  We have used the first matched set of GALEX and SDSS data to investigate the
properties of a sample of 74 nearby galaxies with far-ultraviolet luminosities
chosen to overlap the luminosity range of typical high-z Lyman Break Galaxies
(LBGs). GALEX deep surveys have shown that ultraviolet-luminous galaxies
(UVLGs) similar to these are the fastest evolving component of the UV galaxy
population. Model fits to the combined GALEX and SDSS photometry yield typical
FUV extinctions similar to LBGs. The implied star formation rates are SFR ~ 3
to 30 solar mass per year. This overlaps the range of SFRs for LBGs. We find a
strong inverse correlation between galaxy mass and far-ultraviolet surface
brightness, and on this basis divide the sample into ``large'' and ``compact''
UVLGs. The compact UVLGs have half-light radii of a few kpc or less (similar to
LBGs). They are relatively low mass galaxies (~10 billion solar masses) with
typical velocity dispersions of 60 to 150 km/s. They span a range in
metallicity from 0.3 to 1 times solar, have blue optical-UV colors, and are
forming stars at a rate sufficient to build the present galaxy in ~a Gigayear.
In all these respects they appear similar to the LBG population. These ``living
fossils'' may therefore provide an opportunity for detailed investigation of
the physical processes occurring in typical star forming galaxies in the early
universe.
