Rest In Peace Dave Wolverton

We are saddened to hear of the passing of author Dave Wolverton. While we never had the opportunity to meet him, it is always sad when someone who contributed to the Star Wars galaxy passes away.

Dave Wolverton wrote five stories for the Star Wars expanded universe, but he is best remembered as the author of The Courtship Of Princess Leia, which was first published in 1994. It was in this book that the planet Dathomir was first introduced, along with the witches (now also known as Nightsisters), a popular location and culture that are still used in Star Wars storytelling to this day.

The Courtship Of Princess Leia is one of the few Star Wars novels that we own three copies of. To be fair, each one feels like quite a different collectible –

• hardback version with white dress artwork (US, 1994)
• paperback version with white dress artwork (UK, 1995)
• paperback version with Return Of The Jedi artwork (US, 1995)

Drew Struzan did the cover artwork for both versions as seen here – I always wished there was a full-length version of the original hardback artwork, so I could see Princess Leia’s wedding dress. I wonder what the inspiration for the dress design was?

In my early Star Wars collecting days, I went through a phase of trying to track down a copy of every Star Wars novel. A mission I have yet to complete, but The Courtship of Princess Leia was one of my earliest acquisitions, and one of the first Star Wars novels I read. As a big Princess Leia fan, I was eager to know how her story unfolded after Return Of The Jedi. It has been many years since I last read the book, but it is one I remember fondly from those early Star Wars stories.

Thank you for your contribution to the Star Wars galaxy, Dave Wolverton – May the Force be with you.