Pure Sabacc

New in bookstores this week is The Sounds of Star Wars by J.W. Rinzler. With a forward by Ben Burtt and including interviews with Matt Wood and Dave Acord, the book features a small device that plays about 250 different sounds.

I attended a preview of the book at Celebration V and was able to discuss the project with Wood and Acord at MegaCon. While I strongly would prefer the sounds be in .mp3 format or on a CD, this still is going to be a valuable resource for those of us that are interested in the making of the movies. Many of the stories behind the creation of the sounds are included, as are some clips in-context, so you'll be reminded of how they sounded in the films. For me, in addition to hearing the stories behind the sounds, I'm just as excited to hear clean versions of most of the sounds so I can hear them clearly.

Also previewed at Celebration V is a book that documents the events in the world surrounding the Star Wars property from the very beginning to today. Star Wars Year by Year: A Visual Chronicle by Dan Wallace, Pablo Hidalgo, Gus Lopez, and Ryder Wyndham does just what it indicates exploring the development and impact of Star Wars as well as its merchandising in the context of real world events.