Star Wars: 1,000 Collectibles by Stephen Sansweet with Anne Neumann is the book Star Wars collectors have been waiting for -- a 568-page virtual exhibit of Sansweet's personal Star Wars collectibles museum -- called "Rancho Obi-Wan" -- showcasing 1,000 hand-picked items from the world's largest Star Wars collection. Accompanying each image -- and there are over 1,000 -- are historical tidbits, little-known facts, and personal stories drawing the reader into the rich universe of Star Wars collecting. It's a sugar rush of eye-catching imagery and quirky commentary matched with an engrossing account of one collector's mission to preserve the merchandising legacy of Star Wars for generations to come.
Steve answered a few of our questions about 1,000 Collectibles and shared a handful of spreads of the upcoming book (due out November 17) which you'll see first on starwars.com!
First, the most obvious question -- out of a collection of over 75,000 pieces, how did you bear cutting out 74,000 of them for inclusion in the book?
Well, it wasn't easy! But my friend, collection manager, and co-author Anne Neumann knows the collection nearly as well as I do -- in many areas, even better -- so we talked a lot about the book's concept and what kind of audience it would appeal to. We and Eric Himmel, the editor-in-chief at Abrams books, wanted it to have a broad appeal and yet also be of great interest to Star Wars fans in general and hard-core collectors. So, except at the end, it really wasn't a matter of exclusion as it was, "Well, how are we going to fill this book and make sure that it's interesting and fun for everyone?"
While 1,000 pieces represents a mere fraction of your collection, it's still a considerable number of items to wrap your head around. What criteria did an item have to meet to be one of the "chosen ones"?
Anne and I constantly walked through the collection, looking at shelves, and making lists of the definite selects and the potentials. We made decisions based on several criteria. Was an item iconic enough -- even if it was widely familiar -- that it just begged to be in a book called Star Wars: 1,000 Collectibles? Thus we have the original 12 carded action figures and the infamous Early Bird kit, things that are the base of many collections. That rule, like every rule, had exceptions. We had just done a wonderful and thorough Star Wars Poster Book that is still in print, so it really didn't make sense to repeat a lot of those. Instead I pulled some strange-looking international vintage posters that I bought too late to make the poster book.
Another parameter was representation. The book could have been filled with nothing but toys, but there are so many areas of Star Wars collecting, that we wanted the book to show that. So in addition to toys there's food, apparel, art, arcade games, and articles that defy categorization.
This is the first Star Wars collectibles book that really takes a personal look at a collection. What gave you the idea to share the experience of collecting on a piece-by-piece, story-by-story basis?
I've been giving personal tours of Rancho Obi-Wan for many years to fellow collectors, fan groups, and lately, mostly tours that I donate so that various local charities can raise funds. Between my day job, lots of business travel, and writing five Star Wars books in five years, my availability to give tours has been cut way down. One of the things that people seem to enjoy most beside seeing the collection is hearing the stories behind so many of the pieces and asking how it all started. And that goes for even the non-collector and for those who at least thought beforehand that they had little interest in Star Wars. I really love it when someone like that, at the end of two hours or so, enthusiastically says that they are going home to watch all six episodes!
I wanted to share those stories with a broader audience. I also wanted to do a bit of self-analysis as to why I became a collector on such a gargantuan scale, and why Star Wars? In other words, I wanted to do a book about my little piece of heaven, Rancho Obi-Wan. Abrams, which had been very successful with a trade paperback called Rolling Stone: 1,000 Covers, was interested in doing a version with Star Wars collectibles. We talked about it and we both got the books that we wanted rolled into one 568-page package. And Abrams, Anne, and I are thrilled with the way it came out. Lots of incredible photos -- the majority of which Anne took -- and lots of personal anecdotes and information in bite-size chunks...even though the book has about 40,000 words!
I understand you venture into areas of collecting we're not usually exposed to in general collectibles guides and such -- that is, fan-made items. What percentage of your favorite 1,000 would you say came from the fan sector?
Fan-made items occupy a good proportion of the book and a growing part of the collection. It's an area I've become more and more interested in over the years. Really cool fan-made items are, by turns, surprising, attractive, inventive and sometimes just unbelievable. To me, these pieces show the deep passion and true skills of Star Wars fans all over the world, whether they're making an 18-inch tall R2-D2 with moving parts out of tongue depressors and steam-bent balsa wood or a crepe-paper Bantha piñata with an armed Tusken Raider in the saddle. Fan-made art, whether 2-D or 3-D, is another area I've been concentrating on.
Ok, another obvious question: Were there any items you chose that got cut from the book?
Well, that's a tricky one. Every Lucasfilm book gets looked at closely for such things as factual errors and appropriateness. Sometimes people disagree about what is and isn't appropriate for an authorized book. So yes, there were a couple of spreads that had to be replaced at Lucasfilm's request towards the end of the process. But if you think I'm going to tell you what those items were, you're loco!
And there were a bunch of items that I censored myself, so we'll probably combine them all on a single shelf labeled "Banned from the Book," for private viewing only. Really, there were so few items involved compared to what made it in, I didn't have a big problem with the decision. Plus, it gives me a chance to argue my case again if we ever do "Another 1,000 Collectibles." Believe me, we've got enough cool stuff for a sequel in a few years!
Care to name your favorite collectible now, or will fans have to wait to read about it in the book?
That's a really tough question. It's like asking you which of your two kids is your favorite? I don't really pick out one particular item in the book either. But as far as categories, it has to be fan-made items and art, and that includes the wonderful patches, shirts, and other goodies made by members of the 501st and Rebel Legion for other members. Having helped both those groups develop a relationship with Lucasfilm, and becoming friendly with so many of the members over the years, they occupy a special place in my heart -- and my collection.
As to the look and feel of the book, what do you want a reader's first impression to be upon opening 1,000 Collectibles?
"Holy cow, that's a lot of stuff! I had no idea!!"
Finally, what do you want to leave the reader upon closing it?
I'd like readers to understand why some people are collectors, and how what they collect and display is a big part of who they are. I want them to see the impact of Star Wars on my life, and on the lives of million of others around the world. I want them to realize that this more than three-decade-old phenomenon continues as strong as ever today, attracting a new generation of fans. And, most of all, I want them to realize that this is all great fun!
Get the exclusive hand-signed edition of Star Wars: 1,000 Collectibles exclusively at StarWarsShop, and stay tuned to starwars.com for our interview with collection manager Anne Neumann, who organized and photographed the majority of items featured in 1,000 Collectibles!
