Courtney is supplying the annual RetroZap X-wing X-mas this year! She will count down her favorite Star Wars collectibles, starting with some very special books–first edition Zahn novels!
Welcome to the annual X-Wing X-Mas! I’ll be counting down the 12 days of Christmas with 12 days of special Star Wars collectibles, starting first with the story of how I acquired a set of first edition Zahn novels!
When I first got into Star Wars, it was via the original trilogy films. I fell in love with the movies, and wanted more! At the time though, there weren’t any new films planned (not even the prequels), so I had to turn to the expanded universe via books. While now these books are called Legends, they are still important, and fun, stories for any Star Wars fan. And they opened a whole new world of reading to me.
Timothy Zahn
Most know Timothy Zahn as the godfather of Star Wars novels. When Heir to the Empire was released in 1991, it skyrocketed to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, and is widely credited with rejuvenating the Star Wars franchise. Heir to the Empire was the first ‘big’ novel I read, seeing as I was in middle school at the time. I couldn’t put the book down. I loved the characters, the action, and the escapism of the Star Wars universe. The book cemented Luke and Leia as my favorite characters, and introduced Grand Admiral Thrawn, who has since then been my all-time top villain. Plus, my favorite non-canon character, Mara Jade.
The Hunt
Naturally I had paperback copies of the trilogy of books by Zahn–Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command. As my love for the books grew, as did my love for Star Wars in general, I wanted to get first edition hard-back copies of the novels. In this day and age, it would have been easy to go online and find first editions to buy. But there’s something fun and unique about searching used book stores, and I wanted to find the books ‘in the wild’. This was not an easy task. In fact, I looked in every used book store I could for years. And even in different cities when traveling (including the Big Apple). No luck finding first edition copies though. But, has chance had it, one fellow RetroZapper (@DengarDan) had the first and third books as first edition, and he was selling them! I snatched them up right away. But that still left the second novel, Dark Force Rising, to go.
Final Find
Just a few weeks ago, on a rainy Saturday, my dad and I decided to head to my local used bookstore. I wasn’t really looking for anything in particular, but I always check out the Science Fiction section. Unexpectedly, there were hard-copy editions of the Zahn trilogy there! I swiftly grabbed Dark Force Rising, opened the front cover, and ta-da! It was a first edition. I could hardly believe my luck. The find was extra special as I was with my dad, and he’s the one who recommended the Zahn trilogy to me in the first place. (Thanks dad!) Now I’m the owner of first edition copies of the trilogy, and the books are proudly displayed on my living room bookshelf.
If you haven’t read these books, I highly recommend them. They aren’t part of the new Star Wars canon, but they are still exceptional stories.
Courtney Martin is a graduate of Indiana University and works in publishing. She’s an avid Star Wars fan and wrote the recipe blog Courtney Cooks Star Wars on suvudu.com. When not enveloped a science fiction or fantasy novel, she is watching television with her husband and son, doing crossword puzzles, or playing with her Shih Tzu, Burt.