[LUCAS, George (b. 1944)]. Original photograph from the set of Star Wars with personal inscription from George Lucas. 1977.

8 x 10 in. gelatin silver print (masking tape applied to border, presumably by Ackerman). Provenance: Forrest J. Ackerman (1916-2008), American editor, magazine publisher, and science fiction author; acquired by the present owner directly from Ackerman.

WARMLY INSCRIBED BY GEORGE LUCAS TO FORREST J. ACKERMAN, “May the force be with FM from here to eternity.”

A lifelong fan of Famous Monsters, George Lucas approached Forrest J. Ackerman during production of Star Wars about creating a promotional issue of Ackerman’s magazine which would highlight the film’s cast, crew, alien worlds, and groundbreaking special effects work. The Famous Monsters Star Wars Spectacular was published to coincide with the film’s release. The present photograph is a unique artifact of what would ultimately become the second-highest grossing film series of all time just as it stood on the precipice of changing cinema and popular culture forever.