Bantha Tracks. Newsletter of the Official Star Wars Fan Club
San Rafael, CA: Lucasfilm Ltd., 1979-84. 10 vols., quarto, publisher's color and black-and-white printed wraps.
Group of ten issues of Bantha Tracks, a fan-club publication issued by Lucasfilm between 1978 and 1987. Created to keep early Star Wars audiences connected in the pre-internet era, the magazine originally launched as the Official Star Wars Fan Club Newsletter before being renamed Bantha Tracks (the winning title in a reader contest), circulating to members as a bi-monthly or quarterly mailer. Early issues, overseen by fan-relations director Craig Miller, functioned as one of the only official channels for updates on the franchise during its initial boom. Running for a total 35 issues before ending in 1987, the magazine’s content typically featured production news, previews of upcoming films, cast and crew features, Q&As, merchandise updates, and fan submissions (letters, artwork, and local fan club activity). Bridging the gap between the original trilogy releases and later fan culture infrastructure, Bantha Tracks was effectively succeeded in 1987 by Star Wars Insider (announced to officially end publication in May 2026), where "Bantha Tracks" survives as a fan-focused section. This collection consists of issues 6 (1979), 12 (1981), and 18-25 (1982-84), and include interviews with Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Steven Spielberg, Richard Marquand, and others, with in-depth looks at special effects, model making, matte painting, ewoks, Indiana Jones content, and more. Two issues with merchandise order form clipped out, eight issues with original mailing labels. Horizontal fold creases from mailing, some soiling and edgewear. Very good overall. Item #12763
$125.00