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.

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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).

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.

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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.

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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).

Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back novelization

Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back novelization by Donald F. Glut
Based on the movie script and written while the film was still in production, this is the original adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back from 1980. It closely follows the plot of the movie, but with some small differences (such as a "blue" Yoda) due to the fact that author Donald F. Glut didn't get to see the movie before writing the book.

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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).

Shadows of the Empire

Shadows of the Empire by Steve Perry
The only novel set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, this book was published in 1996 as a refreshing return to the classic trilogy era, in the years where most novels took place after the defeat of the Emperor. The book is essentially a lead-in to Return of the Jedi, setting up the background for many of the events in that movie. However, it revolves heavily around a new character, the crime kingpin Prince Xizor, who is competing with Vader for the Emperor's favor.

Though the book tells a reasonably engaging story, many readers remember it more for its creepy attempted rape scene (for the record, most Star Wars novels have no sexual content at all).

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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).

Episode VI: Return of the Jedi novelization

Episode VI: Return of the Jedi novelization by James Kahn
Written based on the script while the film was still in production, this is the original novel adaptation of Return of the Jedi from 1983. Author James Kahn brings depth and a slightly different perspective to what is probably the second-best of the main Star Wars movie novelizations (after Matthew Stover's Revenge of the Sith). Though there are naturally also some inconsistencies with the final film and later books, the novel also includes interesting expanded versions of some of the scenes from the movie.

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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).

Tales from the Empire

Tales from the Empire by various authors
A collection of short stories, selected as some of the best originally published in the Star Wars Adventure Journal roleplaying game magazine in the mid-1990s. Fan favorite characters such as Mara Jade, Grand Admiral Thrawn, and Corran Horn all make major appearances, and the book includes a novella collaboratively written by beloved authors Timothy Zahn and Michael Stackpole (who also each contribute one other story to the collection).

Despite the cover art, Boba Fett only appears in this book from a certain point of view.

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

The Thrawn Trilogy

The Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn
Among the most beloved of all Star Wars novels, the so-called Thrawn Trilogy (a name that doesn't actually appear on the books themselves) was the story that launched the Legends expanded universe in earnest back in 1991. These books were the first ever written to take place after Return of the Jedi, and they set the stage for much of the rest of the Legends continuity. They tell a masterfully-written, multi-faceted story that's at once both epic and deeply personal.

Five years after the destruction of the second Death Star, the budding New Republic is threatened by Grand Admiral Thrawn, an alien military genius who has returned from the Unknown Regions to retake the galaxy for the Empire. Worse, Thrawn teams up with an insane Jedi clone who boasts access to secret Imperial technologies. Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia must rediscover old secrets and search out new allies in the struggle to stop Thrawn. But among these new "friends" is Mara Jade, a former Imperial agent who lives for one purpose: to kill Luke Skywalker.

The Hand of Thrawn duology is a sequel to this trilogy, set ten years afterwards.

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Book 1: Heir to the Empire
Book 2: Dark Force Rising
Book 3: The Last Command

This is a post-Return of the Jedi series from the Legends timeline. Think of it as an alternate universe from The Force Awakens and newer books.

(Do you miss Grand Admiral Thrawn? He's back in the new Star Wars canon, starting with Timothy Zahn's novel Thrawn!) 

The Hand of Thrawn

The Hand of Thrawn duology by Timothy Zahn
The thrilling follow-up to Timothy Zahn's beloved Thrawn Trilogy! Ten years after Grand Admiral Thrawn nearly brought the New Republic to its knees, the Imperial Remnant is ready to finally surrender to the former rebels. Not everyone would have peace: Three well-placed Imperials conspire to fake the resurrection of Thrawn, not realizing how close to the truth their charade really is. Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade follow a mysterious trail of clues to a shocking discovery in the Unknown Regions, while a revelation from the past threatens to tear the New Republic apart from the inside.

Want more of Luke and Mara exploring Thrawn's legacy in the Unknown Regions? Read Survivor's Quest next, set three years after the Hand of Thrawn books.

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Book 1: Specter of the Past
Book 2: Vision of the Future

This is a post-Return of the Jedi series from the Legends timeline. Think of it as an alternate universe from The Force Awakens and newer books.