Product Description
Here is an in-depth look at the role myth, morality, and religion play in J.R.R. Tolkien’s works such as The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion—including Tolkien’s private letters and revealing opinions of his own work. Richard L. Purtill brilliantly argues that Tolkien’s extraordinary ability to touch his readers’ lives through his storytelling—so unlike much modern literature—accounts for his enormous literary success.

This book demonstrates the moral depth in Tolkien’s work and cuts through current subjectivism and cynicism about morality. A careful reader will find a subtle religious dimension to Tolkien’s work—all the more potent because it is below the surface. Purtill reveals that Tolkien’s fantasy stories creatively incorporate profound religious and ethical ideas. For example, Purtill shows us how hobbits reflect both the pettiness of parochial humanity and unexpected heroism.

Purtill, author of 19 books, effectively addresses larger issues of the place of myth, the relation of religion and morality to literature, the relation of Tolkien’s work to traditional mythology, and the lessons Tolkien’s work teaches for our own lives. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent
This little book is an excellent companion to all of Tolkien's books about Middle Earth.I found that Purtill's insights -- informed by his Catholic faith -- were fresh and illuminated the Catholicity of Tolkien's work.His explanation of why Tolkien felt impelled to create his own Brittish Myth was interesting too.The book was a quick and easy read.

Further Up and Further Into Middle Earth
Before the outstanding films of The Lord of the Rings, readers stumbling across The Hobbit or the trilogy (actually six books in three volumes), came away dazzled, but often with questions. Who was or is J.R.R.Tolkien? Where did these books come from? Why are they so wildly popular? When they first appeared, The Hobbit and the subsequent books were panned by critics on both sides of the Atlantic, but then among the youth they suddenly caught fire. Fifty years later, the films top critics' lists.

But why did the Ballantine paperbacks have a note on the back from Tolkien urging readers to buy the authorized editions (were there bootlegs floating around?). Why did another English professor, C.S.Lewis, devote the preface of his science-fiction novel, Out of the Silent Planet to gaining support for Tolkien's not yet published epic, The Lord of the Rings?

In one of the earliest books on Tolkien's novels, Dr. Richard Purtill, a philosophy professor at Western Washington University, addressed these and other questions. As an author, Dr. Purtill ranged widely, writing textbooks, philosophy books on logic, ethics and religion on the one hand, and fantasy novels, science-fiction and mysteries on the other. For years he taught a popular class on Philosophy and Fantasy; this book, originally published in hardback by Harper and Row in the mid '80s, both follows from and expands on that series.

This book starts in what may seem an odd place, with a discussion of a short story by Tolkien called "Leaf By Niggle." Many addicts of The Lord of the Rings, however, are not even aware the story exists, and with good reason. Originally published as half of a slim hardback called "Tree and Leaf," it now appears in a small paperback called The Tolkien Reader. The other half of "Tree and Leaf" is a famous essay called "On Fairy Stories," which gives Tolkien's views of literature and its connection to life. It's one of the very few places he gives his spiritual views or refers to his faith as a Catholic. Yet, as avid readers of C.S.Lewis know, Lewis was an atheist before talks with Tolkien led to his conversion. Purtill gives three possible interpretations of "Leaf By Niggle" (without ruining the story), and touches lightly on Tolkien's views in "On Fairy Stories."

The rest of these brief essays explore various topics in Tolkienana, such as the real heroes in The Lord of the Rings (this heroism is greatly attractive in the movies), and a topic he often discusses at fantasy conventions: myth, fantasy and science-fiction in The Lord of the Rings. An oft-seen poster used to bear the invitation: "Come to Middle Earth." With the advent of the films, it's once again a popular destination, and exploring is all the more enjoyable with this classic guide.

Reading Tolkien, Right and Wrong
This is a new edition of a book published in 1984 that has long been out of print. So far as I can tell, the only change is a new preface of Joseph Pierce. The republication is due in part to the surge of interest in Middle Earth occasioned by the new movies, and in part due to the interest the publisher, Ignatius Press, has in the book's subject matter.

What Tolkien, Purtill, and Ignatius Press all have in common is their Roman Catholicism, and of particular relevance to this book, a common sense of morality stemming from it. Between the Purtill the critic and Tolkien the author are additional commonalities as well: Purtill, like Tolkien, is an academic who is also an author of fantasy.

Given the commonalities between Purtill and Tolkien, it is therefore not surprising thatthe critic is entirely sympathetic to the author. In explaining, Purtill also defends. There are a few passages where Purtill makes the defense explicit, citing negative comments by others and then arguing against them. For the most part, however, the defense is implicit, inherent in the explanations he gives. The explicit defenses are not fully satisfactory. In terms of tone they come off as, for lack of a better word, defensive. A deeper problem however is that the explicit defenses by their very nature tend to distort that which they defend - points minor in Tolkien can become major in a defense of Tolkien. These defects make Purtill's explicit defenses sufficiently unsatisfactory that the work would have been improved through their omission.

Where Purtill succeeds and succeeds quite well is when he defends Tolkien implicitly. The strength of his book lies in his explanations of Tolkien's moral views, as well as how myth is used as a means to convey them. When Purtill works directly with Tolkien's published writings and with comments he made about them in his letters, Purtill is at his most interesting and his book most worth the time spent with it.

The main works of Tolkien taken up by Purtill are "Leaf by Niggle", "On Fairy Stories", "The Hobbit", "Lord of the Rings", and "The Silmarillion". The attention paid by Purtill to the first of these, "Leaf by Niggle" will surprise some readers, but it is I think justified by the parallels between the character Niggle and Tolkien; to understand how Tolkien saw Niggle is to a considerable extent to understand how Tolkien saw himself. "On Fairy Stories" is similarly self-referential in that Tolkien is writing about a genre in which he himself works. If "Leaf by Niggle" is about the relationship between Tolkien and his writing, "On Fairy Stories" is about the relationship between Tolkien's writing and the world. Together, these works give the reader a sense of how Tolkien saw his writing and it is through these works that Purtill approaches the others.

Tolkien's chief works, "The Hobbit", "The Lord of the Rings", and "The Silmarillion" share a common world, and are treated by Purtill in an overlapping fashion. Purtill's main goal is to separate and discuss the works' moral themes. In his discussion of how morality is presented in the three works, Purtill applies the approach developed in his discussion of the previous two: the use of a particular world and a particular story to illuminate the universal and unchanging. What is the nature of good? What is the nature of evil? How do good and evil operate in man? It is simply by explaining what Tolkien has to say about these themes that Purtill's literary defense of Tolkien succeeds; it is when he is least concerned with defending him and most concerned with simply explaining him that Purtill defends Tolkien best.

Tolkien employs multiple methods to make his moral points. First, he often simply makes the moral physical - beauty and ugliness representing good and evil. Second, he facets personality; this character receives this facet while another character receives another. Third, he makes moral choices stark. While it is many other things as well, morally Tolkien's work is one of analysis - he breaks up complexity into simpler parts for study. Given this, an analytical reader is doomed to failure because his work has already been done for him - he can't break up Tolkien's characters into simpler parts because they are simple parts already. Morality in Tolkien becomes interesting not when he is read analytically, but when he is read synthetically - when the reader considers not the parts in themselves but in how the parts relate to each other.

Purtill's book benefits its reader in two ways. First, in his explanation of particular moral points that Tolkien makes that many readers may not have caught, but which enrich the experience once understood. Second, and more importantly, Purtill explains how to read Tolkien - Purtill has by no means exhausted the moral complexities of Tolkien's work; he opens the door but ultimately leaves each reader with the pleasure of crossing through and exploring it for himself. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Bought it when new... very happy
I haven't looked at this book for quite some time. However, since I recently began working out (on a NordicTrack Pro Skier Ski Machine I'm rereading LoTR The Lord of the Rings (Millennium Edition) (for the 30th-or-so-time) and have been looking for Tolkien books I might not have... and I found this on my bookshelf! The printing is very good, I enjoy Tolkien's envisions of his mind-pictures. Well worth it for a Tolkien-freaque like me.

Good, but "Artist" is a good alternative
This is a great book with many of Tolkien's most wonderful pictures (those used in a series of LOTR calendars featuring his art), but rather than pay the usually very high price for it (it is long out of print), I would recommend "JRR Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator" (also found on amazon.com), which contains nearly all of the paintings, etc. from "Pictures by JRR Tolkien" in addition to a great many of Tolkien's pictures not included in "Pictures" (200 total, as opposed to "Pictures"'s 47). "Artist" is still in print, so is much more affordable. The only advantage of "Pictures is that it has many of the colored versions of Tolkien's pen-and-ink drawings (colored by H. E. Riddet) not included in "Artist". While the most obsessive Tolkien fans will want both "Pictures" and "Artist", most will be content without the far more expensive (and less inclusive) "Pictures."

All the fantastic pictures Tolkien ever made!!!
The only book with all the paintings and drawing by J.R.R Tolkien. Discover visually the author's own idea about his world. Moreover, it's a very beautiful book : the cover is nice and the drawings are awesome ... Read more

Product Description
Volume 1 of the most comprehensive in-depth companion to Tolkien's life and works ever published, including synopses of all his writings, and a Tolkien gazetteer and who's who.The J. R. R. Tolkien Companion and Guide is a comprehensive handbook to one of the most popular authors of the twentieth century.One of two volumes comprising this definitive work, the Chronology traces J.R.R. Tolkien's progress from his birth in South Africa in 1892, to the battlefields of France and the lecture-halls of Leeds and Oxford, to his success as the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, until his death in 1973. It is the most extensive biographical resource about Tolkien ever published. Thousands of details have been drawn from letters, contemporary documents in libraries and archives, and a wide variety of other published and unpublished sources. Assembled together, they form a revealing portrait of Tolkien in all his aspects: the distinguished scholar of Old and Middle English, the capable teacher and administrator, the devoted husband and father, the brilliant creator of Middle-earth. ... Read more

Product Description
Never before has the esoteric significance of the "Novel of the Century" been explained. At last its profound symbolism is made clear in light of the Hermetic tradition, establishing The Lord of the Rings to be the work of an illuminated imagination. Alchemy in Middle-earth traces J.R.R. Tolkien's motifs to unexpected connections with Scotland, the Middle East, and legendary Atlantis, and unveils the ancient wisdom in Tolkien's great work not only with the Alchemy of the past, but also with the living spiritual alchemy of Sufism. In the process, the mysterious relationship between the spirituality of Islam and Tolkien's Christianity is revealed, signifying nothing less than the completion of the Grail quest at the end of an age. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Title should be 'Let's pretend LOTR is about Islam'
I cannot overstate how unhappy I am with this book.

First, it was a nasty surprise to receive an amateurish, self-published, print-on-demand book when I thought I was paying for a real book from a real publisher.I do sometimes order vanity press (self-published by the author) books, but it's nearly always the case that authors self-publish only after being rejected by all potential "real" publishers, so the quality level of self-published books is typically awful.I expect at least a warning.No wonder the price is so expensive for only 100 pages!

I love LOTR and enjoy learning which sources Tolkien drew his ideas from.Tolkien did unambiguously get a few ideas from Islamic tradition, like the "tree of the sun" and the "tree of the moon" in the Silmarillion (borrowed from Alexander romances).Tolkien also famously translated a version of 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,' a 14th century story which does seem to have been intentionally built using some symbolism from alchemy, so when I saw this title listed, I thought perhaps Tolkien had really borrowed that symbolic model from 'Green Knight' and used it in LOTR, and this book would explain how, where, and why and provide support for each claim.

