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Take a Journey to Middle-earth @ Amazon.com
Among the greatest works of imaginative fiction in the twentieth century..." — Sunday Telegraph. |
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Guides, Atlases
Informative illustrated and literary guides that no one exploring Middle-earth should be without. Note: These titles are listed in alphabethical order.
"Hobbits, Elves and Wizards: Exploring the Wonders and Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings"
By Michael N. Stanton. In "Hobbits, Elves, and Wizards: Exploring the Wonders and Worlds of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings," Michael N. Stanton, who teaches English literature at the University of Vermont, offers biographical and literary insights about Tolkien and his beloved trilogy. Young Tolkien first worked on the story cycle while on sick leave from military duty in WWI; Middle-earth's weather, seasons and flora recall Earth's Northern Hemisphere, says Stanton, thereby reassuring "readers that fundamentally they are on home territory" amidst "large doses of the marvelous." 'Hard' & 'Softcover' Editions
"The Atlas of Middle-earth"
By Karen Wynn Fonstad. Karen Wynn Fonstad's definitive guide to the geography of Middle-earth, from its founding in the Elder Days through the Third Age, including the journeys of Bilbo, Frodo, and the Fellowship of the Ring. Authentic and updated—nearly one third of the maps are new, and the text is fully revised—the atlas illuminates the enchanted world created in "The Silmarillion," "The Hobbit," and "The Lord of the Rings." Hundreds of two-color maps and diagrams survey the journeys of the principal characters day by day—including all the battles and key locations of the First, Second, and Third Ages. Plans and descriptions of castles, buildings, and distinctive landforms are given, along with thematic maps describing the climate, vegetation, languages, and population distribution of Middle-earth throughout its history. An extensive appendix and an index help readers correlate the maps with Tolkien's novels. 'Softcover' Edition
"The Complete Guide to Middle-earth: From 'The Hobbit' to 'The Silmarillion'"
By Robert Foster. For the millions who have already ventured to Middle-earth, and for the countless others who have yet to embark on the journey–here is the one indispensable A-to-Z guide that brings Tolkien's universe to life.
Every Character
Every Place
Every Thing
'Hard' & 'Softcover' Editions
"The Hobbit Companion"
By Lidia Postma. Illustrated by David Day. In "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings," J.R.R. Tolkien spun a clever web of wordplay and verbal hocus-pocus. Inspired by these linguistic games, master "hobbit investigator" David Day untangles the crafty puns and riddles, hidden meanings, and mythical associations that lie beneath the saga's thrilling surface. More than just a delightful study of an author who deeply loved and understood the intricacies of the English language (Tolkien helped compile the prestigious Oxford English Dictionary), this magnificently illustrated companion charms with its own beauty and enhances our understanding of one of the world's great masterpieces. Starting with the word "hobbit" itself, this illuminating guide moves on to examine Bilbo Baggins, the Gollum and the goblins, hobbit heritage and history, Buckland and Brandy Hall, Gandalf, Shire Society, the Fellowship, and much more. Intriguing to the uninitiated and enchanting to the enthusiast, this sparkling companion enhances the enjoyment of Tolkien's dark, mysterious world. 'Hardcover' Edition
"The Inklings Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to the Lives, Thought and Writings of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, Owen Barfiel"
By Colin Duriez & David Porter. The Oxford Inklings was an informal group of literary friends who met weekly to talk about ideas and pieces they were writing and enjoy a good evening of "the cut and parry of prolonged, fierce and masculine argument." This comprehensive guide to the lives, thoughts, and writings of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and Owen Barfield provides an introduction to the Inklings and a second A-Z section that contains many biographical articles, as well as entries on the group's publications, themes, and theology. 'Hardcover' Edition
"The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide"
By Wayne Hammond and Christina Scull. This two volume boxed set is perhaps the most comprehensive reference ever published to Tolkien's life and works, including synopses of all his writings, a 'Tolkien A-Z,' a 'Who's Who,' and a chronology. 'Hardcover' Editions
