Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader

Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader by James Luceno
After joining the dark side, destroying the Jedi, and losing his only love, Anakin Skywalker must learn to live as the villain Darth Vader and earn his place in the new Galactic Empire.

Buy from Amazon!

This is a prequel era book from the Legends timeline. It may be contradicted by newer books, movies, or TV shows (if so, just think of it as an alternate universe).

Imperial Commando: 501st

Imperial Commando: 501st by Karen Traviss
The first book of an unfinished follow-up series to the beloved Republic Commando novels, 501st continues the story of those books into the early days of the Empire, when the clone commando squads are drafted into Darth Vader's special stormtrooper legion.

Buy from Amazon!

This is a classic era book from the Legends timeline. It will likely be contradicted by newer books, movies, or TV shows (if so, just think of it as an alternate universe).

Coruscant Nights

 
Coruscant Nights by Michael Reaves
A memorable trilogy of character-driven adventures in the seedy underworld of the city planet Coruscant. Inspired by the film noir detective movies of the 1940s and 1950s, these books tell the story of a self-doubting Jedi survivor, a sarcastic droid, and a plucky ex-journalist who come together with other interesting characters to solve mysteries and join the budding resistance in the early days of the Empire.

Buy from Amazon:
Book 1: Jedi Twilight

Book 2: Street of Shadows

Book 3: Patterns of Force

Story continued in The Last Jedi. 

This is a classic era book from the Legends timeline. It will likely be contradicted by newer books, movies, or TV shows (if so, just think of it as an alternate universe).

Kenobi

Kenobi by John Jackson Miller
After losing almost everything to Palpatine's newly declared Empire, Jedi hero Obi-Wan Kenobi must learn to live as a hermit on the remote desert planet of Tatooine. His mission: to lay low and not be a Jedi. But it seems trouble has a way of finding him even here! A fan favorite.

Buy from Amazon!

This is a classic era book from the Legends timeline. It will likely be contradicted by newer books, movies, or TV shows (if so, just think of it as an alternate universe).

The Last Jedi

Warning: This is NOT the book version of the 2017 movie Star Wars: The Last Jedi. It's a completely unrelated novel from the Legends timeline.

The Last Jedi by Michael Reaves and Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff
The nail-biting conclusion to the story from the Coruscant Nights series, in which the team's growing involvement in resistance to the Empire - along with a devastating tragedy - takes them off Coruscant and on a journey across the galaxy.

Buy from Amazon!

This is a classic era book from the Legends timeline. It will likely be contradicted by newer books, movies, or TV shows (if so, just think of it as an alternate universe).

The Han Solo Adventures

The Han Solo Adventures by Brian Daley
Some of the earliest Star Wars novels from the 1970s and 80s, this is a trilogy of stories about the misadventures of young Han Solo and Chewbacca. Originally published as three separate books, now in print only as a combined paperback volume.

Buy from Amazon:
(Combined 3-in-1 paperback)
Han Solo at Stars' End (vintage)

Han Solo's Revenge (vintage)

Han Solo and the Lost Legacy (vintage)

This is a classic era series from the Legends timeline. It will likely be contradicted by newer books, movies, or TV shows (if so, just think of it as an alternate universe).

The Lando Calrissian Adventures

 
The Lando Calrissian Adventures by L. Neil Smith
Some of the earliest Star Wars novels, originally published in the 1980s (the separate original books are now out of print, but are still available in a combined paperback edition). This is a trilogy of quirky, somewhat humorous stories about young gambler Lando Calrissian running up against threats as varied as corrupt officials, ancient civilizations, and the mysteries of outer space.

Buy from Amazon:
Combined 3-in-1 paperback
Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu (vintage)

Lando Calrissian and the Flamewind of Oseon (vintage)

Lando Calrissian and the Starcave of ThonBoka (vintage)

This is a classic era series from the Legends timeline. It will likely be contradicted by newer books, movies, or TV shows (if so, just think of it as an alternate universe).

The Han Solo Trilogy

 
The Han Solo Trilogy by A.C. Crispin
A popular trilogy of novels telling the story of Han Solo's life before A New Hope, from youth on the streets, to his expulsion from the Imperial Academy, to the height of his career as a smuggler.

Buy from Amazon:
Book 1: The Paradise Snare

Book 2: The Hutt Gambit

Book 3: Rebel Dawn

This is a classic era series from the Legends timeline. It will likely be contradicted by newer books, movies, or TV shows (if so, just think of it as an alternate universe).

Death Star

Death Star by Michael Reaves & Steve Perry
A novel about the construction of the first Death Star, and the many different people whose lives it touched.

Buy from Amazon!

This is a classic era book from the Legends timeline. It will likely be contradicted by newer books, movies, or TV shows (if so, just think of it as an alternate universe).

Death Troopers

Death Troopers by Joe Schreiber
In this first-ever adult Star Wars horror novel, a rag-tag group of survivors trapped on board a ship drifting in space will have to fight to survive a terrifying virus-borne zombie outbreak.

Buy from Amazon!

This is a classic era book from the Legends timeline. It will likely be contradicted by newer books (if so, just think of it as an alternate universe).