Although inaccurately titled 'Alchemy in Middle Earth,' this book is really focused mostly on Islam and the Qur'an.

Presumably in common with all readers of this book, my most important question is: "Is the author claiming that (1) Tolkien based LOTR *primarily* on Islamic symbols, (2) *partially* on Islamic symbols, or (3) is the author claiming only that there are similarities (perhaps coincidental) between Islam and LOTR?The subtitle "The Significance of J.R.R. Tolkien's LOTR," strongly implies that the author believes that LOTR is based *primarily* on Islam, and this book can prove it.To my great surprise and disappointment, author Mahoud Shelton never gives the reader a straight answer!Instead, he constantly *implies* that LOTR was intentionally meant by Tolkien to be primarily about Islam, but this idea is always couched in slippery "weasel words."

For instance, here is the sentence from the introduction which the author seems to regard as his thesis:"For indeed LOTR is an essentially 'alchemical' work, with it's imagery of fire and metallurgy, and more importantly, 'transmutation' from one state to another."Is the author claiming that LOTR is *based* on alchemy, or has *coincidental similarities* to alchemy?In real life the latter seems true, but Shelton makes constant slippery implications that the former is true.Does Shelton imagine that every story with any kind of change ('transmutation') in it is really about alchemy?Doesn't that include every story ever told?

Shelton very occasionally brushes up against genuine Tolkien influences, like Solomon and other Old Testament characters, but even on well-trod ground, he is wrong more often than not.For instance, Shelton suggests that "Middle Earth" is Tolkien's translation of an Arabic word, when all good Tolkien scholars know "Middle Earth" is simply the English for "Midgard," the Old Germanic name for the realms of men.

This book might be more accurately titled: 'Let's pretend LOTR is about Islam; a long list of vague, coincidental similarities between LOTR and Islam, which I pretend are significant.'Avoid at all costs!

Grab bag of symbolism
I am sure Mahmoud means well but this is typical perennialist writing. He throws a whole range of cultural and religious symbols together in a bag, shakes them and then makes out there is some reality more than conicidence in the fact some of them stick together. This commentary lacks rigor but has tons of imagination, in other words. Of course, Shelton's basic thesis, that Tolkien's work owes much to Middle Eastern religious thought and symbolism (whether Islamic or not) is true, but that doesn't make Tolkien a saint, a spiritual teacher or even a 'mystic'. He's just a story-teller. Believe it or not, most sagas in the history of world literature are about 'the conflict between good and evil'. Come to that so is the Terminator series of films. So is LOTR. But reading LOTR will not make you a Sufi. It won't even make you a better person. Neither will this book, I'm afraid. The writing lacks discipline, and discipline (in the sense of being a disciple with a master) is precisely what you need to become a better person according to Sufism/Islam. Stories help but they are not the whole deal. Verdict: not what it wants to be, this book. If you want to know Islam, read the Qur'an, not Tolkien.

Brilliant
"Alchemy in Middle Earth" illustrates how the great J. R. R. Tolkien wove Islamic and Judeo-Christian mystical symbology throughout the Lord of the Rings. I found myself re-reading this book several times.
I am a Muslim and I made gifts of this book to some Imams (Islamic "ministers") of my aquaintance. They were all impressed with the content of the book and of the brilliant scholarship of both Tolkien and Shelton.

alchemy in middle earth
This was a very interesting and thoughtful book. It casts a new light on Mr. Tolkiens masterful work. ... Read more

Product Description
Oxford's fabled streets echo with the names of such key figures in English history as Edmund Halley, John Wycliffe, and John and Charles Wesley. Of more recent times are those of C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and the other members of the renowned literary circle to which they belonged, the Inklings.

What would it be like to walk this medieval city's narrow lanes in the company of such giants of Christian literature, to visit Magdalen College, where Lewis and Tolkien read aloud their works-in-progress to their friends, or the Eagle and Child pub, the Inklings' favorite gathering place?

The lavish photography of this book will introduce you to the fascinating world of the Inklings, matching their words to the places where these friends discussed--and argued over--theology, philosophy, ancient Norse myth, and Old Icelandic, while writing stories that were to become classics of the faith.

The Inklings of Oxford will deepen your knowledge of and appreciation for this unique set of personalities. The book also features a helpful map section for taking walking tours of Oxford University and its environs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Beautiful book!
I have this book on my Kindle...and it's beautiful
in the smaller version!
Gave a hard copy to a friend and fellow
C.S.Lewis fan...she's on her way to Oxford...
she loved it! Hope to be in Oxford this next year...
will be following the pictures...

Inklings' Land
So on this rainy and blustery evening I cozied up on my couch to read this gem of a book and really enjoyed myself. This is not a book for most folks, but for Lewis or Tolkien fans (the other inklings are not covered as in depth as CSL and JRRT) this book is a must have. The first part of chapter one is very much about Oxford and meaning of the place, so, like another reviewer, it wouldn't be wrong to title it The Oxford of the Inklings. Even so, the topic quickly turns to Lewis and his literary cohorts, following the conventional biographical sketch fans have come to know. A few new pieces of biography are included, really anecdotes and tid bits, but on the whole no new paths are tread. However, and this is what makes the book so wonderful, the unique photos (and locations) are very lush and bring their environs right to life. As a photographic biography of Oxford (and the Kilns and Cambridge) as it relates to the Inklings the book is unique and remarkable. With a coffee table size and format, you could gain a great deal of pleasure from reading the captions about so many odd and overlooked places which hosted important and mundane aspects of the Inklings' lives to which you would not have access otherwise. Several maps are included for walking trips. It is very detailed.

So if you are like me and you love to know odd facts and details and put images to the names of places, you can ask for no better. I wish I had read this book before going to England. It will enhance my next trip for sure.

Other books of interest may include: THROUGH JOY AND BEYOND, Inklings (The Oxford Chronicles), C. S. Lewis: Images of His World (look for the first edition), Jack: A Life of C. S. Lewis, Christian Mythmakers: C.S. Lewis, Madeleine L'Engle, J.R.R. Tolkien, George Madonald, G.K. Chesterton, and Others, The Magic Never Ends - The Life and Work of C.S. Lewis (which is the excellent dvd), the book, The Magic Never Ends The Life And Works Of C.s. Lewis [Hardcover] and Touring C.S. Lewis' Ireland & England.

Enjoy to journey!

Inklings of Oxford
Thaks for an excellent transaction, with excellent packing and quick mailing. THANKS for an EXCELLENT transaction!
Bill Wagner

The Inklings at their best.
This is a wonderful book. Oxford, Lewis and friends at their best.The photographs are a great addition.I've read this book three times..always something new.

The Inklings of Oxford; C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and Friends
It is difficult to decide if this book is a great story with magnificant pictures, or a photo book with an interesting story.Either way, this edition would be of strong interest to C.S. Lewis fans as well as J.R.R. Tolkien fans.It is an in-depth look at the lives of the scholars who faithfully gathered as a literary social club in Oxford for many years.Their lives, their loves, and their literary genius are detailed in photography and narrative.In addition, we have a glimpse of other noted authors, including Charles Williams, Lord David Cecil, producer Nevill Coghill, Hugo Dyson, Colin Hardie, and Warnie Lewis.If one cannot physically enjoy the walking tours of Oxford and Headington (as mapped out at the back of the book), in the steps of some of the greatest writers of the twentieth century, this book is a beautiful alternative. ... Read more

Product Description

The Legend of Sigurd and GudrÚn is a previously unpublished work by J.R.R. Tolkien, written while Tolkien was Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford during the 1920s and '30s, before he wrote The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It makes available for the first time Tolkien’s extensive retelling in English narrative verse of the epic Norse tales of Sigurd the VÖlsung and The Fall of the Niflungs. It includes an introduction by J.R.R. Tolkien, drawn from one of his own lectures on Norse literature, with commentary and notes on the poems by Christopher Tolkien.

Customer Reviews (5)

Slow but Good Read
I was very excited when J.R.R. Tolkien's book The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun came out. I was a little leery because Christopher Tolkien filled in the blank places and added commentary. In the past I have not been overly fond of his commentaries, but this was different. The information that Christopher Tolkien added was very helpful in reading this different poetic style.

The tales are written in an ancient Norse poetic style called Elder Edda. The style is very direct unlike other ancient poetic styles that contain a lot of flowery descriptions. What makes this style difficult is that is assumes prior knowledge of the legends. The book contains brief introductions to the tales to help, but I found myself going back to reread the introductions and then rereading the tales. I also had difficulty keeping the characters straight. Their names were very similar. For example, there is a Sigmund, Signy, Siggeir, and Sinfjotli.

This is a slow, but very good read. I love folklore and mythology and The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun introduced me to new tales. Christopher Tolkien did a fine job at inserting just the right amount of explanation before letting the tales speak for themselves. He also compiled old lectures from J.R.R. Tolkien on Old Norse poetry. For ancient language buffs, you'll love these lectures and tales.

The Power of the Poetry
I only gave this book four stars because over half of it is commentary and details about Christopher Tolkien's editing of his father's work.But the actual Lays as translated by JRR Tolkien are full of the power oftheir Viking creators.The alliterative rythms are captivating to read.The story is ancient and timeless and timeless.

Tolkien's version of Sigurd
Something that often goes unappreciated by fans of The Lord of the Rings--novels or movies--is that J.R.R. Tolkien was an important figure in the world of Germanic language, literature, and mythology, and often incorporated his knowledge and research into his stories whole. Several of the songs sung by Treebeard, for instance, are written in the alliterative verse of Old English. Tolkien was also almost single-handedly responsible for reviving study of Beowulf as a work of literature.

It was wonderful, then, to see this work published. Composed as his own conflation of the various legends of Sigurd (known to opera fans as Siegfried), this set of two long poems concerns Sigurd's birth, life, heroic feats, and tragic death. To provide a quick and dirty version--the poems follow Sigurd, a great hero, as he slays the dragon Fafnir. Bathing in Fafnir's blood makes his skin impenetrable except for one tragic weak point. Sigurd becomes involved with the Valkyrie Brynhild and eventually the princess Gudrun. Sigurd marries Gudrun and Brynhild is instrumental in his death. Following Sigurd's death, the widowed Gudrun exacts a horrifying and bloody revenge.

Tolkien wrote these poems (two separate works, the first of which is broken into several parts) in an Old Norse skaldic meter similar to the Old English alliterative verse already mentioned, giving the reader some feel for the texture of these old poems. The poems are briskly-told and exciting--and beautiful. Tolkien was no mean poet himself, and even when working in a strict form like this his abilities make for worthwhile reading.

The many notes and explanatory texts by Christopher Tolkien are helpful, and I imagine will be very helpful to those unfamiliar with this kind of poetry, which can be very difficult. In fact, most of the book is made up of notes and other material--one can read the poems themselves very quickly.

The Legend of Sigurd & Gudrun should be a good introduction to the Sigurd legends for beginners, and for those of us already familiar with his adventures, this book is a nice way to revisit either Tolkien or the Norse legends--or both.

Highly recommended.