"The J.R.R. Tolkien Handbook: A Concise Guide to His Life, Writings, and World of Middle-earth"
By Colin Duriez. Unlock the secrets to a thoughtful man and his world of orcs, hobbits, dragons, ents, and elvin lords. J.R.R. Tolkien, author of "The Hobbit," "The Lord of the Rings," and more, created an entire fantasy world complete with its own history, languages, geography, literature, and hundreds of fascinating characters. This helpful guide, arranged in dictionary format, gives you quick and easy access to the key characters, events, and places in Tolkien's writings. "The J.R.R. Tolkien Handbook" also contains details about Tolkien's friends and colleagues, the writers and thinkers who influenced his work, summaries of his beliefs and how they are revealed in his writing, and a handy list of Tolkien's works. Asterisks within articles allow you to follow the themes that interest you most and discover how Tolkien's life and writing interwove. 'Softcover' Edition
"The Languages of Tolkien's Middle-earth"
By Ruth S. Noel. Explains the fourteen different languages, and assorted alphabets of Middle-earth, translates Elvish poetry, war slogans, and sayings, and features a complete dictionary of non-English words in the Middle-earth classics. 'Softcover' Edition
"The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion"
By Wayne G. Hammond, Christina Scull. In "The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion," internationally acclaimed scholars Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull, examine Tolkien's masterpiece chapter by chapter, offering expert insights into its evolution, structure, and meaning. They discuss, in close detail, important literary and historical influences on the development of "The Lord of the Rings," connections between that work and other writings by Tolkien, errors and inconsistencies, significant changes to the text during its fifty years of publication, archaic and unusual words used by Tolkien, and words and passages in his invented languages of Middle-earth. Thousands of notes, keyed to standard editions of "The Lord of the Rings," but universally accessible, reveal the richness and complexity of one of the most popular works of fiction in our time. In addition to their own expertise and that of other scholars and critics, Hammond and Scull frequently draw upon comments by Tolkien himself, made in letters to family, friends, and enthusiasts, in draft texts of "The Lord of the Rings," and in works written in later years which amplify or illuminate characters and events in the story. Extensive reference is made also to writings by Tolkien not previously or widely published, including elaborate time-schemes, an unfinished manuscript index to "The Lord of the Rings," and most notably, the important Nomenclature or guide to names in "The Lord of the Rings" prepared for the use of translators, long out of print and now newly transcribed and printed in its entirety. With these resources at hand, even the most seasoned reader of "The Lord of the Rings" will come to a greater enjoyment and appreciation of Tolkien's magnificent achievement. 'Hardcover' Edition
"The Magical Worlds of 'The Lord of the Rings"
By David Colbert. The author who revealed the myths behind J.K. Rowling's creatures, now tackles literature's most beloved epic fantasy, by bringing to light the legends that influenced J.R.R. Tolkien—and answering pertinent questions ranging from "Why do Hobbits live in holes?" to "When in the world is Middle-earth?" 'Softcover' Edition
"The Maps of Tolkien's Middle-earth"
By Brian Sibley, John Howe. First published in October, 2003, by Houghton Mifflin. Best-selling Tolkien expert Brian Sibley ("The Lord of the Rings: The Making of the Movie Trilogy" and "The Lord of the Rings Official Movie Guide") presents a slipcased collection of four full-color, large-format maps of Tolkien's imaginary realm illustrated by John Howe, a conceptual designer for the films directed by Peter Jackson. The set includes a hardcover book describing in detail the importance and evolution of geography within Tolkien's epic fiction and four color maps presented with minimal folds, including two (Beleriand and Númenor) never before published in this country. 'Hardcover' Edition
"The Origins of Tolkien's Middle-earth for Dummies"
