Skip to Content

How Many Star Wars Books Are There?

How Many Star Wars Books Are There?

Share the Universe!

Star Wars is a juggernaut of modern media and pop culture. Between the releases of the Main films alone, this giant of the entertainment industry.

And with a steady stream of money and interest coming from the many television show projects that are out and in the works, there’s only going to be more Star Wars content from here on.

However, despite making its name through visual mediums, such as movies and television, Star Wars is much more than just a series for the silver screen.

Since the 80s and 90s even, when the series was first becoming a household name, there was a real push to expand the universe of Star Wars through the realm of books and novels.

Many of these Stories have in themselves become fan-favorites of the Star Wars sage. Classics such as the Heir To The Empire Trilogy, Darth Plagueis, and the New Jedi Order series, as well as modern favorites such as the Thrawn Trilogy, Dark Disciples, and The High Republic series, have all made their way onto the shelves and into the hearts of Star Wars fans across the globe.

This article is going to cover some of these books, as well as show you just how many Star Wars books have been made over the years.

As you’ll find out, there’s a big Star Wars universe out there, and there are a lot of books that show it to us!

A Galaxy Far, Far Away And On The Pages

If you are someone who has so far enjoyed Star Wars as a visual medium but has watched pretty much everything that Disney and Lucasfilm have to offer right now, and you still have a hankering for more Jedi action and events from this far, far away galaxy, many fans will pick up a book to scratch that itch.

This was especially the case in the periods between the release of the main trilogies when there would often be next to no Films or Television series.

And even as we are in a golden age of new Star Wars content, with a new series or film being announced every few months. 

These novels allow for the world of Star Wars to be approached in a way that doesn’t have to focus on epic space battles, lightsaber clashes, and melodramatic daddy issues.

Instead, more time can be spent on introspection, the tactics that make or break a space battle, or even a very obscure side character that otherwise doesn’t get a chance to shine.

With such a massive scope of different books, however, it can be hard to keep track of how many books there are left for them to read, especially if they are trying to absorb as much of this series as possible. And with over 40 years of material out there, that number has skyrocketed across the years.

How Many Star Wars Books Are There?

So, this begs the question of just how many Star Wars books there are out there right now.

Well, as of writing this article, and adding both Legends and Canon Book numbers together, there are approximately 381 books that have been released so far, with several other projects well on their way to being completed and released.

And this doesn’t even include the many runs of comics and graphic novels that have been released since 1977!

Canon Vs. Legend

You may have been listening to discussions of Star Wars books and media, and heard the terms ‘Legends’ and ‘Canon’ continuity thrown around a few times. We’ve even used the terms in this article once or twice. So what do they mean?

Generally speaking, they refer to two different continuities, or timelines, that have been divided since 2014.

Legends’ continuity refers to all the material that was released from 1977 to 2014, including the 6 main movies of the Star Wars that were released during that time, the video games, novels, and every other piece of Star Wars media.

Canon’ Star Wars refers to all the content that has been released since Disney purchased the rights to Lucasfilm in 2014, including all the released main series of Star Wars movies, the various spin-off movies, and television series, as well as the many novels and other media that have been released in the last 8 years.

Where To Start

With such a massive library to go through, there is certain inaccessibility that comes with such a massive number of books, making it very difficult to get started.

With that in mind, here are our recommendations for Star Wars books that you should read, and what sets them apart.

Heir To The Empire Trilogy

Arguably where the Expanded Star Wars universe gets started, this Legends trilogy is where we are both introduced to the iconic character Grand Admiral Thrawn, as well as seeing what type of stories would go on to help keep Star Wars in the minds of fans and readers, especially in the early 90s when this trilogy was first released.

Ahsoka Novel

Ahsoka Tano vs The Magistrate

With her series on the horizon, this Canon novel shows the life of fan-favorite Star Wars character Ahsoka Tano in the aftermath of Order 66.

X-Wing Series

Another favorite from Legends continuity, this series by Michael A both expands the Star Wars galaxy after the events of Return of the Jedi, as well as introduces a vast number of new characters that are exclusive to the novels, and would become mainstays for years to come.

Aftermath Trilogy

These mainstays of modern Star Wars Canon are some of the earlier books released after 2014 and help build up the galaxy of Star Wars between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are plenty of Star Wars books to read, both old and new. Whatever you’re looking for, there’s a Star Wars story for you!