If you liked Beowulf, the Iliad, the Odyssey...
and other stories of that ilk, you will love this!And, you'll find hints of LOTR and the The Silmarillion: a dangerous ring, a dragonslayer, Mirkwood, dwarves, enchanted swords, and tragic romances.It's all there.Be forwarned that without Christopher Tolkien's notes and commentaries, it's hard to make sense of some of the verses. Christopher's writing style can also be dry and confusing at times, but I felt that the two legends were worth the work of consulting the commentaries every now and again.I hope this review helps.

There is crying of ravens, cold howls the wolf
When J.R.R. Tolkien wasn't teaching philology at Oxford or penning classic fantasy novels, he did some retellings of old poetry. VERY old poetry.

"The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun" is one such work: a verse working of the Norse legend of the hero Sigurd and his adventures, as well as the two doomed women who loved him. The wording is a bit awkward in places, and a good chunk of the book's content is commentary by his son Christopher Tolkien -- but the deep-rooted mythic story and Tolkien's vivid prose are gorgeous.

After exploring the gods and their glittering Valholl, Tolkien introduces the bitter dwarf Andvari and his magic ring, the greedy dragon Fafnir, and the tragic tale of Sigmund, Sigurd's daddy. Sigurd was tricked into slaying Fafnir for his treacherous foster father, and gained a hoard of cursed gold and a roasted dragon heart. Then he learns of the beautiful Valkyrie Brynhild, who is doomed to "wed the World's chosen" only, and sleeps in a fortress of flames.

Though he wakes Brynhild, Sigurd claims that he isn't going to marry her until he has a kingdom of his own -- and he gets one too. But in the process, he falls in love with the beautiful Gudrun and marries her. When his brother-in-law Gunnar wants the finest woman in the world, Sigurd tricks Brynhild into marrying Gunnar instead. This betrayal -- and a cursed ring given to both Gudrun and Brynhild -- leads to lies, hatred, death, and a devastating tragedy that destroys more than one person's life.

"The Lay of Gudrun" is a sort of sequel to the Sigurd legend: after Sigurd dies, Gudrun goes a little nuts in her woodland house and ends up being wed against her own wishes (courtesy of her witchy mom) to the king of the Huns, Atli. Of course, everything goes wrong for the poor woman -- and her brothers Gunnar and Hogni rush to attack Atli.

"The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun" is not for those who only like to read Tolkien's Middle-Earth stories. Sure, there's a cursed ring and a mention of "Mirkwood," but the rest of it is pure Norse saga infused with gods, sorrow, magic and ancient battles. But it's a fascinating story, and you can hear the ring of the elves and the Rohirrhim in some of the stately passages ("Hail O sunlight/and sun's rising").

It's also very complex story, with lots of gory battles, doomed love affairs, and everybody involved ending up miserable and/or dead -- in particular, the bleak yet exquisite finale of "The Lay of Gudrun" is astonishing. And Tolkien does make you feel for the two lead characters of Sigurd and poor, tragic Gudrun (whose only crime was to love her husband), even if Sigurd is kind of a jerk. Brynhild just comes across as a snotty ice queen.

And Tolkien's wordcraft is pretty smooth, easily read if you're used to epic poetry. There are a few awkward moments ("Last night I lay/where loath me was/with less liking/I may lay me yet"), but most of it is easy to decipher and to follow. And the words are usually quite vivid, beautifully written ("gleaming robed/as flower unfolded/fair at morning") and evocative ("his beard was grey/as bark of ash"), with many moments that are simply beautiful.

For the record: "The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun" has a LOT of Christopher Tolkien's forewords, commentary and Tolkien's own information on Norse mythology (for the record, "midgardsormr" means the serpent around the world). There's fifty pages to wade through before the poem even starts. Those with little experience in Norse myth might find it handy, but anyone who already knows the story will find it rather dry.

The legendary JRR Tolkien's working of "The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun" is a vivid retelling of this saga, and his unmistakable touch is left on the words. If you can handle epic poetry, this one is definitely worth a read. ... Read more

Product Description

The Tolkien Calendar 2011 features 13 paintings by the artist Cor Blok. Cor Blok is the only artist ever to have met JRR Tolkien, and the only artist Tolkien admired enough to purchase some of his work. The paintings are inspired by Tolkien’s classic masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings and were completed during the early 1960s when the young artist was attempting to create a Bayeux tapestry approach to illustrating this monumental book. Many of this paintings included here have never been seen before. This delightful collection of scenes takes the reader on a unique journey through the beauty and drama of Middle-earth. It represents a truly charming addition to the series of official calendars by a gifted artist, and promises to be a memorable calendar for fans.

Customer Reviews (3)

A different yet fascinating view of Middle Earth
This year is definitely a departure from the 'standard form' that many are used to but to me, it is a wonderful addition to the Tolkien Official Calendar collection.

Cor Blok is someone not many are familiar with, even among the Tolkien core fans. I ran into his illustrations some years ago by pure accident. He visited Master Tolkien who liked his work and purchased two of them, in addition to the one he got from Blok as a present. Blok went on to produce the covers for the 1965 unified Dutch edition of Lord of the Rings, as well as the individual books edition that followed.

He created his Tolkien pieces at the time when a lot of artists went for plenty of colours and detail and he wanted to go opposite of this. He also wanted paintings that resembled the old art which influenced the way these were made, that account for the patina of a sorts that is apparent. His style is different for sure but open you mind and truly look. He goes deeper than the mere surface of the story, his paintings tell of the emotion underneath, that very same thing that got so many of us to love Tolkien's world in the first place. It is, in a way, Tolkien laid bare, and what a wonderful world it is. There is no need for all those additional colours or details when you are looking at essence of the books themselves captured in these illustrations.

As a bit of curiosity - 'The Stairs of Cirith Ungol' is Blok's favourite piece and I saw it for the first time here. I found it incredibly touching and it certainly captured the emotions of that moment in fullest - do we really need anything else?

In the end I would like to ask just for a bit of respect for the artist. I understand that people may not like the style, are used to something else, are even disappointed. There is still no need for off handed comments like some here.

Give it a chance. It is something different indeed but for me, a marvellous edition to Tolkien calendars and an honouring of a sorts, of a man whose work was appreciated and loved by Tolkien himself. So many people thought Tolkien's books were childish, out of the norm and not something to even give a chance to; let us not be like that. I hope you'll give a chance to this calendar and the wonderful illustrations within that may not be the 'norm' but are the essence of Tolkien instead and what more can we ask for?

Kiddie scrawls
Cor Blok may have impressed Tolkien back in the '60s, but his kiddie scrawls don't impress me in the least. I have no desire to gaze at these silly primitivist renderings for an entire year! Primitivism and minimalist interpretation have their place, but that place does not include Middle-Earth, in my opinion. These works would be quaint for a gallery exposition, but for a Tolkien calendar, I want to be transported by vivid images that approach realism, not some goofy dutchman's stylized cartoons. PU!

Imploring note to Christopher T. & siblings: Please don't try this again! Stick with Naismith and Howe, et al!

An Original, And Very Different, Vision Of Middle earth
The 2011 Tolkien calendar is a major departure from previous calendars, which either with Tolkien's own art or with that of other artists, have depicted Middle earth's landscapes, personalities, and events with great detail.Cor Blok is a Dutch artist who painted the 14 scenes between 1958 and 1962.He visited J.R.R. Tolkien in 1962 and impressed him enough to sell him two of his Middle earth paintings.

In the two page introduction Blok provides for the calendar he draws a distinction between "depicting" and "describing", and refers to his work as "accompanying" rather than "illustrating" The Lord of the Rings.His artwork focusses on the book's characters but only attempts to distinguish them through their weapons, hats, and size.Background detail is minimal to non-existent. Blok admits altering the story in favor of dramatic or artistic license, as in September's "The Slaying of the Nazgul", where Eowyn kills the Ringwraith with a spear rather than a sword so Blok could have the Ringwraith tower above the scene with Merry slipping in with his knife below.Blok's Gollum is especially odd, as Tolkien himself pointed out, appearing lizard-like with a tail rather than as a pitiful hobbit relative.

While it will take some getting used to, I believe I will enjoy this calendar in 2011.The paintings have a lot of energy and color, especially my favorites, August's "Battle of the Hornburg," May's "Ents Marching on Isengard" and the cover illustration of the Oliphaunt. ... Read more

Product Description
Hardback volume containing the well-loved poems from Tolkien's literary masterpiece The Lord of The Rings, featuring a cover illustrated by celebrated Tolkien artist Alan Lee.Featuring poems written in Tolkien's inimitable style -- each of which add to the magic, mystery and lyricism of the epic saga The Lord of The Rings.These poems can also be enjoyed as a separate entity, apart from the main body of the text , with each stanza giving an insight into the mythology and sagas of Tolkien's parallel universe of Middle-earth.Trying to furnish England with a mythology he felt it hitherto lacked, and drawing on his own studies of epic poems of the past, including classics such as Beowulf, it could be argued that Tolkien's poetry is at the heart of the saga that was to become the Book of the Century. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

love this book
I love the poems from Lord of the Rings and was always marking the pages where they were. Now I don't have to hunt. It is also a lovely way to enjoy Allen Lee's work if you can't afford to buy the complete illustrated version. It is alsosmall enough to fit in a purse for reading at a Doctor's office or on a lunch break. ... Read more

Product Description
Though not often recognized as environmental or agrarian literature, the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien demonstrate a complex and comprehensive ecological philosophy. The ecology of Middle-earth portrayed in The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion brings together three potent and convincing elements of preservation and conservation--sustainable agriculture and agrarianism, horticulture independent of utilitarianism, and protection of unspoiled wilderness. Throughout his work, Tolkien reveals his vision of the natural world and environmental responsibility.

Ents, Elves, and Eriador examines the underlying environmental philosophy in Tolkien's major works as well as his lesser-known stories and essays. Matthew Dickerson and Jonathan Evans evaluate Tolkien's writing, especially his Middle-earth legendarium, in the context of modern environmental literature. The authors compare Tolkien's work with that of some of the most important environmental scholars and nature writers of the past century, including Wendell Berry, John Elder, Aldo Leopold, and Scott Sanders, highlighting Tolkien's intellectual depth.

A vital contribution to environmental literature and an important addition to Tolkien scholarship, Ents, Elves, and Eriador offers all fans of Tolkien a new way to understand his writings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Reading Tolkien through green-colored glasses
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings had such a profound impact on me when I first read them many years ago, that I've spent a lot of time since then trying to figure out why.The answer to that question is always evolving; each re-reading, as the saying goes, teaches me something new about myself.

Tolkien's world is so rich that, as your own interests shift and grow, they are reflected in Middle Earth when next you return.

Lately I've been devoted to understanding climate change and meeting the challenge of putting Earth back on a course towards sustainability, so I was delighted to come across a book that explores the environmental themes in Tolkien's works.

"Ents, Elves and Eriador, The Environmental Vision of J.R.R. Tolkien" is a great read.It's part of a series called "Culture of the Land." Through this book, I returned to Middle Earth to see how those who cared for it most chose to treat it.

The Shire-folk held gardeners and farmers in high esteem; practical cultivation of the land was the rule there. A hobbit enjoyed a view of a well-tended field-- but largely in anticipation of the meals it could provide.

Elves appreciated the aesthetics of their well-ordered landscapes, as in the slow passing of the seasons in the cloistered woods of Lothlorien, but they didn't seem to worry much about growing food.

