Star Wars Episode IV : A New Hope ( novel ) The Star Wars Episode IV : A New Hope " novelization , originally entitled Star Wars : From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker " , was the official novel adaptation of the film , published in 1976 by Ballantine Books . It was ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster , but credited to George Lucas . It contains many scenes and much information cut from the film . Some editions contain sixteen pages of full - color photos from the motion picture . This version of " A New Hope " was later collected in " The Star Wars Trilogy novelization " . Publisher ' s summary . Luke Skywalker Challenged the Stormtroopers of a Distant Galaxy on a Daring Mission — Where a Force of Life Became the Power of Death ! " Farm chores sure could be dull , and Luke Skywalker was bored beyond belief . He yearned for adventures out among the stars — adventures that would take him beyond the farthest galaxies to distant and alien worlds . " " But Luke got more than he bargained for when he intercepted a cryptic message from a beautiful princess held captive by a dark and powerful warlord . Luke didn ' t know who she was , but he knew he had to save her — and soon , because time was running out . " " Armed only with courage and with the light saber that had been his father ' s , Luke was catapulted into the middle of the most savage space war ever . . . and he was headed straight for a desperate encounter on the enemy battle station known as the Death Star ! " Luke Skywalker challenges the stormtroopers of a distant galaxy on a daring mission — where a force of life became the power of death ! " Luke Skywalker was a twenty - year - old who lived and worked on his uncle ' s farm on the remote planet of Tatooine … and he was bored beyond belief . He yearned for adventures out among the stars — adventures that would take him beyond the farthest galaxies to distant and alien worlds . " " But Luke got more than he bargained for when he intercepted a cryptic message from a beautiful princess being held captive by a dark and powerful warlord . Luke didn ' t know who she was , but he had to save her — and soon , because time was running out . " " Armed only with courage and with the light saber that had been his father ' s , Luke was catapulted into the middle of the most savage space war ever … and he was headed straight for a desperate encounter on the enemy battle station known as the Death Star ! " Summary . The book ' s plot is the same as that of the film . Like many novelizations , it differs from the film in that it often uses different dialogue , gives more details about characters ' thoughts , and provides more background information . Other notable differences are listed below . Cover gallery . This is a gallery of the different cover variations of " Star Wars Episode IV : A New Hope " . Behind the scenes . As it was published six months before the release of the film , this was the first " Star Wars " item ever produced . The design of Darth Vader on the top - right corner of many LEGO Star Wars sets for the Prequel trilogy looks remarkably similar to his design on the original cover of this novel . Both have a red light source shining on the left side of Vader . Both versions also have a more complex , robotic design to them , more prominent on the novel ' s rendition . The book has the Star Wars Corporation listed as a copyright holder .