^ Oh man I remember those. I never owned one of the books but loved going to bookstores to peruse them.
Steve Sansweet also had a huge encyclopedia that, before the PT, was the holy grail of SW information.
http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Encyclopedia-Stephen-Sansweet/dp/0345402278
I worked at a large entertainment store with movies, books, games, etc., and during breaks I would sneak into the back of the store with the SW encyclopedia and "study".