Ents appreciated wild nature for its own sake- and worked to keep it that way.

Whether Tolkien intended it or not (and there is reason to believe that he did), each culture serves to illustrate a different approach towards stewardship of the Earth. Conservation, preservation and protection are all needed in varying contexts and to varying degrees. Differences in approach sometimes divide people who share a desire to sustain the Earth and civilization. Working out these differences is the great task of "the Fourth Age," a Tolkienesque term for modern times; knowing this sheds new light on some of the themes in the stories from the Third.

Tolkien's ambivalence about unbridled technology is suggested by the hobbits' lack of appreciation for anything more complicated than a water mill. We're in a time when understanding what constitutes appropriate technology in our quest for survival is key. Understanding what we value in nature, and why, is as important. We may soon be in a position to choose what to save, if we can save ourselves. The authors do a wonderful job of pointing this out.

Fascinating read
Ents, Elves and Eriador is a fascinating book. Dickerson and Evans take the reader through Tolkien's work detailing the beloved author's environmental vision. While even a casual reader of Tolkien's writing will recognize that industrialization accompanied evil in his books, this book reveals the depth of his positive vision of the way Middle Earth works. They discuss the various ecologies that make an appearance in Tolkien's work.

The authors:

* write not only about the ecologies themselves, but how Middle Earth becomes a character in the stories.
* also talk about how the people in the stories care (or not) for the environment around them.
* about how the Hobbits create a sustainable community in the Shire, growing food to feed themselves without damaging the soil.
* comment on how things go wrong when one person starts "owning more than is good for them"
* also talk about the role of elves in creating beauty in the world,
* Finally talk about Ent's preservation of the forest of Fangorn.

The works of Sauron are toxic and destructive of the efforts of all people who care for the world they live in. The authors draw parallels between unbridled corporate profits and kind of damage Sauron does to Middle Earth. They show how the poisoning of the earth around both Mordor and Isengard is all too similar to the damage done by industry.

Reading a non-fiction book about Tolkien's environmental vision may seem like a way to spoil the sheer fun of reading The Lord of the Rings and his other books. What I found as I read this book was that I wanted to reread every word of Tolkien to see for myself what the authors have given a glimpse of.

This book if for everyone who loves the work of J.R.R. Tolkien, and who loves the world around them.

Armchair Interviews agrees. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (65)

Loved the dramatization!
I'm not sure I could fairly review the stories themselves. Tolkien was a masterful storyteller and these short stories lack none of the magic I've experienced in his other works.

Since the copy I received was the audiobook version I have to say that I want to review that. A dramatized version it's very easy to close your eyes and imagine that you've left a film on in the other room. When birds are chirping you hear them and the voices have just the right emphasis at the right time. I really enjoyed putting each story on during an afternoon of household chores.

What more can I say? If you're a fan of Tolkien's works and looking for an audio version for a car trip or to share with someone with a sight impairment Tales from the Perilous Realm is very entertaining and well priced.

Good to hear from an old friend!
After reading Lord of the Rings many times over, and wearing out more than one copy of The Hobbit (with help from my boys, now), one can only wish that our old friend, J. R. R. Tolkien, had written more.(I long since tried the Silmarilion, but it seemed to be made for another race of readers.) How pleasant, then, to happen upon this book in the library.

Roverandom is a dreamy story about a dog who goes to the moon and under the sea.Told originally to Tolkien's children, I felt it was softer, less polished, in fact very nice to read to a child who likes dogs. (But I repeat myself.)

Farmer Giles of Ham was for me a delightful story.The cowardly, boastful talking dog is alone almost worth the price of the book . . . I found myself reading part of that story to my boys, though they are well past th age of being read to, or have not yet reached it again.Funny and delightful, including Tolkien's faux-scholarly introduction.

I didn't read Tom Bombadil; sorry, I had enough of him in the Fellowship of the Ring.I did read the intro, which was mildly amusing, more false scholarship of the kind that Tolkien and Lewis and friends liked to engage in in their letters.

Smith of Wooton Major is again quite good, about an obscure fellow who likes to go to Fairyland, and his adventures in the "real world."If this really is autobiographical, that makes it especially touching; one almost wants to read allegory in at points, but refuse, in respect for Tolkien's feelings about the matter.

Leaf by Niggle touched me.Tolkien expresses what life is about, how little of what we dream of comes true, what is real and what seems real, and the hope he had that more would come of our paltry works than we now dream.It reminds one of Thomas Aquinas' statement that his great work was only so much straw; and yet, knowing how Tolkien loved trees, it is a more positive statement than that.

On Fairy-stories is much the most difficult read in the book, but well worth reading.Here is a great story-teller and scholar's philosophy of imagination.He interacts with other great story-tellers, like Lang, Grimm, Chesterton (a major influence, I think) and Shakespeare (he had his criticisms!), and offers a fascinating theory of fantasy, "sub-creation," and the work of God in this world.This essay is ultimately a theology or Christian map of reality as well as a theory of fairy tales.Having written a couple books on how the Gospel fulfills truths in other cultures, I find his thoughts deeply significant for themselves, as well as for their influence on C. S. Lewis.

You don't have to read each of these pieces, of course; but it's so good to hear from this old friend, again.

"For Some the Only Glimpse. For Some the Awaking."
There is a passage in one of the stories collected here that accurately sums up the content of the book itself. In "Leaf By Niggle," Tolkien describes a painting that the artist Niggle has been working on: "It had begun with a leaf caught in the wind, and it became a tree; and the tree grew, sending out innumerable branches, and thrusting out the most fantastic roots...Niggle lost interest in his other pictures; or else he took them and tacked them on to the edges of his great picture. Soon the canvas became so large that he had to get a ladder, and he ran up and down it, putting in a touch here, and rubbing out a patch there."

If the great tree on the canvas is Tolkien's master-work, The Lord of the Rings, then the other little pictures that are "tacked on" to the edges of the bigger one are the stories that are contained within "Tales from the Perilous Realms." Although they are written in the same style and often contain the same themes as the famous trilogy, they are not directly related to Middle-Earth itself. Instead they are self-contained short stories that shed further light on Tolkien's ideas concerning the importance of fairytales, or more specifically, his love of Faerie (not the species, but the place) as a setting for adventures.

Contained here are four short stories, a collection of poems and an essay that explore Tolkien's work outside "The Lord of the Rings," supplemented by illustrations by Alan Lee. Although older editions of the stories were illustrated by Pauline Baynes (better known as the illustrator for C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia), Lee's art is not just an acceptable exchange, but somehow even more fitting. Thanks to his work on Peter Jackson's film adaptations of Tolkien's work, Alan Lee (along with John Howe) has come to be affiliated with Tolkien's work in the same way that we link Quentin Blake with Roald Dahl and John Tenniel with Lewis Carroll, and his beautiful pencil sketches (or watercolours, depending on what version you get) manage to capture the text's blend of whimsy and realism.

The story of "Roverandom" was born out of Tolkien's desire to comfort one of his sons after the boy's favourite toy dog went missing on a holiday to the seashore. Tolkien speculates that the toy was not a toy at all, but rather a real dog that had been transformed by a grumpy wizard, and who was now attempting to find his way home again. Journeying from the moon to the depths of the ocean, and meeting a host of magical creatures on the way, Roverandom's various adventures contain aspects of the ancient mythology that Tolkien admired so much. As the introduction by Tom Shippey points out, the dragons, serpents and wizards in the story all have their counterparts in later works; it is all "connected with the bigger picture."

"Farmer Giles of Ham" is distinctive due to its narrative voice, in which an imaginary editor translates an imaginary narrator, wherein the editor is more interested in the tale's scholarly value on historical place names. With a rather disdainful tone of voice, the editor is ultimately undermined by the spirit of the story itself, which pits a hapless farmer against a wily dragon, entirely against his will. Sound vaguely familiar? Clearer than in any other story we can glimpse Tolkien's love of hearth and home, and the supremacy of simple pleasures and old traditions.

Midway through the book is a segment titled "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil," named after one of sixteen poems included here, some of which were included in "The Lord of the Rings" and only two of which involve Tom Bombadil himself. As most readers already know, Tom Bombadil appears within the trilogy as one of its most mysterious characters, most widely regarded as a sort of embodiment of the English countryside; someone who is immensely powerful, but not interested in exerting that power. Tolkien's powers of creating mood and melancholy are at work here, particularly with the poignant "The Last Ship," which involves the passing of the Elves from Middle Earth.

Tolkien presents these poems as the "marginalia" of writing that was found in the Red Book of Westmarch, which most will recall as the book authored by Bilbo, Frodo and Sam at the conclusion of the trilogy, and from which Tolkien himself purported to gather his information on the War of the Ring. It is a clever way of including several of his early poems (many of which were composed before his great trilogy was properly conceived) into the framework of his greater story, and Tolkien even includes a foreword that speculates on which of his characters wrote which poems. This means he has to retcon a couple of details, as when he blames the fake Elvish names in the poem "Errantry" (which was written thirty years prior to the trilogy) as Bilbo's poor grasp of the Elvish language, but also provides intriguing details such as speculation that "The Sea Bell" was written not by, but in memory of Frodo, regarding to his disturbing illness after returned to the Shire. Needless to say, it all adds to the rich tapestry of "The Lord of the Rings."

"Smith of Wootton Major" is my favourite story in this collection. Despite its humdrum name, the tale is one of the deep enchantment that comes with passage between this world and "the Perilous Realms," after a lowly smith swallows a star concealed in a celebratory cake. Endowed with the ability to traverse the Faerie world, the story tells of his experiences there, until the time comes for him to pass the gift onto another. Sad and sweet, the story contains themes that permeate Tolkien's other work, such as the diminishing powers of the Elves due to people willingly reducing them to pretty little dolls, stripped of all their potency. Yet, as the Elf Queen says: "Better a doll, maybe, than no memory of Faery at all."

As mentioned above, "Leaf by Niggle" can be interpreted as a metaphor for the creation of "Rings", with Tolkien as the artist Niggle, a man who is desperate to get his life's work finished. Shippey describes it as an "otherworldly Divine Comedy", in which Niggle is constantly interrupted, first by his own habits, and then by outside forces, finally enduring a sort of Purgatory, before advancing on into the world beyond the frame of his his own work. Although all the stories so far can easily be read to and by children, this is one that may very well leave them baffled. However, this shouldn't stop anyone from actually reading it to them anyway, though it may take a few reads by adults as well in order to derive the full meaning of Niggle's mysterious journey. Having apparently coming to Tolkien in a dream, this story is one that transcends both our world *and* fantasy realms, taking us past death and into the (possible) afterlife.

Finally, the collection is capped off with Tolkien's famous "On Fairy-Stories" lecture, which essentially contains much of the ideology behind "The Lord of the Rings," and the blueprint for its themes and plotting. Here is where Tolkien coined terms such as the "eucatastrophe," and "sub-creations" and argues the full importance of fairytales in the world: "we get a piercing glimpse of joy, and heart's desire, that for a moment passes outside the frame, rends indeed the very heart web of story, and lets a gleam come through."

