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).

Galaxies: The Ruins of Dantooine

Galaxies: The Ruins of Dantooine by Voronica Whitney-Robinson with Haden Blackman
A tie-in to the Star Wars: Galaxies online video game, this novel follows the story of two Imperial defectors who join the Rebellion to help protect vital information about the future of the Jedi. The book has been widely criticized for its simple story and excessive references to the structure of the video game, though it does have its fans.

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).

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.

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).

Tales of the Bounty Hunters

Tales of the Bounty Hunters by various authors
This book is a collection of five (not-so-short) short stories about the bounty hunters seen in The Empire Strikes Back: Boba Fett, Bossk, Dengar, IG-88, Zuckuss, and 4-LOM. It's a varied and interesting look inside the minds of these characters whose loyalty is neither to the Empire or to the Rebel Alliance.

The book's "Tale of Boba Fett" was written before the bounty hunter's childhood was revealed in Attack of the Clones, so there are some contradictions - however, many fans actually preferred this book's take on Boba Fett over the newer backstory from the movies.

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).

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).

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).

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.

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).