TheForce.Net - Your Daily Dose of Star Wars
[TF.N Main] [Contact Us]
[Books - Main]
[More...]
[Star Wars Book Reviews]

[Star Wars Book Release Schedule]

[Foreign Covers]

[EU Roundtable]


Latest Releases...
[The Life and Legend of Obi-Wan Kenobi]

The Life and Legend of Obi-Wan Kenobi [HC]

[Street Shadows]

Coruscant Nights II: Street of Shadows [PB]

[The Force Unleahsed]

The Force Unleashed [HC]

[Art of TFU]

The Art and Making of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed [PB]

[Obsessed With Star Wars]

Obsessed With Star Wars [HC]

[The Clone Wars]

The Clone Wars [YR]

[The Clone Wars]

Star Wars - The Clone Wars [HC]

[Clone Wars Visual Guide]

The Clone Wars: The Visual Guide [HC]

[Jedi Twilight]

Coruscant Nights I: Jedi Twilight [PB]

[Kingdom]

Last of the Jedi #10: Reckoning [YR]

[Popular Stories]
Star Wars Fan Films On Comedy Central

Has A KOTOR MMO Been Confirmed?

TFU Most Requested Game On Goozex

Downloadable Content On The Way For TFU!

The Clone Wars A Hit On Cartoon Network!

New Title For Fate Of The Jedi #2

Karen Traviss Talks Sev

Hayden Blackman Interviewed At Kotaku

[Jedi Council Forums]
Troy Denning's Dark Nest trilogy (spoilers allowed)

The Official Alpha, the ARC Troopers and the Commandos Thread

The EU and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith- Spoilers Allowed

Secrets of the Jedi

Most powerful person in the galaxy

The Ages of EU Characters
[Poll]
How would you rank The Force Unleashed?
5 Stars
4 Stars
3 Stars
2 Stars
1 Star
Current Results


Clone Wars Children's Books

Posted By Paul on April 14, 2008

Once again, Eddie from Once Upon a Galaxy is the first to contact us with a sighting of upcoming Star Wars book releases. This time, it's Amazon listings for a second set of Clone Wars children's books.

Of course, as we reported here, we already know about a selection of junior tie-ins for the animated movie, which will be published in the United States by Penguin subsidiary Grosset & Dunlap.

So what's up with the second set of books?

Well, the newly-listed books are all coming from Penguin's UK-based children's imprints, Ladybird and Puffin, and they appear on the UK Amazon site as well as the US one. I think it's reasonably likely that these are foreign equivalents of the tie-in books, which may have found their way onto the US website by mistake.

Also noteworthy is the fact that the release dates for all bar one of them are given as 1st September, compared with 26th June for the US movie tie-in books, and 15th August as the date of the movie's release in the States.

An optimist might cling to the hope that these represent the second wave of tie-ins for the TV series, which will follow after the movie and the initial wave of books. The more sober reality is probably that the UK release of the movie is going to be delayed by several weeks behind the US.

However, the information also contains a puzzling little detail, which make it a little hard to be sure exactly what's going on here. The UK site claims that several of the books are in French!

Amazon.co.uk lists four books which it claims are written in French, but which have English-language titles, and sometimes UK prices. There's a forty-eight page Official Movie Storybook, priced at £4.99 UK, a 32-page, £3.99 Intergalactic Adventure Book, and something called a "Prepare for Battle! Activity Book", also 32 pages, but with no listed price, and a 128-page paperback novelization, presumably aimed at young readers rather than adults.

These also appear on the US Amazon site, with the same ISBN numbers, but no price or language info, here, here, here, and here. The US site also shows that the novelization is from Puffin rather than from Ladybird, which fits the traditional emphases of the two imprints.

There are also two more 32-page books with UK prices but no language listing, a £2.99 Front Row Seat Storybook, and a "Create Your Own" Model Making book, which is a hardcover with a cover price of £12.99, though amazon.co.uk are already offering a discount off that (and other retailers may do similar things as well).

Once again, these two books have parallel listings on the US site, with identical ISBNs, but no price info: here and here.

Lastly, there's a "hardcover" with no price listed, but a much earlier release date of 7th August, and no US listing that I can find. As it comes from Ladybird, I suspect that this may be the hardcover edition of the junior novelization.

So... what are we dealing with here?

My suspicion is that we're looking at the UK equivalents of the Grosset & Dunlap books, and that the "French" claims are in error, although that's really just my best guess. Alternative options would be that these are a mix of UK and French titles, or that they're all French.

Nevertheless, one thing we can do is compare these titles with the known information on the US books, summarized here.

For example, the £4.99 movie storybook may be the same thing as the $3.99 storybook in the Grosset & Dunlap series: it's certainly true that one of the two $3.99 US books, which are otherwise hard to differentiate, shares the same 48 page size, when the majority of books on both lists are 32 pages long.

Similarly, the £2.99 "Front Row Seat" storybook may correlate to the $6.99 photobook by Zachary Rau, while the Puffin novellization can be paired off with the $6.99 Grosset & Dunlap one by Tracey West.

