Empire at 40: Empire novelisations around the world

- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

My latest article over at StarWars.com lands as I take a look at some of the US, UK and international covers for the novelisation of The Empire Strikes Back, from those initial releases back in 1980 right through the past forty years to the modern day.

On May 21, 1980, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back made its theatrical debut. To celebrate the classic film’s landmark 40th anniversary, StarWars.com presents “Empire at 40,” a special series of interviews, editorial features, and listicles.

This year the galaxy has been celebrating the 40th anniversary of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back — but it’s also the same milestone for the legendary sequel’s novelization. And it’s a book with a worldwide legacy all its own, including diverse and beautiful cover art. Here just some of the many editions that have released over the last 40 years…

STAR WARS Mission Fleet Defend The Child 2.5-Inch-Scale Figure 5-Pack with Accessories, Toys for Kids Ages 4 and Up
  • THE MANDALORIAN: The Mandalorian series follows a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy, protecting a mysterious alien pursued by bounty hunters on behalf of Imperial interests
  • THE MANDALORIAN SERIES-INSPIRED DESIGN: Fans and collectors can imagine scenes from the Star Wars Galaxy with this 5-figure set with accessories, including a hover pram, jetpack, and 7 blasters
  • ICONIC STAR WARS CHARACTERS: The Star Wars Mission Fleet 5-pack includes the Mandalorian, Cara Dune, IG-11, Stormtrooper, and The Child figures, featuring multiple points of articulation
  • DEFEND THE CHILD: Boys and girls ages 4 and up will love pretending to protect The Child (lovingly referred to as “Baby Yoda” by fans) from the remnants of the Empire with the Star Wars Mission Fleet Defend The Child action figure set
  • COLLECTIBLE TOYS: Look for other Star Wars Mission Fleet figures and vehicles to collect, swap with friends, or give as gifts (Each sold separately. Subject to availability.)
Mark Newbold
Mark Newbold
Exploring the galaxy since 1978, Mark wrote his first fan fiction in 1981 and been a presence online since his first webpage Fanta War in 1996. He's contributed to Star Wars Insider (since '06) and Starburst Magazine (since '16) as well as ILM.com, SkywalkerSound.com, StarWars.com, Star Wars Encyclopedia, Build The Millennium Falcon, Geeky Monkey, TV Film Memorabilia, Model and Collectors Mart, Star Trek magazine and StarTrek.com. He is a four-time Star Wars Celebration Stage host, the only podcaster to have appeared on every Celebration podcast stage since the stage began in 2015, the Daily Content Manager of Fantha Tracks and the co-host of Making Tracks, Canon Fodder and Start Your Engines on Fantha Tracks Radio.
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

My latest article over at StarWars.com lands as I take a look at some of the US, UK and international covers for the novelisation of The Empire Strikes Back, from those initial releases back in 1980 right through the past forty years to the modern day.

On May 21, 1980, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back made its theatrical debut. To celebrate the classic film’s landmark 40th anniversary, StarWars.com presents “Empire at 40,” a special series of interviews, editorial features, and listicles.

This year the galaxy has been celebrating the 40th anniversary of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back — but it’s also the same milestone for the legendary sequel’s novelization. And it’s a book with a worldwide legacy all its own, including diverse and beautiful cover art. Here just some of the many editions that have released over the last 40 years…

STAR WARS Mission Fleet Defend The Child 2.5-Inch-Scale Figure 5-Pack with Accessories, Toys for Kids Ages 4 and Up
  • THE MANDALORIAN: The Mandalorian series follows a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy, protecting a mysterious alien pursued by bounty hunters on behalf of Imperial interests
  • THE MANDALORIAN SERIES-INSPIRED DESIGN: Fans and collectors can imagine scenes from the Star Wars Galaxy with this 5-figure set with accessories, including a hover pram, jetpack, and 7 blasters
  • ICONIC STAR WARS CHARACTERS: The Star Wars Mission Fleet 5-pack includes the Mandalorian, Cara Dune, IG-11, Stormtrooper, and The Child figures, featuring multiple points of articulation
  • DEFEND THE CHILD: Boys and girls ages 4 and up will love pretending to protect The Child (lovingly referred to as “Baby Yoda” by fans) from the remnants of the Empire with the Star Wars Mission Fleet Defend The Child action figure set
  • COLLECTIBLE TOYS: Look for other Star Wars Mission Fleet figures and vehicles to collect, swap with friends, or give as gifts (Each sold separately. Subject to availability.)
Mark Newbold
Mark Newbold
Exploring the galaxy since 1978, Mark wrote his first fan fiction in 1981 and been a presence online since his first webpage Fanta War in 1996. He's contributed to Star Wars Insider (since '06) and Starburst Magazine (since '16) as well as ILM.com, SkywalkerSound.com, StarWars.com, Star Wars Encyclopedia, Build The Millennium Falcon, Geeky Monkey, TV Film Memorabilia, Model and Collectors Mart, Star Trek magazine and StarTrek.com. He is a four-time Star Wars Celebration Stage host, the only podcaster to have appeared on every Celebration podcast stage since the stage began in 2015, the Daily Content Manager of Fantha Tracks and the co-host of Making Tracks, Canon Fodder and Start Your Engines on Fantha Tracks Radio.
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
Close Popup
Privacy Settings saved!
Privacy Settings

When you visit any web site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Control your personal Cookie Services here.

These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems.

Technical Cookies
In order to use this website we use the following technically required cookies
  • wordpress_test_cookie
  • wordpress_logged_in_
  • wordpress_sec

Google Adsense
We use Google AdSense to show online advertisements on our website.
  • _tlc
  • _tli
  • _tlp
  • _tlv
  • DSID
  • id
  • IDE

One Signal
For performance reasons we use OneSignal as a notification service.  This saves a number of cookies in order to apply notifcation services on a per-client basis. These cookies are strictly necessary for OneSignal's notification features.  It is essential to the service that these are not turned off.
  • _OneSignal_session
  • __cfduid
  • _ga
  • _gid

Affiliate Links
Fantha Tracks is reader-supported.  When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Media Net
We use Media Net to show online advertisements on our website.
  • SESS#

Decline all Services
Save
Accept all Services
Mastodon