Every one who visits this site knows I’ve raved about the gorgeous collection of books that DK Canada has in their library, and I love that they are bringing their passionate love of pop culture with them with a wealth of boos to entertain all readers.

There are a number of great books to be found at their booth (#838), which is always a great place to find something to read! Included among the titles for sale are a number of titles I’ve previously reviewed, like the Marvel Studios Character Encyclopedia, Marvel’s Fearless and Fantastic, Marvel: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know, the Marvel Studios Visual Dictionary, the DC Comics Ultimate Character Guide, The DC Comics Encyclopedia, the Marvel Encyclopedia, and the Lego Star Wars: Visual Dictionary.

Also to be found at the table are additional Lego books focusing on Harry Potter, and Ninjago, and a fun collection of Star Wars books for younger readers.

I always delight in DK Canada’s Star Wars books, they are gorgeous editions, glossy, colorful, fun and incredibly detailed, and I got a look at a pair of them before Fan Expo gets underway on Thursday night…

There’s the Star Wars: Character Encyclopedia (New Edition – 2019) which takes its readers through the characters who have blazed a path across the big screen in The Original Trilogy, The Prequel Trilogy, Rogue One, Solo, The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.

Each character gets a profile page which tells us who they are, shares some fun facts, and trivia, and gives us a fantastic look at the costume (great for cosplayers – I’m just saying!).

The Complete Star Wars Visual Dictionary (New Edition – 2018) is a far heftier book than the Character Encyclopedia, but follows the same guidelines, gorgeous pictures, detailed texts, trivia, everything that takes us into the realm of Star Wars is here, including brushing up against the two canon animated series, The Clone Wars and Rebels.

This book takes us through realms, ships, weapons, lightsabers, droids, heroes, villains, and each picture is gorgeously rendered in thick glossy paper that makes this book a stunning page-turner. From major costume pieces to the smallest hand prop, it’s all here, a perfect guide to that galaxy far, far away.

And speaking of guides, Christian Blauvelt, who wrote the entertaining, and yes, inspirational guides, Be More Vader and Be More Yoda, will be on hand, Friday at 4pm in room #717 to celebrate the release of his new Star Wars book, How Not to Get Eaten by Ewoks.

Blauvelt’s latest book is wonderfully funny, joyfully entertaining, and treats itself as if it is actually a guide for that distant, beloved galaxy (though its tongue is firmly buried in its cheek).

It is a survival guide for the Star Wars universe, and takes some very real basics, and makes it a fun ride and advisory for dealing with (or avoiding) bounty hunters, Imperials, and dangerous creatures, as well as dealing with the social realms that one can find themselves in.

It’s hilarious, fun, and like Blauvelt’s other works, deeply entrenched in the Star Wars realm, and lets us imagine how we would survive there. It’s a real joy, and should be required reading before joining the 501st or making the Kessel Run.

But it’s not all pop culture. In fact, there’s a pair of gorgeous books that are just stunning additions to any collections, pop culture or not. There is Myths & Legends (2019) by Philip Wilkinson, and Signs & Symbols (2019) by Ian Harrison, James Harrison, Sally Regan, Anna Southgate and Amber Tokeley.

Both books are exactly what they say they are, guides to things from across the entire planet, and our entire timeline. They both make fantastic reference books, and there is so much fantastic information in both books, at the readers’ fingertips. There are things from all over the world, each with their own entry, with enough information to give you a basic understanding of each subject, and perhaps inspire the reader to go down the rabbit hole, leafing through cultures, or histories of images, legends, there is so much to explore in each book, and they can serve as wonderful companion pieces.

In short, both of these books are beautiful, and now have pride of place in my library… though they also get pulled down frequently so I can discover some new to me piece of information.

DK Canada is ready to Fuel Your Fandom, and I think you owe it to yourself to have a look at their booth, and treat yourself to something fantastic.

Fan Expo 2019 gets underway this Thursday, August 22, and runs through to Sunday, August 25 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. I’ll see you there!