With a little more stretch, the £12.99 hardback "Create Your Own" model-making book might be equated with the $16.99 "jacketed picture book" by Rob Valois, leaving the unpriced "Prepare for Battle!" activity book to be parallel to the $4.99 US Activity Book, and the £3.99 "Intergalactic Adventure Book" to be matched up with the $3.99 Reader.

Overall, the listings seem relatively close, and I suspect that in some way or another, most or all of the Ladybird books will equate with specific titles in the Grosset & Dunlap range.

It's possible that there might be meaningful variations between text and presentation in the UK and US versions, or even that some of the apparent similarities may be misleading: there might be some completely different books in the range on either side of the Atlantic.

It's an open question whether the two hardbacks are one and the same: a model-making book and a "jacketed picture book" don't sound like quite the same thing. Also, while the Front Row Seat storybook and the photobook are both probably going to be picture-book adaptions based around images taken directy from the movie, their relative pricing doesn't match up directly. One is the cheapest of the Ladybird picture books, while the other is the most expensive in the Grosset & Dunlap range

It may not be a coincidence that those are the two Ladybird books that aren't said to be in French on Amazon UK. The reference to French translations may somehow have gotten into the listings by mistake for books that are direct "translations" between UK English and US English versions.

But there's still a nagging possibility that some or all of these might be real French translations or alternatives, after all....

We'll bring you more news as we get it, anyway!




[Send Transmission...] email this story [Talk Back...] discuss in forums
[Books - News Archives]
New Title For Fate Of The Jedi #2
Posted By Mike on October 6, 2008:
Updated! From Enigma to Omen

Karen Traviss Talks Sev
Posted By Mike on October 6, 2008:
And what we may or may not expect of him...

Ryder Windham Radio Interview
Posted By Adrick on October 4, 2008:
SW books & comic author speaks TODAY!

Clone Wars Webcomics Are GO!
Posted By Paul on October 3, 2008:
Free online right now...

Paul S. Kemp's Jaden Korr Novel Clarified
Posted By Mike on October 1, 2008:
Clarifying confusion with the novel setting

Hyperspace Short Story: Interference
Posted By Mike on September 30, 2008:
By John Jackson Miller at Starwars.com

"Blood Oath" by Elaine Cunningham
Posted By Paul on September 29, 2008:
Updated! More tidbits on the novel

Jedi Journals: Novel Update From Sue Rostoni
Posted By Jay on September 29, 2008:
StarWars.com updates tonight with a link to Sue Rostoni's Blog, letting everyone know a little more about the next 3 years worth of fiction. There's a couple little surprises in there to get fans excited. Does the name 'Nomi Sunrider' mean anything to you?

The Art And Making Of Star Wars: TCW
Posted By Mike on September 28, 2008:
As mentioned in SW Insider #104

Christine Golden Talks Fate of The Jedi
Posted By Mike on September 28, 2008:
Was Traviss originally slated instead of her?

New Rebel Force Info
Posted By Adrick on September 27, 2008:
Mission to Muunilist?

Fate Of The Jedi Info
Posted By Mike on September 27, 2008:
Blurb, promotions and more

Jedi Journals: Star Wars Encyclopedia Covered
Posted By Jay on September 26, 2008:
StarWars.com has just posted covers for all three volumes of The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia. Yes, in case you missed it, it's now 3-volumes. All in hardcover, and over 1200 pages!! And who said size matters not? Click on the image above for the details.

New Set Of Star Wars Blueprints?
Posted By Adrick on September 23, 2008:
Rebel Edition on Amazon…

Star Wars Horror Novel On The Way
Posted By Mike on September 23, 2008:
November 2009 by Joe Schrieber

Courscant Nights #3 Excerpt
Posted By Mike on September 23, 2008:
Patterns of The Force due out January 27th

A Few Star Wars Author Interviews
Posted By Mike on September 23, 2008:
Karen Miller, Sean Williams and Bob Vitas

Jedi Academy RPG Supplement Announced
Posted By JF on September 22, 2008:
Updated! Now with Miniatures...

Alex Irvine Talks Of His KOTOR Novel
Posted By Mike on September 21, 2008:
Recently announced for 2010

The Way Of The Jedi Cover And Plot Details
Posted By Adrick on September 21, 2008:
More info on the new interactive story…

Jedi Revealed For Paul S. Kemp SW Novel
Posted By Mike on September 21, 2008:
And the Jedi is...

Young Adult Covers And Titles Revealed!
Posted By Adrick on September 21, 2008:
Updated! For TCW & Rebel Force series...

[StarWarsShop.com]
[TF.N Newsletter]
Enter Email Address:
Find Out More...
[All Posters]
Star Wars - Episode III - Revenge of the Sith - Jedi Battle
AllPosters.com
Search For Posters, Cardboard Stand-Ups & T-Shirts!
[Rebelscum.com - Star Wars Collecting]
[TheForce.Net - FanFilms]
[TheForce.Net - FanForce] [TheForce.Net - Fan Art]
[More News...]
TheForce.Net - Your Daily Dose of Star Wars
THEFORCE.NET IS NOT ENDORSED BY LUCASFILM, LTD. PLEASE READ OUR DISCLAIMER. © 2008 COPYRIGHT TF.N, LLC
[TF.N Main] [TF.N FAQ] [Contact Us]