"Tales from the Perilous Realm" will most likely appeal most to Tolkien enthusiasts, particularly in its inclusion of the poems, but anyone with a passing interest in fairytales will most likely appreciate and enjoy this collection. Inevitably there are glimpses and echoes of "The Lord of the Rings," which add depth to Tolkien's later work whether it is read before or after this anthology. If you squint, the star in "Smith of Wootton Major" is almost like a benevolent Ring, which grants insight and a certain degree of power; whilst "Farmer Giles of Ham" has the warmth and familiarity of the Shire in its portrayal of the English countryside. And when Roverandom gets a glimpse of the Western Isles of the edge of the world, I felt a little shiver, knowing that in another time and place, Frodo would be glimpsing them too.

REVIEW ON PERILOUS REALM
Though it is often hard to read Tolkien stories, having a masterpiece like The Lord of The Rings inevitably on the back of your mind, I find this book refreshing and easy to get into. In particular Roverandom which is full of childlike wonder in description. What probably takes away the Lord of Rings problem...Tolkiens description of fairy tales and use of the descriptive term The Perilous Realms for such places.

Great Book
Any Tolkien book is a wonderful book.I have become a big fan of JRR Tolkien. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (65)

Loved the dramatization!
I'm not sure I could fairly review the stories themselves. Tolkien was a masterful storyteller and these short stories lack none of the magic I've experienced in his other works.

Since the copy I received was the audiobook version I have to say that I want to review that. A dramatized version it's very easy to close your eyes and imagine that you've left a film on in the other room. When birds are chirping you hear them and the voices have just the right emphasis at the right time. I really enjoyed putting each story on during an afternoon of household chores.

What more can I say? If you're a fan of Tolkien's works and looking for an audio version for a car trip or to share with someone with a sight impairment Tales from the Perilous Realm is very entertaining and well priced.

Good to hear from an old friend!
After reading Lord of the Rings many times over, and wearing out more than one copy of The Hobbit (with help from my boys, now), one can only wish that our old friend, J. R. R. Tolkien, had written more.(I long since tried the Silmarilion, but it seemed to be made for another race of readers.) How pleasant, then, to happen upon this book in the library.

Roverandom is a dreamy story about a dog who goes to the moon and under the sea.Told originally to Tolkien's children, I felt it was softer, less polished, in fact very nice to read to a child who likes dogs. (But I repeat myself.)

Farmer Giles of Ham was for me a delightful story.The cowardly, boastful talking dog is alone almost worth the price of the book . . . I found myself reading part of that story to my boys, though they are well past th age of being read to, or have not yet reached it again.Funny and delightful, including Tolkien's faux-scholarly introduction.

I didn't read Tom Bombadil; sorry, I had enough of him in the Fellowship of the Ring.I did read the intro, which was mildly amusing, more false scholarship of the kind that Tolkien and Lewis and friends liked to engage in in their letters.

Smith of Wooton Major is again quite good, about an obscure fellow who likes to go to Fairyland, and his adventures in the "real world."If this really is autobiographical, that makes it especially touching; one almost wants to read allegory in at points, but refuse, in respect for Tolkien's feelings about the matter.

Leaf by Niggle touched me.Tolkien expresses what life is about, how little of what we dream of comes true, what is real and what seems real, and the hope he had that more would come of our paltry works than we now dream.It reminds one of Thomas Aquinas' statement that his great work was only so much straw; and yet, knowing how Tolkien loved trees, it is a more positive statement than that.

On Fairy-stories is much the most difficult read in the book, but well worth reading.Here is a great story-teller and scholar's philosophy of imagination.He interacts with other great story-tellers, like Lang, Grimm, Chesterton (a major influence, I think) and Shakespeare (he had his criticisms!), and offers a fascinating theory of fantasy, "sub-creation," and the work of God in this world.This essay is ultimately a theology or Christian map of reality as well as a theory of fairy tales.Having written a couple books on how the Gospel fulfills truths in other cultures, I find his thoughts deeply significant for themselves, as well as for their influence on C. S. Lewis.

You don't have to read each of these pieces, of course; but it's so good to hear from this old friend, again.

"For Some the Only Glimpse. For Some the Awaking."
There is a passage in one of the stories collected here that accurately sums up the content of the book itself. In "Leaf By Niggle," Tolkien describes a painting that the artist Niggle has been working on: "It had begun with a leaf caught in the wind, and it became a tree; and the tree grew, sending out innumerable branches, and thrusting out the most fantastic roots...Niggle lost interest in his other pictures; or else he took them and tacked them on to the edges of his great picture. Soon the canvas became so large that he had to get a ladder, and he ran up and down it, putting in a touch here, and rubbing out a patch there."

If the great tree on the canvas is Tolkien's master-work, The Lord of the Rings, then the other little pictures that are "tacked on" to the edges of the bigger one are the stories that are contained within "Tales from the Perilous Realms." Although they are written in the same style and often contain the same themes as the famous trilogy, they are not directly related to Middle-Earth itself. Instead they are self-contained short stories that shed further light on Tolkien's ideas concerning the importance of fairytales, or more specifically, his love of Faerie (not the species, but the place) as a setting for adventures.

Contained here are four short stories, a collection of poems and an essay that explore Tolkien's work outside "The Lord of the Rings," supplemented by illustrations by Alan Lee. Although older editions of the stories were illustrated by Pauline Baynes (better known as the illustrator for C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia), Lee's art is not just an acceptable exchange, but somehow even more fitting. Thanks to his work on Peter Jackson's film adaptations of Tolkien's work, Alan Lee (along with John Howe) has come to be affiliated with Tolkien's work in the same way that we link Quentin Blake with Roald Dahl and John Tenniel with Lewis Carroll, and his beautiful pencil sketches (or watercolours, depending on what version you get) manage to capture the text's blend of whimsy and realism.

The story of "Roverandom" was born out of Tolkien's desire to comfort one of his sons after the boy's favourite toy dog went missing on a holiday to the seashore. Tolkien speculates that the toy was not a toy at all, but rather a real dog that had been transformed by a grumpy wizard, and who was now attempting to find his way home again. Journeying from the moon to the depths of the ocean, and meeting a host of magical creatures on the way, Roverandom's various adventures contain aspects of the ancient mythology that Tolkien admired so much. As the introduction by Tom Shippey points out, the dragons, serpents and wizards in the story all have their counterparts in later works; it is all "connected with the bigger picture."

"Farmer Giles of Ham" is distinctive due to its narrative voice, in which an imaginary editor translates an imaginary narrator, wherein the editor is more interested in the tale's scholarly value on historical place names. With a rather disdainful tone of voice, the editor is ultimately undermined by the spirit of the story itself, which pits a hapless farmer against a wily dragon, entirely against his will. Sound vaguely familiar? Clearer than in any other story we can glimpse Tolkien's love of hearth and home, and the supremacy of simple pleasures and old traditions.

Midway through the book is a segment titled "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil," named after one of sixteen poems included here, some of which were included in "The Lord of the Rings" and only two of which involve Tom Bombadil himself. As most readers already know, Tom Bombadil appears within the trilogy as one of its most mysterious characters, most widely regarded as a sort of embodiment of the English countryside; someone who is immensely powerful, but not interested in exerting that power. Tolkien's powers of creating mood and melancholy are at work here, particularly with the poignant "The Last Ship," which involves the passing of the Elves from Middle Earth.

Tolkien presents these poems as the "marginalia" of writing that was found in the Red Book of Westmarch, which most will recall as the book authored by Bilbo, Frodo and Sam at the conclusion of the trilogy, and from which Tolkien himself purported to gather his information on the War of the Ring. It is a clever way of including several of his early poems (many of which were composed before his great trilogy was properly conceived) into the framework of his greater story, and Tolkien even includes a foreword that speculates on which of his characters wrote which poems. This means he has to retcon a couple of details, as when he blames the fake Elvish names in the poem "Errantry" (which was written thirty years prior to the trilogy) as Bilbo's poor grasp of the Elvish language, but also provides intriguing details such as speculation that "The Sea Bell" was written not by, but in memory of Frodo, regarding to his disturbing illness after returned to the Shire. Needless to say, it all adds to the rich tapestry of "The Lord of the Rings."

"Smith of Wootton Major" is my favourite story in this collection. Despite its humdrum name, the tale is one of the deep enchantment that comes with passage between this world and "the Perilous Realms," after a lowly smith swallows a star concealed in a celebratory cake. Endowed with the ability to traverse the Faerie world, the story tells of his experiences there, until the time comes for him to pass the gift onto another. Sad and sweet, the story contains themes that permeate Tolkien's other work, such as the diminishing powers of the Elves due to people willingly reducing them to pretty little dolls, stripped of all their potency. Yet, as the Elf Queen says: "Better a doll, maybe, than no memory of Faery at all."

As mentioned above, "Leaf by Niggle" can be interpreted as a metaphor for the creation of "Rings", with Tolkien as the artist Niggle, a man who is desperate to get his life's work finished. Shippey describes it as an "otherworldly Divine Comedy", in which Niggle is constantly interrupted, first by his own habits, and then by outside forces, finally enduring a sort of Purgatory, before advancing on into the world beyond the frame of his his own work. Although all the stories so far can easily be read to and by children, this is one that may very well leave them baffled. However, this shouldn't stop anyone from actually reading it to them anyway, though it may take a few reads by adults as well in order to derive the full meaning of Niggle's mysterious journey. Having apparently coming to Tolkien in a dream, this story is one that transcends both our world *and* fantasy realms, taking us past death and into the (possible) afterlife.

Finally, the collection is capped off with Tolkien's famous "On Fairy-Stories" lecture, which essentially contains much of the ideology behind "The Lord of the Rings," and the blueprint for its themes and plotting. Here is where Tolkien coined terms such as the "eucatastrophe," and "sub-creations" and argues the full importance of fairytales in the world: "we get a piercing glimpse of joy, and heart's desire, that for a moment passes outside the frame, rends indeed the very heart web of story, and lets a gleam come through."

"Tales from the Perilous Realm" will most likely appeal most to Tolkien enthusiasts, particularly in its inclusion of the poems, but anyone with a passing interest in fairytales will most likely appreciate and enjoy this collection. Inevitably there are glimpses and echoes of "The Lord of the Rings," which add depth to Tolkien's later work whether it is read before or after this anthology. If you squint, the star in "Smith of Wootton Major" is almost like a benevolent Ring, which grants insight and a certain degree of power; whilst "Farmer Giles of Ham" has the warmth and familiarity of the Shire in its portrayal of the English countryside. And when Roverandom gets a glimpse of the Western Isles of the edge of the world, I felt a little shiver, knowing that in another time and place, Frodo would be glimpsing them too.

REVIEW ON PERILOUS REALM
Though it is often hard to read Tolkien stories, having a masterpiece like The Lord of The Rings inevitably on the back of your mind, I find this book refreshing and easy to get into. In particular Roverandom which is full of childlike wonder in description. What probably takes away the Lord of Rings problem...Tolkiens description of fairy tales and use of the descriptive term The Perilous Realms for such places.

