It’s Star Wars day!!! After writing about wonderful bookends and bookmarks for Star Wars fans, I thought I’d look at their best companion: books themselves! But I’m not going to talk about the licensed Star Wars novels. Those are easy gifts for Star Wars fans. Here are seven books that might be a little less off your radar that every Star Wars fan will love to have.

STAR WARS: THE VISUAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

Got a giftee who’s dying to know the details of Padme’s bridal wear? Star Wars fans will spend hours pouring over this encyclopedia, which the publisher calls a “virtual museum in a book.” The book covers more than 2,500 characters, creatures, planets, vehicles, weapons and more, all with pictures and facts. There’s even a complete history of the politics of the Jedi Council and the Empire.

I AM C-3PO

Possibly one of the least recognizable actors in the Star Wars series, Anthony Daniels writes his experiences playing C-3PO in this biography. In the excerpt I’ve read, he writes with heart and humor about how he almost didn’t go to the audition for the original movie, but then the shiny gold droid changed his life. Daniels goes behind the scenes on the making of the movies, and J.J. Abrams, director of The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker, writes the foreward. This book will enchant Star Wars fans as much as C-3PO did.

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S STAR WARS TRILOGY

A few years ago, I got my husband William Shakespeare’s Big Lebowski, and he loved it. Author Ian Doescher takes the script of the movie and translates it as though it’s a Shakespeare play. It’s hilarious! This boxed set contains “Verily, A New Hope,” “The Empire Striketh Back,” and “The Jedi Doth Return.” Check out Luke contemplating a Storm Trooper’s helmet in true Hamlet fashion, Obi Won feeling a disturbance in the force with the line “I fear a stroke of evil hath occurr’d,” and Han clearing the way for Luke to destroy the Death Star as he says, “Thy path is clear, young Luke. Now do thy deed and let us all make way back home.” You don’t have to be a fan of Shakespeare to love this version.

MAD ABOUT STAR WARS

If you’ve got a friend who loves the dry humor of MAD comics, they’ll love this book. It contains all the jokes the MAD creators wrote about Star Wars over the years, lovingly, of course. For example, they delve into R2-D2 love life and pen a Star Wars musical. George Lucas does the foreward, so it must have his approval.

STAR WARS: I AM A…LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK LIBRARY

Star Wars fans can relive their childhood with this Little Golden Book collection. The boxed set has five books that introduce us to the series’ heroes and villains in Disney-esque illustrations.

GOODNIGHT DARTH VADER

Another book for Star Wars fans of all ages, Goodnight Darth Vader is a funny look at the dark lord’s parenting skills. Young twins Luke and Leia aren’t ready to sleep and ask their dear ole’ Sith dad for a story. The book is a follow-up to author Jeffrey Brown’s New York Times bestsellers Darth Vader and Son and Vader’s Little Princess.

MILLENNIUM FALCON MANUAL

My husband’s a car nut, so this is on my to do list to get him (ssshhh, don’t tell). Written and illustrated like a car manual, this manual for the Millennium Falcon gives us every detail we could possibly want about our favorite spaceship. It’s even got exploded diagrams. Perfectly nerdy for the mechanically minded Star Wars fan in your life.