Lego, Star Wars, much like chocolate and peanut butter, some things just belong together. Lego has become inextricably tied to everyone’s childhood, and some of us leave it behind when we step towards that thing called adulthood, others will always have a love for it, and sometimes a massive collection to go with it.

When it comes to Lego Star Wars, massive doesn’t even begin to describe it, and DK Canada’s Ultimate Lego Star Wars may be the closest thing collectors get to a truly encyclopedic documentation of all the Lego Star Wars to be had.

This massive, and heavy tome is filled with a plethora of images (I never knew there were so many Lego variations of everyone’s favourite astromech, R2-D2 – a baker’s dozen, and don’t even get started on the Lukes or Stormtroopers, Clone Troopers).

But that doesn’t mean it’s not fun. Star Wars, and Lego, have always been about fun, and that is evident in this book, from the pictures to the notations and descriptions of the characters, the book is informative for the young Lego fan, or an essential guide for the Lego Star Wars collector as it breaks down sets (each with their own unique identifier) and a description of each set, its contents and how its additional minifigures differ from a minifigure that may look, to the unsuspecting eye, as the same thing.

Filled with countless photographs, the book features the Star Wars universe as only Lego could present it, while at the same time being informative and playful.

From a geek, and collector standpoint, I love that every variation of a Skywalker or a Vader, not to mention the countless vehicles are documented here, all their little differences marked and highlighted, making each one a desirable collectors’ item. Sure some more so than others (that light up lightsaber Anakin variant must be a pretty sweet find), but I love that they are all here.

It’s amazing to me that it took until 1999 for Lego to get the Star Wars licence, because I can only imagine how awesome it would have been as a kid to have these Lego Star Wars set as each new film of the Original Trilogy came along.

As it was, I had to make my own cantina playset, my own landspeeder and TIE fighters, not to mention the occasional DL-44 blaster.

I often fall in love with the DK Star Wars books, but I think this one is going to hold sway over me a little longer than others, and I may have to go out and hunt down a playset, or minifigure or two.

A perfect collectors’ guide, and a fun addition to the Star Wars book shelf, Ultimate Lego Star Wars is available from DK Books now!