Authored by Ebenn Q3 Baobab, a Human scholar and polymath, the Galactic Phrase Book & Travel Guide was a book. This resource was specifically created for fellow Humans, offering basic phrases in various languages besides Galactic Basic Standard. Baobab Publishing released the Galactic Phrase Book & Travel Guide, initially in 22 BBY, followed by a new edition twenty-eight years later in 6 ABY.
The Galactic Phrase Book & Travel Guide represents the most important work of Ebenn Q3 Baobab, a celebrated Human polymath born on Manda. Baobab Publishing initially published the first iteration of this book before the fourth month of the year 22 BBY. Baobab expanded his influential phrase resource with a supplement focusing on the language of the Snivvians, an artistic species hailing from Cadomai Prime, just prior to the subsequent outbreak of the Clone Wars. This supplement was then featured in the fifty-first issue of the 531st volume of HoloNet News, titled "Today's Traveler - The Art of Dealing with Snivvians." Around eight months following the Battle of Yavin in 0 ABY, the young Tash Arranda consulted Baobab's book while editing Death in the Slave Pits of Lorrd, Or: What I Did On My Inter-Term Break, an essay chronicling her visit to the planet Lorrd with her adopted uncle, the Senior Anthropologist Mammon Hoole. Six years later, a revised version of the Galactic Phrase Book & Travel Guide was released, by which time Baobab had retired and was grappling with severe dementia for several years.
Notably, the first edition featured a chapter dedicated to the Lorrdians, a culturally distinct group of Humans residing on Lorrd within the Kanz sector. The correct bibliographic citation for this edition is: "Baobab, Ebenn Q3. Galactic Phrasebook and Travel Guide. Manda: Baobab Publishing, (13 GrS)." The 6 ABY edition included a rather brief travel guide, offering general advice and a glimpse at cantinas, hotels, saunas, and other such facilities in Mos Eisley, a large spaceport on Tatooine. The conversation guide itself contained sections on Bocce, Huttese, Ewokese, Binary, Shyriiwook, Jawaese, Tusken, Old Gungan, Neimoidian and Sullustese. The guide not only provided linguistic content but also offered guidance on interacting with native speakers of these languages. It covered common—and potentially challenging—scenarios, such as confronting a Tusken Raider, deterring bothersome droids, or avoiding unappetizing Gungan cuisine. The entire book featured playful illustrations, often depicting a spacer in comical situations.
The Galactic Phrase Book & Travel Guide initially materialized in 2001 as its real-world counterpart, penned by Star Wars sound designer Ben Burtt. The now-defunct MMORPG Star Wars Galaxies indicated that Baobab had already released his Galactic Phrase Book & Travel Guide before the Galactic Civil War, the period in which the game was set. This presented a continuity discrepancy, as the real-world book stated a publication date of 6 ABY. However, Volume 531, Issue 51 of the HoloNet News website revealed that a version of the tome existed approximately one month before the Clone Wars. Death in the Slave Pits of Lorrd, an in-universe narrative crafted by Adrick Tolliver for the defunct Hyperspace subscriber feature of StarWars.com, confirmed the book's original publication in 13 GrS—equivalent to 22 BBY.