossed in it! I highly recommend the book for ALL!!!
  
  
• Compiles all three previous books plus more
  By A3FEQXNCFC68KC on 2007-05-25
  I won't go too far into the basics of the book as there are plenty good reviews here that do that. I will say if you can only have one book go give you information on all sorts of details in the Star Wars movies universe this is the only book you need. It covers characters, events, equipment, weapons, ships, and the background histories of all this stuff too. It's a single source for fleshing out the Star Wars mythos and putting you further into the fantasy George Lucas creates so many decades ago.
  
  This book is essentially collecting the pages of all four previous Star Wars Visual Dictionaries into a single volume. Great way to save space on the bookshelf or coffee table, that's for sure. Also a great way to save a little money for you first time buyers by getting just one book instead of three. The one thing about the book (or rather books, as they did it too) is that some characters are on every chapter. Mainly R2-D2... he gets these giant splash pages on every chapter. I mean I love the little, but c'mon!
  
  Now between you and me there is more to this collection than reprinting the four previous books into one. There is extra information in here too. Now the chapters covering Episodes one and two are identical to the previous books with the exception of losing the pictures that were on the inside cover and title page. The chapter that covers episode three has an additional 12 pages on top of all the original pages (again... minus the side-photos). Now I never got the original Dictionary on the original trilogy, but I can confirm there are at least four additional pages of content from that section.
  
  I'm sure this volume has ticked off devoted fans who bought the previous books, but if you ask me it can still be a worthwhile investment. I'm not just talking about the 16+ extra pages, but the smaller shelf space as well. Think of it this way. Most of you had a few years to enjoy those other Dictionary books before this came out so in the words of an accountant you have already built value from the depreciation. Even if you bought a previous book or three this would still be a great buy (sell your old books, save that book space).
  
  I had three of the four previous books and I am glad I have the new volume. This book is a good buy no matter how you slice it.
  
  
• Excelente Diccionario Visual ......¡¡WOW!!
  By A7VVG2J2BMGHQ on 2006-12-11
  Uno de los mejores libros que he visto en la serie de Diccionarios Visuales de Star Wars. Hay que resaltar que el espacio dedicado a R2-D2 en este diccionario, es el mejor que he visto en cualquier lado, la descripción del casco de StormTrooper internamente es un lujo y la nueva inclusión de una vista completa y detallada del Sarlac es otra gran atracción de este diccionario.
  
  Aunque la mayoría de las imágenes tienen una excelente calidad, hay una pocas que dejan algo que desear, sabiendo que las imágenes generadas por computador alguans veces no son la mejor elección, pero sin tener esto en cuenta, es un producto incomparable hasta ahora.
  
  Cualquiera que sea fanático de esta SAGA, debería darse la oportunidad de conocerlo. Haría falta la recopilación completa de vehículos, y con la de Escenarios y la "Ultimate Visual Guide", quedaríamos completos!.
  
  
• Great Book
  By A24L8YXOM0N5AY on 2007-01-04
  This is a really good book. All 6 movies in the Saga are covered. Although it is a reprint of material that can be found in the 4 individual visual dictionaries it also has some new material. I would recommend this to all Star Wars fans.
  
  
• All my thumbs up
  By A3RE5DYGLMT05V on 2007-01-09
  Being a collector without any of the previous visual dictionaries was pretty sad. I would go by the visual coffee table books in the various bookstores around the country and marvel at the beautiful photography and the exorbitant price of the SWVDicionaries. I never really felt like investing my money in one until now. We have a complete (six movie) conglomerate of visual dicionaries and man is it big, beautiful and fun. I could spend days checking out each page of this book.
  
  If you have not one star wars item in your house but love the movies and want to collect something neat that even your mother-in-law would find interest on your coffee table then here is your chance. Buy it, love it and enjoy the price savings on amazon compared to those other book stores.
  