Great Book
Any Tolkien book is a wonderful book.I have become a big fan of JRR Tolkien. ... Read more

Product Description
For generations, J R R Tolkien's words have brought to thrilling life a world of hobbits, magic, and historic myth, woken from its foggy slumber within our minds. Here, he tells the tales in his own voice.Of historic note, these selections from 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings' are based on a tape recording Tolkien made in 1952, which inspired him to continue his own quest to see his vision in print. Also included is a never-published poem, "The Mirror of Galadriel," originally intended for inclusion in the trilogy, yet edited out. And, finally, Tolkien's son, Christopher, reads slections from his father's 'The Silmarillion', the epic foundation upon which rests the whole of his work. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Absolutely Lovely!
This is just fabulous!As a long-time admirer of Tolkien's Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, I'd never dreamed that I'd ever be able to hear his voice, much less reciting snatches of his text!Priceless! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Outrageously funny!
In this outrageous parody of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, we get to follow the preposterous antics of an unbelievable group of misfits out to unmake a ring, and destroy an evil power. Goodgulf the wizard leads Frito, Spam, Moxie, Pepsi, Stomper the Ranger (he has many names), Bromosel, Gimlet the dwarf and Legolam the elf across Lower Middle Earth, as they dodge the evil pig-riding Nozdrul, foul Narcs and other baddies, on their way to dark Fordor.

As you can tell from the summary above, this book is not to be taken seriously! It is outrageously funny! Can a reader ever forget the four boggies meeting with the wild Tom Benzedrine and his magical lady Hashberry? No! Indeed, hardly a RPG session passes when one of us does not quote from this hilarious tome: "'Then we must head east,' said Goodgulf gesturing with his wand to where the sun was setting redly in a mass of sea-clouds."

This book is laugh-out-loud funny, and should be read by every fan of the great Tolkien. I recommend it wholeheartedly!

art1954
I purchasedthis book because I enjoyed it 20 yrs ago when I first read it.I thought it would be a fun reread.Such was not the case.While inventive and true to the original storyline, my sense of humor seems to have changed.

Bored of the Rings
I read this in college many years ago I enjoyed it so much that when my son finshed the series I knew he had to read this too

Bored of the Rings
This is example of how not to do a parody.They go in for a lot of cheap and easy jokes, especially cheap and tasteless sex jokes.I'm not a hardcore LOTR fan, and I'm not offended or angered by the parody; I just think that the potential of this book was squandered.There was the potential for a lot of big laughs, but for that to happen you need writers of talent.

The Harvard Lampoon's take on Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings"
I remember very few lines of verse from my career as both a student and a professor, but amongst those committed to memory are the lines: "We Boggies are a merry folk/who like to eat until we choke/loving all like friend and brother/and hardly ever eat each other" (which is followed up a chorus that repeats the word "gobble" a whole bunch of times). "Bored of the Rings," the Harvard Lampoon parody of J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings," was written by Douglas C. Kenney and Henry N. Beard at the end of the Sixties, right before they went off into the real world to found "The National Lampoon" and at a time when the Trilogy was required reading for fans of fantasy.

Of course, it goes without saying that much of what you will find in here will be grossly offensive and that if you are not well versed in Tolkien's Trilogy then the story of the ring that was given by Dildo Bugger to his nephew Frito, who then embarked with his servant Spam, his friends Moxie and Pepsi, Goodgulf Grayteeth the wizard, Stomper the ranger (a.k.a. Arrowroot of Arrowshirt), Bromosel, Gimlet the dwarf and Legolam the elf across Lower Middle Earth to the dark land of Fordor is not going to make much sense. For that matter you had better be well versed in the drug culture of the Sixties and the political machinations of Richard Nixon to get all of the references (I just realized: we need an annotated edition of "Bored of the Rings"). Even if you have seen the movies and recognize the lady Hashberry, you still need to have read the books to know who Tom Benzedrine is in the grand scheme of things.

My favorite scene are when the Ballhog shows up and when Goddam and the ring meet their final fate. This is a lengthy parody, necessitated by the size of the work that inspired this insanity. Despite the low-brown humor involved with the playful names, there is some college level sophistication to the parody as well. However, if you consider Tolkien to be sacred text, then do not go anywhere near "Bored of the Rings" because you will be grossly offended (and probably several other types of offended as well). I will still maintain that the wicked sense of humor here is inspired by an affection for Tolkien's work, but understand that there will be those who dismiss that idea. ... Read more

Product Description
Following the success of Tolkien's World, this new collection of shining illustrations inspired by the work of J.R.R. Tolkien is as beautiful and unique as its predecessor.

This breathtaking four-color volume is designed in a deluxe, oversized format, and includes paintings from a diverse group of international artists. Each picture is accompanied by text from the relevant passage in Tolkien's fiction as well as a personal statement by the artist about the inspiration and influence J.R.R. Tolkien has had on their work.

Includes works by an electric group of artists, both famous and up-and-coming:

• Alan Lee, renowned for his atmospheric interpretations of folklore and legend, as well as his stunning illustrations for The Lord of the Rings

• John Howe, creator of many Tolkien book covers and acclaimed for his powerful representations of the landscapes and peoples of Middle-earth

• Ted Nasmith, known for his classically accurate and dramatic pictures

• Inger Edelfeldt, illustrator of many beautiful and unusual Tolkien calendars, book covers and posters.

Customer Reviews (12)

Disappointing
The idea was good.
The artwork is often good, sometimes superb.

Unfortunately the twit who put this together obviously thought that the massive borders around the selected text was more important than the pictures themselves.

I bought this book for the pictures, that what it is all about, one would think. For a book like this I want to see the best pictures, as large as possible, with the best colour on good paper.

Unfortunately, the largest pictures only occupy one side of a page. There is only one double page spread, instead of many. The bad news is that most pictures don't even fill a single page. Sadly there are many superb paintings in landscape mode that fill less than half of one page. Even portrait mode pictures are often left with a large surrounding of white space.

Also the colour isn't of the very best quality.

This is just not good enough Harper Collins. I hope the editor was sacked. Pictures this good should be treated with respect.

More eclectic and intriguing than its predecessor.
The followup to TOLKIEN'S WORLD: IMAGES OF MIDDLE EARTH, REALMS OF TOLKIEN offers more artistic renditions of (primarily) THE LORD OF THE RINGS.The lion's share of illustrations go to the more famous artists (John Howe, Alan Lee, Ted Nasmith), but there's enough odd detours to make this both a mainstream representation of Tolkien's Middle-earth and a delightfully eclectic collection of art.(Cor Blok's in particular are wonderfully odd, and Tolkien himself approved of Blok's paintings).There are 58 paintings total. Like the previous volume, Tolkien's text accompanies each illustration.

What steps this up above the previous collection is where that one only had 9 artists, and Howe, Lee, and Nasmith contributed 30 of the 60 paintings, REALMS OF MIDDLE EARTH have 20 artists.While the three aforementioned still contributed a lot, REALMS is a much more diverse collection than TOLKIEN'S WORLD, making it a more intriguing package overall.I still like Howe the best.He captures the dark and the light very well.Though I don't agree with all the visual interpretations, alternate points of view are what make books such as this so appealing.It's certainly quite a book.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS is the primary focus of this book.44 of the 58 paintings come from LOTR, including Howe illustrating THE RETURN OF THE SHADOW, Vol VI of HISTORY OF MIDDLE EARTH, and MORGOTH'S RING.There are 12 illustrations depicting THE HOBBIT.There are 2 by Howe illustrating UNFINISHED TALES and MORGOTH'S RING.No other works are represented.THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING has 18 paintings (including Howe's illustration from RETURN OF THE SHADOW).THE TWO TOWER has 18 paintings.THE RETURN OF THE KING has 8 paintings.

These are the illustrators, with the list of paintings and from which book they are illustrating.Most have biographical blurbs in the book's back; those that don't are noted.

Nicholas Bayrachny: 3 paintings from The Hobbit. "Gollum.""The Great Goblin." "Beorn."

Cor Blok: 4 paintings, three from LOTR and one from HOBBIT."The Game of Riddles." The Hobbit.
"Frodo's Vision" The Fellowship of the Ring. "Battle of the Hornburg.""The Mumak of Harad." The Two Towers.

Maura Boldi (no biographical blurb): 1 painting from LOTR."The Swan-ship of Lorien."The Fellowship of the Ring.

Alessandra Cimatoribus (no biographical blurb): 1 painting from LOTR."Treebeard."The Two Towers.

Lode Claes: 3 paintings from LOTR."The Mirror of Galadriel." "The Gates of Moria."The Fellowship of the Ring."The Nazgul."The Return of the King.

Inger Edelfedlt: 2 paintings from LOTR."Gollum Held Captive by the Elves." The Fellowship of the Ring."Treebeard." The Two Towers.

Fletcher: 2 paintings from LOTR."Gandalf's Escape from Orthanc."The Fellowship of the Ring."The Lord of the Nazgul Enters the Gates of Gondor."The Return of the King.

Tony Galuidi: 2 paintings from LOTR."Balin's Tomb in Moria."The Fellowship of the Ring."Sam and Shelob."The Two Towers.

Stephen Hickman: 2 paintings from LOTR."The Black Rider."The Fellowship of the Ring."The Siege of Gondor."The Return of the King."Siege" is notable because it's the only illustration that takes up two full pages, and is the last painting in the book.

John Howe: 8 paintings, 4 from LOTR, 1 from Unfinished Tales, 1 from The Return of the Shadow, 2 from Hobbit.The "A Hobbit Dwelling." "Smaug."The Hobbit. "Gandalf and the Balrog." "Galadriel."The Fellowship of the Ring.."Gandalf Approaches the Guarded City."The Return of the King. "Ulmo, The Lord of the Waters." Unfinished Tales. "Ungoliante and Melkor."Morgoth's Ring.The only two paintings in this collection representing Silmarillion legendarium."Gandalf Comes to Hobbiton." The Return of the Shadow (Volume VI in The History of Middle-earth.Rough drafts of The Lord of the Rings.)

Timothy Ide: 3 paintings from LOTR."The Prancing Pony."The Fellowship of the Ring."Theoden's Charge at Helms' Deep." "Treebeard and the Ents."The Two Towers.

Michael Kaluta: 3 paintings from LOTR."Legolas Draws the Bow of Galadriel."The Fellowship of the Ring."The First Stroke of Lightning at Helm's Deep."The Two Towers."Eowyn and the Lord of the Nazgul."The Return of the King.

Alan Lee: 7 paintings from LOTR."The Black Riders.""Rivendell."The Fellowship of the Ring."The Taming of Smeagol." "Theoden's Hall." "The Dead Marshes." "Two Orcs.""The Black Gate is Closed."The Two Towers.

Capucine Mazille: 3 paintings from The Hobbit."Riddles in the Dark.""In the House of Beorn.""The Battle of Five Armies."

Luca Michelucci (no biographical blurb): 1 painting from LOTR."Gandalf and Pippen."The Two Towers.

Eta Musciad (no biographical blurb): 1 painting from LOTR."Treebeard, Merry, and Pippen."The Two Towers.

Ted Nasmith: 7 paintings from LOTR."The Attack of the Wraiths."The Fellowship of the Ring."Through the Marshes." "Pursuit in Rohan." "No Way Down." The Two Towers. "Across Gorgoroth." "The Nazgul." "Departure at the Grey Havens."The Return of the King.

Carol Emery Phenix: 3 paintings, two from LOTR, one from HOBBIT.."Bilbo Came At It."The Hobbit."A Conspiracy Unmasked.""A Pleasant Awakening."The Fellowship of the Ring

Gerd Renshof and Ron Ploeg: 1 from The Hobbit."Bilbo Flies on Eagle's Wings."

Hopefully this has been an informative review.The only strange omission is the front cover art is not in the book.Overall, more eclectic and odd than its predcessor, helped by the fact that three artists did not contribute half the book this time.If you liked TOLKIEN'S WORLD, REALMS OF TOLKIEN is a logical buy.