By Greg Harvey. First published in September, 2003, by For Dummies. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" has sold more than 100 million copies worldwide, and interest in Tolkien's work has reached new peaks with the release of Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" film trilogy. This invaluable guide to Tolkien's fantasy world–covering the Lord of the Rings as well as The Hobbit and The Silmarillion–is a must for fans of the books or movies. It helps them get a handle on the complexities and subtleties of Tolkien's saga: the history, geography, creatures, and languages of Middle-earth; its mythology and moral themes; how Tolkien's stories compare to other myths from around the world; and much more. Greg Harvey is the author of several bestselling For Dummies computer books. He has studied twelve languages, including Elvish, and has examined Tolkien's mythology and themes as part of his PhD studies in comparative philosophy and religion at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. 'Softcover' Edition
"The Tolkien Companion"
By J.E.A. Tyler. Illustrated by Kevin Reilly. This complete, and accessible concordance to the legends, history, languages, and people of J.R.R. Tolkien's imaginative Middle-earth, provides a fan's reference to "The Hobbit," and "The Lord of the Rings." 'Hardcover' Edition
"There and Back Again: In the Footsteps of J.R.R. Tolkien"
By Mathew Lyons. To this day, J.R.R. Tolkien fans throughout the world argue incessantly about the sources of his inspiration for "The Lord of the Rings," particularly the actual places that inspired the extraordinary detailed landscapes of 'Middle-earth.' When Tolkien started to create 'Middle-earth,' his express intention was to create a mythology for England—based on his understanding of its people, its history and above all its landscape, and there is little doubt that Tolkien's work is steeped in a profound love for the English countryside at that time—which was vanishing before his very eyes. In compelling and original book, Mathew Lyons draws on his own fascination for the novels of J.R.R Tolkien, by following in his footsteps through the English landscapes and countryside that inspired one of England's greatest writers—from charming Staffordshire villages to breath-taking Somerset caves. Tolkien may have given little away directly, but Lyons argues that clues exist throughout his work, in his letters and in interviews, to the places whose beauties Tolkien celebrated in "The Lord of the Rings." No ordinary travelogue, "There and Back Again" examines the rich variety of England as Tolkien most likely saw it, peeling back the layers of history to the Victorian world of Tolkien's childhood; to the Anglo-Saxon world of heroes and myth; and further back still to a world beyond history's reach. 'Softcover' Edition
"Tolkien: The Illustrated Encyclopaedia"
By David Day. The first encyclopedic illustrated guide to Middle-earth, and The Undying Lands, this book brings together every important aspect of Tolkien's vast cosmology. More than five hundred alphabetical entries cover five major subject areas: history, geography, sociology, natural history and biography. The maps, genealogies and time-charts, together with the illustrations of characters, places and events, reveal to the reader the full dramatic sweep and splendor of Tolkien's world. 'Softcover' Edition
"Tolkien's Art: A Mythology for England"
By Jane Chance An attractively presented short study based on an excellent idea, namely that of tracing the nature of the relationship between Tolkien's scholarship in Old and Middle English and his creative writing. 'Softcover' Edition
"Visualizing Middle-earth"
By Michael Martinez. Visualizing Middle-earth collects essays written for several Web sites in late 1999 and early 2000. Some of the essays were updated for the book. Topics range from "Understanding Magic in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth", a lengthy examination of how Tolkien developed his magical concepts, to the history and culture of the Dwarves, Rangers, and Hobbits.
Some of the essays discuss the Peter Jackson movies in a speculative manner and are now a bit dated.
Other essays address fan controversies, such as whether Balrogs have wings or Middle-earth is medieval.
Some of the essays speculate on Middle-earth's mysteries, including Isildur's wife, how Gandalf's first thousand years in Middle-earth may have unfolded, and where Aragorn's people lived.
'Softcover' Edition
"World of the Rings: The Unauthorized Guide to the Work of J.R.R. Tolkien"
By Iain Lowson, Peter MacKenzie, and Keith Marshall. J.R.R. Tolkien has captured the imaginations of millions of readers with his classic Lord of the Rings trilogy. For those new to these books, and for those returning to the magical world of Hobbits, Wizards, Elves, Ents and Orcs, this illuminating handbook will guide readers through the intricate maze of Tolkien's powerfully inventive fantasy. It also simplifies and makes accessible the multiple layers of legend and history that make up the background to the story. A timely guide to the enduring allure of Middle-earth. 'Softcover' Edition
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