The Force Unleashed I & II

The Force Unleashed I & II by Sean Williams
Based on the popular video games Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and The Force Unleashed II, these novels tell the story of a powerful Force user, trained as Darth Vader's apprentice, who becomes entangled in the founding of the Rebel Alliance.

Buy from Amazon:
The Force Unleashed

The Force Unleashed II

This is a classic era book from the Legends timeline. It will likely be contradicted by newer books, movies, or TV shows (if so, just think of it as an alternate universe).

Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina

Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina by various authors
A collection of short stories, each focusing on one of the characters from the famous bar scene in the original Star Wars movie!

Buy from Amazon!

This is a classic era book from the Legends timeline. It will likely be contradicted by newer books (if so, just think of it as an alternate universe).

(Interested in a New Canon take on the background characters of Star Wars: A New Hope? Check out Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View.)

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope novelization

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope novelization by George Lucas 
The very first Star Wars book ever, this novel was written by Alan Dean Foster based on George Lucas's script for the original Star Wars movie (Foster agreed to do it without credit). It was released in 1976, six months before the movie, and was then titled Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker.

Buy from Amazon!

This is a movie novelization from the Legends timeline. Though the movie itself is canon, original content in the book could be contradicted by future books, movies, or TV shows (if so, you can think of it as an alternate universe).

Shadow Games

Shadow Games by Michael Reaves and Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff
Set shortly before A New Hope, this story follows the "rags to riches" rise of a galactic movie star at a time when the Rebellion was just beginning.

Buy from Amazon!

This is a classic era book from the Legends timeline. It will likely be contradicted by newer books (if so, just think of it as an alternate universe).

Scoundrels

Scoundrels by Timothy Zahn
The Death Star has been destroyed, but Han Solo is still deep in debt to Jabba the Hutt. When a stranger recruits Han to carry out an ambitious heist to steal a fortune from a powerful mafia boss, Han finally sees his chance to pay off the debt. But he won't be able to do it without Chewie's loyal backup, Lando's best con-man routine, and a team of the galaxy's most skilled thieves, hackers, and cheats. A whole book of rollicking good scoundrel fun!

Buy from Amazon!

This is a classic era book from the Legends timeline. It will likely be contradicted by newer books (if so, just think of it as an alternate universe).

Honor Among Thieves

Honor Among Thieves by James S.A. Correy
The last book ever published in the Legends timeline, Honor Among Thieves is a book focused on Han Solo, set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. The Rebel Alliance assigns new member Han Solo to extract a rebel spy from behind enemy lines, but the mission turns out to be way more complicated than anyone expected.

Buy from Amazon!

This is a classic era book from the Legends timeline. It will likely be contradicted by newer books (if so, just think of it as an alternate universe).

Allegiance

Allegiance by Timothy Zahn
Young Imperial agent Mara Jade is on a mission to root out corruption in the Empire's middle levels, even as a squad of stormtroopers on the same planet deserts and sets out to uphold justice on its own terms. Before long, Mara, the rogue stormtroopers, and the heroes of the Rebellion will see their paths converge - despite the fact that Mara and Luke Skywalker won't meet face-to-face until almost eight years later! In the process, each person will have to contemplate what "allegiance" means to them.

Buy from Amazon!

Story continued in Choices of One. 

This is a classic era book from the Legends timeline. It will likely be contradicted by newer books (if so, just think of it as an alternate universe).

Choices of One

Choices of One by Timothy Zahn
In this sequel to Timothy Zahn's novel Allegiance, Mara Jade and the Hand of Judgment are sent on a mission to prevent a traitorous Imperial governor from allying with the rebels - even as Luke, Leia, and Han are on their way to meet with that very governor. Looming over the whole thing is a threat from a mysterious warlord from the Unknown Regions, whose power might take both Rebel and Imperial courage and brains to overcome.

A younger version of fan-favorite character Thrawn - not yet a Grand Admiral - plays a role in the story, and this book is also a must-read for any fans of his future right-hand man, Gilad Pellaeon.

Buy from Amazon!

This is a classic era book from the Legends timeline. It will likely be contradicted by newer books (if so, just think of it as an alternate universe).

Empire and Rebellion: Razor's Edge

Empire and Rebellion: Razor's Edge by Martha Wells
One of the last books to be published in the Legends timeline, Razor's Edge is a book focused on Princess Leia between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes back. On a mission to save the Rebellion, Leia and friends come up against a group of dangerous pirates with a secret that will chill Leia to the bone.

Buy from Amazon!

This is a classic era book from the Legends timeline. It will likely be contradicted by newer books (if so, just think of it as an alternate universe).

Splinter of the Mind's Eye

Splinter of the Mind's Eye by Alan Dean Foster
The first ever Star Wars expanded universe novel, released in 1978, this book was written under the requirement that it could be made into a cheap sequel to the first Star Wars film in case the movie didn't do well enough to justify a big-budget follow-up. It tells the story of Luke and Leia crash-landing on a swamp planet, where they must keep a powerful Force-magnifying crystal from falling into the hands of the Empire. Before the end, they'll have to face the Empire's most feared villain: Darth Vader.

Buy from Amazon!

This is a classic era book from the Legends timeline. It will likely be contradicted by newer books (if so, just think of it as an alternate universe).