Star Wars: The Magic of Myth

by Mary Henderson

Book Overview

Star Wars(r)has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions and millions of people like no other story of our time.??This official companion volume to the landmark exhibit at the Smithsonian... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553378104
• ISBN13: 9780553378108
• Release Date: November 1997
• Publisher: Spectra Books
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 1.67 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.5" x 10.8"

Customer Reviews

The Need for Myth

Ms Henderson has taken from many, many sources to present a succinct analysis of myths from the past, works by many scholars, and today's world in order to show the need for all of us to have myths in our lives. Beginning with George Lucas' journey to creating Star Wars, moving into the cultural milieu in which the films were made to the that which the audiences brought and continue to bring, the author gives us the "reasons" for the motivation and then success of the 3 and later 6 movies done by Lucas. The book is well-illustrated with scenes from the movies, storyboards of its development, and art representing other myths, stories and legends of many cultures and times. A fantastic book for anyone looking for the core ideas of Lucas and his greatest work.

great book

If you enjoy any of the books by Joseph Campbell and are a Star Wars fan, then this is the book for you. It covers everything from Greek mythology and Zen Buddhism to the Cowboy archetype and the uniforms of World War 2. Most of the artwork is incredible (many pics from the "Art of Star Wars" books), and there are tons of detailed photos from the Smithsonian tour, which I was lucky enough to catch at Houston's Museum of Fine Arts many years ago. I only wish they had waited a few years until the entire Prequel Trilogy was completed before they published this book!

A wonderful book...

Within this book I would say this incredible look into the mix of Mythology, History and Star Wars that I have ever seen. A great companion Book to the "Magic of Myth" exhibit.. and it would make a great companion book to the Joesph Campbell books "The Hero with a Thousand faces and "The Power of Myth." Basically giving the impression of the origin of the Star Wars Films. How Lucas was influenced with all these ideas and made the films what they are today. How timeless the story really has been. Also available is some of the pre production artwork from the Classic Trilogy.

recommended!!

Excellent book with amazing pics of the props and unusual images from the movies from the OT. Fantastic!!

Great look at the magic behind George Lucas' masterpiece!

The Star Wars Trilogy is one of the most profound series of our time. This book shows how George Lucas put together many ingredients from history, mythical and factual, to create one of the best stories of good vs evil ever told. And the pictures and illustrations are beautiful. A "must have" for any Star Wars fan.