Skip to content

William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, a New Hope
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, a New Hope Hardcover - 2013

by Ian Doescher


From the publisher

The New York Times Best Seller Experience the Star Wars saga reimagined as an Elizabethan drama penned by William Shakespeare himself, complete with authentic meter and verse, and theatrical monologues and dialogue by everyone from Darth Vader to R2D2. Return once more to a galaxy far, far away with this sublime retelling of George Lucas's epic Star Wars in the style of the immortal Bard of Avon. The saga of a wise (Jedi) knight and an evil (Sith) lord, of a beautiful princess held captive and a young hero coming of age, Star Wars abounds with all the valor and villainy of Shakespeare's greatest plays. Authentic meter, stage directions, reimagined movie scenes and dialogue, and hidden Easter eggs throughout will entertain and impress fans of Star Wars and Shakespeare alike. Every scene and character from the film appears in the play, along with twenty woodcut-style illustrations that depict an Elizabethan version of the Star Wars galaxy. Zounds! This is the book you're looking for.

Details

  • Title William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, a New Hope
  • Author Ian Doescher
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition Advance Reading
  • Pages 176
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Quirk Books, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A.
  • Date 2013-07-02
  • Illustrated Yes
  • ISBN 9781594746376 / 1594746370
  • Weight 0.7 lbs (0.32 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.9 in (21.08 x 14.22 x 2.29 cm)
  • Themes
    • Cultural Region: British
  • Library of Congress subjects Shakespeare, William, Star Wars films
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2012953985
  • Dewey Decimal Code 812.6

Media reviews

“Ian Doescher has reimagined the entire first Star Wars film as an Elizabethan play, complete with iambic pentameter and elaborate illustrations. It's geekception.”—The Mary Sue

“...the book is so brilliant you’ll wonder why someone didn’t think of it sooner.”—Paste Magazine

“..another smart tribute fans will enjoy."—The Star-Ledger
 
“If you are looking for a neat way to get acquainted with Shakespeare or you are a teacher whose students are having a rough time accessing the genius of the Bard of Avon, I highly recommend you give William Shakespeare’s Star Wars  a try!”—GeekMom

“Is it all a great, geeky, inter-galactic goblet of literary fun? Verily!” —AmericanProfile.com

“...a quirky addition to the genre-busting canon...”—Entertainment Weekly
 
“...what Doescher made is delicious.”—Charleston City Paper
 
“...brilliant...”—Deseret News
 
“This is a great read. Author Ian Doescher may not have bested Shakespeare, but he’s certainly one-upped Lucas.”—Asbury Park Press
 
“As Shakespeare would say, you might think, this be madness, yet there is a method in 't.”—Newsday
 
“...charming...”—The Courier-Journal
 
“...the ultimate fan fic.”— ABC News Radio

Doescher’s pseudo-Shakespearean language is absolutely dead-on; this is one of the best-written Shakespeare parodies created for this audience and it is absolutely laugh-out-loud funny for those familiar with both The Bard and Star Wars.”—School Library Journal
 
“At last, the mother of all mashups is upon us."—CNET.com
 
“...outstanding.”—Geekdad
 
“Nicolas Delort's woodcut-style illustrations are a fabulous mixture of old and new.”—Boing Boing
 
“Delightful.”—PortlandMercury.com
 
“For anglophiles, scifi nerds, and probably 9th grade English students.”—The Bookreporter
 
“[William Shakespeare's Star Wars] is a a brilliant and super-cool way to meld pop culture and high culture”—Bella Online
 
William Shakespeare’s Star Wars is Exactly What You Need For Your Next Geeky Houseparty.”—Tor.com
 
“Doescher’s attempt to recreate a Shakespearean play is noteworthy and clever.”—Blogcritics.org
 
“If there’s one book perfect for any age, gender or planet of origin, this must be the book.”—Asbury Park Press

“The Bard at his finest, with all the depth of character, insightful soliloquies, and clever wordplay that we’ve come to expect from the Master. For those who wish to read the Star Wars legend in the original Elizabethan, this is the book for you.”—Timothy Zahn, New York Times bestselling author of Scoundrels

“I'm delighted to have William Shakespeare's Star Wars, and have read it with great pleasure. What a fine idea, to set this in the world of Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 C-3PO and Darth Vader! A period of civil war, rebels, the Galactic Empire, the death star. A star-crossed galaxy! Ian Doescher does iambic pentameter well. This is a hoot!”—David Bevington, Phyllis Fay Horton Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus in the Humanities, University of Chicago and co-editor of The Bantam Shakespeare series
 
