Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace set the tone for the Prequel Trilogy with its lavish costumes, impressive sets, and cutting-edge special effects back in 1999, and if you’d like a closer look at how the film was made, then you’ll want to check out this new book. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace – A Visual Archive will be released on September 9, and you can preorder it for $60 through Amazon.
$60 | Releases September 9
This 296-page hardcover book offers behind-the-scenes photography and concept art from the Phantom Menace, as well as filmmaking anecdotes and extra physical content like booklets and foldout pages. For Star Wars fans who enjoy looking at the bigger picture, the book also goes into detail on how the movie built the framework for future spin-off series, like Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, and The Mandalorian. There’s also a deep dive into the Phantom Menace’s merchandise, comics, and spin-offs, so you’re getting a comprehensive look at the first film in the Prequel Trilogy and its place in pop culture history.
If you’re looking for more reading material on the creation of the first Star Wars prequel film, there’s the Star Wars Insider Presents The Phantom Menace 25 Year Anniversary Special that launched last year in celebration of the film’s 25th anniversary. It’s packed with vintage interviews from the long-running Star Wars Insider magazine, along with essays, art, and high-quality stills from the movie. It’s available for $19 at Amazon.
This is the second Star Wars: A Visual Archive book, the first was Visual Archive for Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Similar to the Phantom Menace, the Return of the Jedi book is packed with photography and concept art that explores how the movie was made and its legacy in pop culture. You can pick it up at a nice 50% discount at Amazon, dropping the price to $32.50 (was $65).
The novelization of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith is also getting the deluxe treatment. It’s often considered the best version of the story, offering a deeper and more fleshed-out version of the story. It’s available to preorder for $60 ahead of its October 14 release.
For a dive into a more recent Star Wars project, there’s a new book on The Acolyte that explores the series’ High Republic era, as well as key characters, locations, vehicles, and technology. It’s on sale for $22.50 (normally $25).
For a broader look at the beloved far, far away galaxy, there’s the giant Star Wars Encyclopedia. This new edition covers the current Star Wars canon from the original trilogy up to the latest expanded universe content as of 2024. Other noteworthy Star Wars books you can pick up now include the Star Wars Bestiary and its beautiful illustrations of the galaxy’s deadliest wildlife and Star Wars Vehicles for cross-section artworks of the coolest starfighters. Check the list below for even more Star Wars books available now.
More Star Wars Books
If you want to revisit the film before the new Phantom Menace – A Visual History launches later this year, you can pick up Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace on Blu-ray for $15. And if you need to pick up the rest of the saga, all nine mainline Star Wars films are also on sale at Amazon, and most are available in 4K. Each release is packed with behind-the-scenes documentaries, extended and deleted scenes, featurettes on how the special effects were realized, and commentary tracks from the cast and crew.
Star Wars Blu-rays
- The Phantom Menace — $45
- Attack of the Clones (4K) — $30.57 (
$39) - Revenge of the Sith (4K) — $30.56 (
$39) - A New Hope (4K) — $39
- The Empire Strikes Back (4K) — $28.09 (
$39) - Return of the Jedi (4K) — $30.57 (
$39) - The Force Awakens (4K) — $26.41 (
$39) - The Last Jedi (4K) — $23.80 (
$39) - The Rise of Skywalker (4K) — $17.66 (
$35)
