Fans of Star Wars have named May 4th as “Star Wars Day” (“May the Fourth be with you”), but hardcore fans are likelier to celebrate three weeks later, because May 25th is the anniversary of the original release of Star Wars (in 1977).
If you (ahem) are of a certain age, you might even remember that day in 1977. When Star Wars opened, it was an immediate milestone in the history of science fiction movies; the excitement on opening day was widespread and palpable. Take a look at this great video from NPR’s Beth Accomando about opening day in San Diego:
Thanks to the (largely unsung) genius of Star Wars‘s publicist and marketer – a man named Charles Lippincott – Star Wars spawned a massive cottage (well, really more of a Death Star-sized) industry of merchandising, and books were at the forefront of that.
Here at the Iliad, we almost always have a nice selection of Star Wars books, everything from paperback novels to kids’ books to graphic novels to expensive collectibles about the making of the films. Since we only have a small fraction of our books catalogued, please drop us a line if you’re looking for a particular Star Wars book that you don’t see in our website listings. If you’re in the store, you’ll find most of the Star Wars books near the science fiction anthologies (located next to the emergency exit in the second room).
Happy 44th birthday, Star Wars! Stay on target, don’t be a nerf herder, and avoid the temptations of the dark side.