Mixed "Realms"
Middle-Earth fan art is in general a mixed bag -- for every glorious painting by John Howe, there's another picture out there that makes Legolas look like a cross-dressing girl. So it's not a surprise that "Realms of Tolkien: Images of Middle-Earth" also has the good, the bad, and the really ugly.

First, let it be known that several pictures by Alan Lee and John Howe are in here. Howe's breathtakingly vivid paintings rather like still photos, including the lovely picture that inspired Peter Jackson's Bag End. Moviegoers will also see other scenes from the films reflected in his pictures. Alan Lee, on the other hand, produces art that is more delicate and muted, relying on detail rather than a sense of action.

Several other artists back them up, and some are quite good -- Ted Nasmith creates colorful, vivid images; his exquisite "Grey Havens" picture is particularly lovely. Inger Enderfeldt's are delicate and classic-looking. Some do well on only some pictures, such as Tony Ide: his rendering of Theoden in battle is pretty good, but his Treebeard picture is bizarre. Same with Fletcher, who does a good job with Gandalf on Gwaihir the eagle, yet makes the fearsome Lord of the Nazgul look like a squat astronaut on a stone horse.

And then there's the really bad stuff. Alessandra Cimatoribus tries to render Treebeard as a sort of stained-glass window, and the result is just weird and squashed. Ita Muscad makes the hobbits look like tots, and Treebeard (see a trend here?) like a giant wrinkly turnip. And Cor Blok is the worst, making childish little sketches with dresses, moon-like faces and stick feet. Worst of all, he makes Gollum look like a duck.

"Realms of Tolkien" doesn't entirely restrain itself to "Lord of the Rings" -- there's also material from "The Hobbit" and "The Silmarillion" here as well. (Although strangely enough, the oliphaunt picture on the cover isn't inside). And along with each picture comes the text from the books that it illustrates, since some pictures (like Lode Claes's "Nazgul") are ambiguous just by themselves.

Starting the book is a one-page biography of J.R.R. Tolkien himself, along with the much-beloved picture of him laughing with pipe in mouth. Fans already acquainted with his life might as well skip it, since it tells nothing new. And at the end of the book are brief biographies of each artist. John Howe, Alan Lee, Timothy Ide, Tony Galuidi, Fletcher, Carol Emery Phenix and Inger Edelfeldt all provide their own anecdotes about why they created Tolkien art.

"Realms of Tolkien" is about two-thirds good or middling, and one third outright bad. And if it introduces individual visions of Tolkien's work, then it's definitely worth checking out.

An unfortunate mix of wonderful and horrible
There are some excellant illustrations by Nasmith, Howe, Lee and others which leap out of the page at you and bring the Middle Earth to life.Other images must have been chosen from children's editions of the Tolkien books and look like something the kids brought home from school art class currently hanging on the front of the refridgerator.I don't know what politically correct art chic caused the editors to feel that had to balance the beauty with the crud, but it created a truely unfortunate blend of imagery.It's an OK coffee table book for the Tolkien fan, but it could have been so much better if the editors had used their power to create a book of outstanding illustrations, rather than a collection representing all illustrators, even the artistically challenged ones.

Wonderful, put the finishing touch to the Triology
I have read all of the books written by either Tolkien, JRR or Christopher, and think they are the best!!! ... Read more

Product Description
Philosophers list "What is man?" and "What is the purpose of lifeon this earth?" as two of the most important questions that must beasked by everyone in the quest to become a complete human being. Mere Humanity digs into the treasured writings of Chesterton,Lewis, and Tolkien for the answers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

An excellent book, interesting book; but maybe a better essay.
Mere Humanity, Donald T. Williams

If you like CS Lewis, Chesterton, and JRR Tolkien, you will be able to enjoy this book and end up agreeing with his thesis in the end.It's pretty good and will add depth to your thinking and understanding.Conversely, I don't think that this book has any potential for convincing someone skeptical of his assertions; it is a view of literature that does assume certain things that people might not agree with.

The purpose of the book is to use literature to respond to the question, "Is man a myth?"His intro established what that means and the conclusion answers it.

Everything in between is a great description about 3 writers' perspective of "man" which was embedded in the worldview of their books.He passionately and insightfully outlines Chesterton's, Lewis's, and Tolkien's books which is very enjoyable to read and can be well appreciated.Hpwever, one could say that he takes a someone indirect approach by spending more time explaining these three authors than he does on directly addressing his main question (is this answering his thesis or trying to retell The Chronicles of Narnia, The Space Trilogy, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings all at once?).Thus, in being more illustrative than direct with what he argues you need to pay close attention so you don't get lost amongst the nearly dozen books he summarizes in detail.

Because of this, some might say the conclusion was weak.While certainly true, it could have perhaps gotten a better direct treatment overall in order to avoid that criticism.All in all, Mere Humanity is an excellent book with a lot of resource and thought put into it.For many, who are interested in the synthesis of the argument of man not being a myth but don't want it indirectly amongst all of the details, its one that could make a good essay too.In 165 pages, the core of the book is what perhaps could have been done in a 5-paragraph essay.

1) Intro
2) Chesterton's view
3) Lewis's view
4) Tolkien's view
5) Conclusion

A Contemporary Essay on Man
Mere Humanity is a study of whether man, a being especially endowed by God to be more than an animal, is a myth. The question is prompted by contemporary concepts, such as materialism, naturalism, and Freudianism, which try to debunk the myth that man is anything but an animal. Williams answers by observing selected works of the three authors: G.K. Chesterton, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien.

The three authors have in common their Christianity and their use of story. For Chesterton and Tolkien the fact that man creates stories proves he is different from the animals, above the beasts; they are endowed with reason, as stated in Chesterton's Everlasting Man and Tolkien's essay, "On Faery Stories." Lewis's belief in the elevation of man is evident in both his Space trilogy and the series Chronicles of Narnia, in which man is related to the animals by their Maker, but made to rise above animal nature, though some will give into it by choice. (Note, in the Chronicles man is meant to rule the land and the creatures, but not meant to exploit them. Given with dominion is responsibility.) Lewis incorporates the medieval/Renaissance view that man is higher than the beasts and just below the angels, such as expressed in Pico Mirandola's On the Dignity of Man. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit, and The Simarillion illustrate a special place for man also. He is mortal, moral, and ever hopeful.

Williams applies these views to contemporary philosophies, especially those influencing the academic world. An appendix addresses postmodernism, which is defined as a disbelief in any objective truth, largely as a result of disillusionment with modernism earlier in the twentieth century, which promised absolute objective truth. Both reject Christianity because both consider it to be subjective. Williams also addresses reductionist philosophies, which reduce man to a product, such as of economy (Marxism), or conditioning (Behaviorism). The authors who elevate man reject the reduction, as they allow, like God, that he has a free will.

I found the book very useful and entertaining. While it is scholarly, offering a very good reference list for further study, it does not read as many academic papers do - for a very select group It is especially relevant for Christian scholars and students, but also offers an overview of three authors Christians should know. As Donald Williams is both a scholar and a pastor, he applies the literature to the world Christians live in.

I can hardly believe...
Really, I can hardly believe that this book only has one review, so far, not including my own. This is simply a fantastic book on every level. It's very well written and, for non-fiction, quite a page turner. I could hardly put it down. Also, Wiliams really knows his subject, which is the Christian view of humanity through the works of G. K. Chesterton, C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien as opposed to materialistic reductionism in all it's manifestations. Mr. Williams gives a very intelligent overview and analysis of a variety of works of the subject authors and shows, very eloquently, how they are an intelligent and thorough refutation of modern and (prophetically) post-modern reductionistic thinking.

Unlike the first reviewer, whose review I enjoyed, I have no favorite chapters. I think they are all very well written and enlightening. I recommend this book to literally everyone who cares about the direction humanity is headed and especially to Jews and Christians who want to understand how the worldview of their faith is the correct one insofar as giving dignity, freedom and inalienable rights to human beings and how modern and post-modern ideology is seriously threatening nearly every value that we believe to be indispensable. Five well deserved stars!

A Masterful Guide to What it Means to Be Human
In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Lucy Pevensie found an interesting book on her friend's bookshelf titled Is Man a Myth? The subject matter makes sense from a world in which no human had been for quite some time. But even in our world questions about what it means to be human are at best unresolved by our culture. In Mere Humanity, Donald T. Williams explores humanity in the work of G.K. Chesterton, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien.

Mere Humanity consists of an introduction, six chapters, concluding thoughts, and two appendices. In between each of these are one-page poetic "interludes" that reflect on various aspects of humanity. Over the six chapters, Dr. Williams analyzes The Everlasting Man by G.K. Chesterton, "On Faerie Stories" and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien, and The Abolition of Man, The Space Trilogy, and The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.

Dr. Williams did an excellent job of analyzing these popular works in light of contemporary philosophies and, most importantly, biblical revelation. He showed how Chesterton, Tolkien, and Lewis each dealt with contrary ideologies in their own ways in order to point their readers to the biblical understanding of what it means to be human. My favorite chapter was "The Abolition of Talking Beasts," as it shows what peril our culture is in by losing its human identity.

It is often said that we stand on the shoulders of giants. Chesterton, Lewis, and Tolkien were three Christian giants who have given people a better perspective of the world. In Mere Humanity, Dr. Williams brings their collective perspectives together to form an insightful and urgent critique of the contemporary popular view of humanity. ... Read more

Product Description
This delightful birthday book features 12 full-color scenes from The Hobbit painted by Tolkien himself, as well as endpaper maps of Mirkwood. It is a charming gift that will help collectors and fans keep track of important dates. 12 full-color paintings; color decorations throughout; endpaper maps. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Novelty Item with 12 Paintings
If you're expecting any text in this, don't buy it.It's exactly as it says: a little book containing the twelve months of the year with a place for each day to record birthdays of acquaintances and has a Tolkien themeto it.How so?It has twelve of Tolkien's paintings, all taken from thestory of THE HOBBIT (although, interesting enough, one called "TheMountain Path", is what appeared on the first hardback edition of THESILMARILLION).When opening, you are first confronted with a map of thejourney, then title page and copyright information, etc.I've bought thisback in 1996 in Indiana, of course, not to use (I have a first printing tothis -- though I feel that this won't be having a real big market, alas!). All the illustrations are colour prints, and whilst seven of these appearin the oversized paperback edition of THE HOBBIT, those are black andwhite, unlike the illustrations found in this book.

"Bilbo awoke onmorning...": A raven, perhaps Roac son of Carc, Lord of the Ravens(much like the much more majestic Gwaihir the Wind-Lord) on a cliff, setagainst mountains.It is much to big to be the thrush (at least, that ismy perception)

"The Front Gate"*: the front gate of The LonelyMountain, with water coming from it and smoke emanating the entrance, withthe snow capped Lonely Mountain behind it.

"Bilbo Comes to the Hutsof the Raftelves": The cover art to the 1970s edition of THE HOBBIT. Classic Tolkien painting and illustration.

"Conversations withSmaug": Has Bilbo, a mere shadow (so you can see him) with Smauglaying on a great pile of gold.Also, cover art for this book.

"TheHill: Hobbiton-Upon-the-Water" the cover art to the 1970s edition ofTHE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING.Another good illustration, with a clear shotof Bagshot Row.

