Unwrapping The Essential Legends Collection of Star Wars Books
Discussing the Essential Legends Collection and why it's a gift for Star Wars fans.
The Essential Legends Collection launched in 2021 with an intriguing premise: To re-release classic, foundational Star Wars Legends books in brand-new paperback form for readers familiar and new to enjoy.
Legends books, beloved by many and quite daunting to those less familiar with Star Wars’ publishing history prior to 2014, are now in a sort of renaissance. Not only do those who read them as children get to bathe in the nostalgia of the stories that shaped their fandom, but those new to the lore have the perfect entry point to begin exploring the stories that mean the world to so many Star Wars readers.
As a companion to this week’s episode of Now This Is Lit, here’s everything you need to know about the Essential Legends Collection — including where to find these specific versions of your favorite Legends books re-released with new cover art and, in some cases, new audiobook versions!
How does the Essential Legends Collection work?
The Essential Legends Collections releases in the form of waves, with a new wave released relatively seasonally, or three to four times per year.
Each new wave contains three or four re-released books — new versions of Legends books you may or may not have read before. These are released in trade paperback form with never-before-seen covers. The format and covers are new, but the book between the covers is the same.
Several months before each wave, Del Rey announces the forthcoming wave and the books that will be included in that wave. This Substack is also a great place to stay updated on these upcoming releases, so if you’re not already subscribed, well — why not?
Where to buy Essential Legends Collection books
It can be challenging to find these books on Amazon because different formats listed for the same book either don’t update on time or are difficult to locate.
They will show up in bookstores, but as always, I recommend Bookshop.org for purchasing new releases. A portion of what you pay goes to your local indie bookstores, so basically, everyone wins. However, you can also find these books elsewhere online.
Every Essential Legends Collection book released so far
The Essential Legends Collection stack is growing — and it’s not stopping anytime soon! Here’s a list of books that have already been released in this format, also indicating which books were released with new unabridged audiobook versions simultaneously (and where to buy).
Shatterpoint (w/ audiobook)
Wedge’s Gamble (w/ audiobook)
The Krytos Trap (w/ audiobook)
Shadow Hunter (w/ audiobook)
The Bacta War (w/ audiobook)
Yoda: Dark Rendezvous (w/ audiobook)
Outbound Flight (w/ audiobook)
Survivor’s Quest (w/ audiobook)
The Courtship of Princess Leia (w/ audiobook)
Wraith Squadron (w/ audiobook)
While the next wave of Essential Legends Collection books has yet to be announced, there are more paperbacks and audiobooks on the way.
Stay tuned to Now This Is Lit for future book discussions on these titles and so many more.
Now This Is Lit is a podcast (and newsletter!) about Star Wars books, the people who make them, and the readers who just can’t get enough of them. You can find the show wherever you get your podcasts, and subscribe to the Substack for more deep dives, guides, interview transcripts, and book love.
Damn, I totally forgot about Death Troopers!! What's better than Star Wars?.. Star Wars and zombies!! 😎