Check out the Essential Guide series:

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Essential_Guide

If you want primarily OT stuff, I suggest you only use the first generation series (so not the New Essential Guides). I believe they do contain some EU things, but most of it's from the good EU and doesn't include prequel and post-prequel EU information. My favourite from among them is The Essential Guide to Alien Species. It gives short stories about each species, usually from the perspective of a shape-shifting xenologist, as well as giving a factual description of the species, which makes it interesting to read cover to cover.

Hope that's what you were after.