  
• Excellent !!
  By A1DAXJX377BDOB on 2007-01-15
  Our Star Wars expert (age 8) loves this book and reads it every day - even our older son (age 11) is asking to look at it everyday. The layout is great, easy for the kids to follow.
  
  
• Worth every penny! Great for all ages!
  By A3EDP95Z5RM7WG on 2008-01-03
  I bought both this book and "The Ultimate Visual Guide" for my boys, ages 3, 8 and 38(my husband), and they all love these books. I researched the other reviews before I purchased, and I knew this was going to be a great purchase! There was one review that said that these books together compliment each other, or something like that, and I agree, they sound like they would be repetitive of each other, but really they go "hand in hand" with each other. "The Complete Visual Dictionary" tells the reader all about EVERYTHING in EVERY movie, all the weapons used, every character, every last detail. "The Ultimate Visual Guide", "includes detailed information about the evolution and production of the movies, from the first Star Wars movie to the theatrical release of the final film, Revenge of the Sith."- (this is straight from the Introduction page in the book). They also give great information behind the characters, making the movies even more interesting to watch.
  
  
• great buy
  By A268BRB26WZH4V on 2007-01-04
  the fact that you have all the visual dictionaries in one book is worth the buy
  
  
• The Complete Visual Dictionary of Star Wars: The Ultimate Guide to Characters and Creatures from the Entire Star Wars Saga
  By AKFU94I64Q09Q on 2007-01-04
  This was a gift for my nephew. He is the Star Wars fanatic, not I. He was extremely pleased, price was right, as was delivery, therefore, I would recommend this purchase.
  
  
• Perfect gift for my 11 year-old
  By A1ROHQFXUKLIL2 on 2007-01-09
  My son is a huge Star Wars fan -- has the movies, PC games and innumerable Lego sets. This book was the perfect birthday present -- he received it three months ago and he still hauls it to school and reads it at night before bed. Parents love to see their children reading! Thanks to the wealth of information in this book he is able to answer the Star Wars Trivia Pursuit questions!!!
  
  
• Star Wars: The Ultimate Guide to Characters and Creatures
  By A2RJH4CSXG2ZXB on 2007-01-10
  Once again a great book from DK with great pictures and reference information for any Star Wars fan, especially anyone interested in costuming, with the added bonus of encompassing all six episodes.
  
  
• The perfect gift for my star wars fanatic
  By A29KS9G5F0WX1B on 2007-01-11
  my daughter's boyfriend loved this book...He is mid-twenties and had looked at the book many times but didn't get it for himself. the pictures are great and the fun details have been the center of many converstations since!
  
  
• Great book for the Star Wars fan of any age
  By A3GQFC7OY86K9 on 2007-01-15
  I bought this book for my 5 year old son who loves anything Star Wars. I mainly bought it because it has great visuals from every Star Wars movie... but was very happy to see the written descriptions for everything. This is a book that my son will continue to grow in to over the years (and I definitly enjoy it too!!).
  
  
• My son LOVES this book
  By A9Q5Z8EJSQ8HY on 2007-02-03
  Very comprehensive book for people interested in all things Star Wars. My son (age 9) and husband both love this book. My son saved his allowance for a month to buy this book and is so pleased with his purchase.
  
  
• Awesome Star Wars book!!
  By A11TGZIL71QJDF on 2007-02-23
  I bought this book for my seven year old son. He saw it in a local bookstore (it was $50 there) and promptly sat down in the middle of the aisle and looked at the ENTIRE book. I could barely get him out of that store so I had to promise to look for the book on Amazon. Lucky for me it was WAY cheaper and we also had a gift cert from Christmas. This book is AWESOME and our entire family never gets tired of looking at and reading about the entire Star Wars saga. I am 39 and remember standing in HUGE lines waiting to see the first set of films as a child. My dad dragged me back then and now we do the same with our son. I am amazed at how this saga has spanned the generations and hasn't gone out of style. Its old fashioned good vs. evil and we love having this great pictorial publication to refer to. This book does not disappoint.
  
  

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