"Lake Town"*: Shows the town built upon thelake, with the dock and barrels on the shore nearest you (bottom left ofthe painting), with a raft docking, and a boat in the water.Makes youwonder how boats crossed under the bridge that extended to Lake Town.. Must of have to gone around it.

"The Elvenking's Gate"*: A pathleading to the gate of the Elvenking, with the bridge in entrance in theback, and the grand hill above it.Rows of trees on either side.Nice -much in similarity to "The Hill: Hobbiton-Upon-The-Water" and"Bilbo Comes to the Huts of theRaftelves".

"Rivendell": At atmospheric piece, showing thebeauty of Rivendell.Probably done before LOTR days or early in itscomposition, because there doesn't seem enough geographic room to have thecomplexities described in LOTR.Tolkien always work much betterartistically with landscapes than people.

"The Hall at Bag-End. Residence of B. Baggins Esquire"*:The last illustration in thecurrent larger paperback.Depicts Bilbo (a quite slim looking one,probably immediately after returning from his Grand Adventure, without muchchance of his getting fat yet).

"The Trolls"*: Rather oddlooking trolls hiding in woods with Bilbo in the forefront.Veryreminiscent of the illustrations of MR. BLISS.

"The MountainPath"*: The frontis piece for the original edition of THE SILMARILLION(both hard and paper back).

"Beorn's Hall"*: an illustrationdepicting the Hall of Beorn.

*All these appear oversize paperback as areblack and white illustrations.

In conclusion, this is a nice littlenovelty item, but of not much artistic import or consideration.Being acollector, of course you wouldn't actually use it for its purposes.Thecolour prints are worth having, though I'd much rather them come out withan edition that collected all of Tolkien's published (and hopefully a fewunpublished) paintings into one nice volume.PAINTINGS might be that,although I have not seen the book so I could not say.Novelty and nothingelse.A "Yellow Submarine" novelty of Tolkien's literary estate,doubtless made for pure product.

Is it just me, or does one ever get theimpression that the Tolkien estate is, to some extent, in it for the money. Although THE HISTORY OF MIDDLE-EARTH series is absolutely fascinating, wasit totally necessary?But I won't complain or harbour on that point much -I am much glad they did it, and that is understandable.To trulyappreciate the Labour of J.R.R. Tolkien, that did need to be published, andwith excellent commentary by his son Christopher.The true question islittle novelty items like these: we don't really need them, and it makes itlook like they published it for product.This, the two maps for THE HOBBITand LOTR, and recently I saw a tarot card game with Tolkien slapped on it. That was my biggest outrage, because Tolkien was a committed Catholic man,and in no way, shape, or form, would he allow an activity that calls onSatan for guidance for one's life be advocated by him.Personally, I hopethat his children had nothing to do with the tarot reading game, and areaptly suing for misalignment or something or other.But sometimes, one canget the impression a lot of this stuff is published for the money, with acommercial aim instead of an artistic aim.Much of the posthumouslypublished stuff Tolkien wouldn't have dared send off, because he was alwaysrevising it (that is part of the problem: he couldn't, like Niggle, makehis painting complete, but always polishing).Much of the stuff in THEHISTORY is first rate stuff, and, like THE BEATLES ANTHOLOGY series (withthe exception on ANTHOLOGY 1, that was more of a historic record thananything), the people responsible for creating the art are probably theleast qualified people to judge it.As I understand it, ChristopherTolkien finishedTHE HISTORY, but if he wants to continue publish stufffrom his father's pen, go for it.Lets just not make it silly littlenovelty items, but real stuff, real meat.3 stars for the paintings ... Read more

Product Description
This four volume, deluxe paperback boxed set contains J.R.R. Tolkien's epic masterworks THE HOBBIT and the three volumes of THE LORD OF THE RINGS (THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, THE TWO TOWERS, and THE RETURN OF THE KING) in their definitive text settings complete with maps and cover illustrations by the celebrated artist Alan Lee. In THE HOBBIT, Bilbo Baggins is whisked away from his comfortable, unambitious life in Hobbiton by the wizard Gandalf and a company of dwarves. He finds himself caught up in a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a THE LORD OF THE RINGStells of the great and dangerous quest undertaken by Frodo Baggins and the Fellowship of the Ring: Gandalf the wizard; the hobbits Merry, Pippin, and Sam; Gimli the dwarf; Legolas the elf; Boromir of Gondor; and a tall, mysterious stranger called Strider. J.R.R. Tolkien's three volume masterpiece is at once a classic myth and a modern fairy tale -- a story of high and heroic adventure set in the unforgettable landscape of Middle-Earth.Amazon.com Review
Hobbits and wizards and Sauron--oh, my! Mild-mannered Oxford scholar John Ronald Reuel Tolkien had little inkling when he published The Hobbit; Or, There and Back Again in 1937 that, once hobbits were unleashed upon the world, there would be no turning back. Hobbits are, of course, small, furry creatures who love nothing better than a leisurely life quite free from adventure. But in that first novel and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the hobbits Bilbo and Frodo and their elvish friends get swept up into a mighty conflict with the dragon Smaug, the dark lord Sauron (who owes much to proud Satan in Paradise Lost), the monstrous Gollum, the Cracks of Doom, and the awful power of the magical Ring. The four books' characters--good and evil--are recognizably human, and the realism is deepened by the magnificent detail of the vast parallel world Tolkien devised, inspired partly by his influential Anglo-Saxon scholarship and his Christian beliefs. (He disapproved of the relative sparseness of detail in the comparable allegorical fantasy his friend C.S. Lewis dreamed up in The Chronicles of Narnia, though he knew Lewis had spun a page-turning yarn.) It has been estimated that one-tenth of all paperbacks sold can trace their ancestry to J.R.R. Tolkien. But even if we had never gotten Robert Jordan's The Path of Daggers and the whole fantasy genre Tolkien inadvertently created by bringing the hobbits so richly to life, Tolkien's epic about the Ring would have left our world enhanced by enchantment. --Tim Appelo ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1259)

Hobbiten To Mordor By Theke Seret
I'm doing a review on Tolkiens epic fantasy The Lord Of The Rings. For those of you that say it is a series, you are wrong. It is a single book often broken up into three parts. It all began with a book called the Hobbit were a Very adventurous hobbit [1/2 man ½ dwarf] Bilbo Baggins travel with 13 dwarfs and a wizard to a mountain were a dragon has taken over the dwarf home. On the way he is taken into a goblins cave but the wizard comes and saves them. Wile running away from a horde of goblins Bilbo gets lost and stumbles in on a creature who plans to eat him, but Bilbo got a dagger from trolls earlier. He then gets a ring that makes you go invisible.
In the later book Bilbo gives the ring to his heir and nephew Frodo. Then Frodo must leave his home with a few friends because ghosts enslaved by the dark lord. Frodo meets the heir to the king of men Aragorn who is supposed to protect him. Frodo must bear the ring and take it to mount doom [a volcano]were the ring was forged.He joins with his hobbit friends, Aragorn, Legolas an elf, Boromir a man, Gandolf the wizard and Gimli the dwarf. Frodo and another hobbit get separated from the group where Boromir dies and the other hobbits get captured. Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn fight major battles, the other hobbits go fight the evil wizard and Frodo with his friend throw the ring into mount doom defeating the dark lord.

I loved how descriptive Tolkien was, and how he gave every possible detail and trait till I felt like I was on the adventure. He also explained the emotions of the characters till I knew every thought in the characters head. Tolkien even made sure that it was in multiple perspectives of both the evil and good characters. Tolkien made sure that he kept you guessing about what would happen and wasn't afraid to let main characters die or let you believe them dead, like some authors are and lastly it was packed with action. On a scale from 1 to 10 I thought it was 10 because of all the reasons I told plus many more. It was one of my favorite books, I hope you like it too!

The Lord of the Rings
I have the complete set for myself.This set is for my daughter for Christmas. I would reccommend these books.

Just what I wanted
My shipment arrived in a timely manner and all of the contents were accounted for. Thank you!

EPIC
I just finished the hobbit and it was very interesting. I am going to start the other ones soon. these are very good books

EPIC
I just finished the hobbit and it was very interesting. I am going to start the other ones soon. these are very good books
... Read more

Product Description
Three-volume boxed set edition lavishly illustrated in full color by Alan Lee

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, The Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth still it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell, by chance, into the hands of the hobbit, Bilbo Baggins.

From his fastness in the Dark Tower of Mordor, Sauron's power spread far and wide. He gathered all the Great Rings to him, but ever he searched far and wide for the One Ring that would complete his dominion.

On his eleventy-first birthday, Bilbo dissapeared bequeathing to his young cousin, Frodo, the Ruling Ring, and a perilous quest: to journey across Middle-earth, deep into the shadow of the Dark Lord and destroy the Ring by casting it into the Cracks of Doom.

The Lord of the Rings tells of the great quest undertaken by Frodo and the Fellowship of the Ring: Gandalf the wizard, the hobbits Merry, Pippin and Sam, Gimli the Dwarf, Legolas the Elf, Boromir of Gondor, and a tall, mysterious stranger called Strider. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (439)

Amazing, Epic, Fantasy by: Dawayn Smith

I'm sure you've heard of the Lord of The Rings and you might have read it, but have you ever listened to someone else's view on the book? I bet you haven't. Well, you might want to hear this.
J.R.R. Tolkin's book takes place in Middle Earth, a place full of elves, trolls, and hobbits. The main character is a bright, middle aged hobbit named Frodo. Frodo turns out to be the keeper of one of the most powerful things in the world: the One Ring. Frodo, his loyal servant, his two hobbit friends, Gandelf the wizard, two men, Legolas the elf, and Gimili the dwarf set out on a dangerous adventure to destroy the ring.
The theme is defiantly adventure or friendship, because it is full of adventure and to succeed the nine I listed above must have a strong, unbending friendship. They had to work together for every challenge.
In my opinion, this book is one of the best books I've read. It draws you in to J.R.R. Tolkin's world. If you haven't read it, I suggest you do.

Well Worth the Money
This review is for the Houghton Mifflin (Nov 2002) 3 book hard-cover boxed set (ISBN-10:0618260587). What can I say about the books other than they are so good, I chose to purchase this edition to have as a keepsake. They are big...approx. 8" x 10" and weighty...but well made and beautiful. The illustrations by Alan Lee provide visual treats to further enhance this masterpiece of fantasy fiction. I have read the story countless times...so many in fact that my original book is falling to pieces. This new boxed set will see better handling and care. It is well-made with clear type on semi-glossy paper. Some people have reported a bit of glare off the pages but it is nothing too serious for most lighting conditions. This edition is a very worthwhile addition to my collection.

Colorful, wonderfull blue illustrated box set!
This is the giant blue box set. It's bigger than other book sizes and the paper is glossy white. It's very nice to look at on your shelf and you can also read them if you wanted. Definitly meant for the fans of the book, theres no reason to pay this much if you haven't already read the books once.

Perfect!
I bought the set for my mom who is a huge Lord of The Rings fan - she absolutely loved it. The books are really good quality and she enjoyed the maps inside. The maps fold out to about 2 pages tall and 2 pages wide. I would definitely recommend these books to anyone searching for a nice set - they are worth the money, by far.

Lord of the
Item was received promptly and in new condition.I would purchase from same source again. ... Read more