“Well-read geeks have breathlessly waited
For what Ian Doescher hath created
This book's cover is the door
To a Star Wars ne'er seen before”
—Daniel Wallace, New York Times best-selling author of Star Wars: The New Essential Guide to Characters
 
“An elegant translation for a more civilized age. Let's face it—if you love Shakespeare or Star Wars half as much as I do, you've already bought this.”
—Adam Bertocci, author of Two Gentlemen of Lebowski, writer-director of Brooklyn Force and Run Leia Run, and moderator of TheForce.net
 
“Zounds, the Forsooth is strong in this one!  Two of the most creative minds in the universe collide with spectacular, hilarious and surprisingly touching insight into the original classic.  This truly is Star Wars as you like it.”—Joe Schreiber, author of Star Wars: Death Troopers and Lenny Cyrus, School Virus
 
“Whether your tastes run to Alderaan or Avon, this reimagining of Star Wars overflows with heart and wit.”—Jason Fry, author of Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Warfare

Citations

  • Entertainment Weekly, 07/19/2013, Page 91
  • School Library Journal, 07/01/2013, Page 114
  • Voice of Youth Advocates, 12/01/2013, Page 0

About the author

Ian Doescher is the New York Times best-selling author of the William Shakespeare's Star Wars(R) series, the Pop Shakespeare series, and MacTrump. He has written for Marvel Comics and is a contributing author to the story collection Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View. He lives in Portland, Oregon, with his family. Visit him at IanDoescher.com.
Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

William Shakespeare's Star Wars
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

William Shakespeare's Star Wars

by Doescher, Ian

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 13
9781594746376
ISBN 10
1594746370
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Waltham, Massachusetts, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
£0.81
£2.43 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Quirk Books. Used - Good.
Item Price
£0.81
£2.43 shipping to USA
William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope

by Doescher, Ian

  • Used
  • good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781594746376
ISBN 10
1594746370
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Houston, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
£4.18
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Quirk Books, 2013-07-02. Hardcover. Good. 8x5x0.
Item Price
£4.18
FREE shipping to USA
William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope

by Doescher, Ian

  • Used
Condition
UsedGood
ISBN 13
9781594746376
ISBN 10
1594746370
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Rotterdam , New York, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
£4.73
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
UsedGood. Shows minimal wear such as frayed or folded edges, minor rips and tears, and/or slightly worn binding. May have stickers and/or contain inscription on title page. No observed missing pages.
Item Price
£4.73
FREE shipping to USA
William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, a New Hope
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, a New Hope

by Doescher, Ian

  • Used
  • Acceptable
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Acceptable
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781594746376
ISBN 10
1594746370
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
£5.06
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Quirk Books, 2013. Hardcover. Acceptable. Missing dust jacket; Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
£5.06
FREE shipping to USA
William Shakespeare's Star Wars : Verily, a New Hope

William Shakespeare's Star Wars : Verily, a New Hope

by Ian Doescher

  • Used
  • very good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781594746376
ISBN 10
1594746370
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
£5.06
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Quirk Books, 2013. Hardcover. Very Good. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
£5.06
FREE shipping to USA
William Shakespeare's Star Wars : Verily, a New Hope

William Shakespeare's Star Wars : Verily, a New Hope

by Ian Doescher

  • Used
  • good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781594746376
ISBN 10
1594746370
Quantity Available
9
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
£5.06
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Quirk Books, 2013. Hardcover. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
£5.06
FREE shipping to USA
William Shakespeare's Star Wars : Verily, a New Hope

William Shakespeare's Star Wars : Verily, a New Hope

by Ian Doescher

  • Used
  • Hardcover
Condition
Like New
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781594746376
ISBN 10
1594746370
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
£5.06
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Quirk Books, 2013. Hardcover. Like New. Pages are clean and are not marred by notes or folds of any kind. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
£5.06
FREE shipping to USA
William Shakespeare's Star Wars : Verily, a New Hope

William Shakespeare's Star Wars : Verily, a New Hope

by Ian Doescher

  • Used
  • good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781594746376
ISBN 10
1594746370
Quantity Available
4
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
£5.06
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Quirk Books, 2013. Hardcover. Good. Missing dust jacket; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
£5.06
FREE shipping to USA
William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, a New Hope

William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, a New Hope

by Doescher, Ian

  • Used
  • good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781594746376
ISBN 10
1594746370
Quantity Available
6
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
£5.06
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Quirk Books, 2013. Hardcover. Good. Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
£5.06
FREE shipping to USA
William Shakespeare's Star Wars
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

William Shakespeare's Star Wars

by Ian Doescher

  • Used
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used: Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781594746376
ISBN 10
1594746370
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
£5.54
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Quirk Books, 2013-07-02. Hardcover. Used: Good.
Item Price
£5.54
FREE shipping to USA