A Tolkien Bestiary, by David Day. (1979)
“A Bestiary of the Beasts, Monsters, Races, Deities, and
Flora.” The first book on Tolkien by David Day, the artwork from which he
recycled again and again in his subsequent books. Basically, an illustrated
guide to the living beings of Middle-earth (no places, things, or historical
events). Each in a group of artists (whom it were tedious here to recount) was
given a subject (elves, dwarves, orcs) to illustrate. Not a bad effort, but I
grew tired over the years of seeing Day exploit it again and again.
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: Reference. Fantasy. Hardback.
The Hobbit Companion, by David Day. Illustrations by Lidia
Postma. (1997)
Recycles some of Postma’s art from ‘The Tolkien Bestiary’,
but there is quite a bit more original work. Lots of Day’s throw-it-at-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks
approach to ‘research’ and source-seeking.
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: A Bit of Fluff. Padded Hardback.
Tolkien’s Ring, by David Day. Illustrated by Alan Lee. (1994,
2012)
“A reissue of the literary detective work examining
Tolkien's sources and inspiration, beautifully illustrated by the lead
conceptual artist for the LOTR film trilogy, of whom Peter Jackson said
"His art captured what I hoped to capture with the films." J. R.
R. Tolkien had a great knowledge of, and love for, world mythology when he
wrote his beloved trilogy of Middle Earth. This authoritative[?] work shows how
The Lord of the Rings is the result of an ancient storytelling tradition that
dates back to the dawn of western cultures, and how, by drawing upon the
world's primary myths and legends, Tolkien created his own mythology for the
20th century. In particular, the symbol of the Ring has a rich and
fascinating heritage, and just as Gandalf sets out to discover the history of
the Hobbit's Ring, so the author searches out the history and descent
of Tolkien's Ring, and how the Ring quest tradition first came into being.” –
Amazon. Lee’s work lifts up this mediocre retailing of myths and legends (some
with only the most tenuous connection to Tolkien) to where at least its nose is
out of the swamp.
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: Literary Criticism. Hardback.
The Unofficial Hobbit Handbook, by The Shire Collective
(Peter Archer, Scott Francis, Jeff Gerke) (2012)
In anticipation of the new ‘Hobbit’ movies, there was a slew
of such books put out. Dwells on Hobbit society, what a Hobbit should know when
going on an adventure, and the people and places in Middle-Earth he is likely
to meet. And as many of these kinds of books came out, I was able to buy them at
substantial discounts later. Even if unread.
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: Reference. Fantasy. Softcover.
A Tolkien Compass, Edited by Jared Lobdell. (1975)
“A Tolkien Compass: Fascinating Studies and Interpretations
of J.R.R. Tolkien's Most Popular Epic Fantasies is a collection of essays
on J.R.R.
Tolkien's writings,
edited by Jared
Lobdell. Most
contributors were, like Lobdell, part of the University of Wisconsin Tolkien
Society. The first
edition was published in 1975, and a second and third edition followed in 1980 and 2002. The first edition also contained Tolkien's Guide to the Names in The Lord of the Rings (pp. 153-201), but this has
been omitted from later editions due to complaints from the Tolkien Estate, who are the legal owners of the
text.” – Tolkien Gateway. And this – ha ha! – is the edition I have, battered
and ragged as this second- (or even third-) hand volume is. The cover, a
drawing of Smaug, is obviously based on the Rankin/Bass design.
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Literary Criticism. Softcover.
Tolkien and The Silmarillion, by Clyde S. Kilby. (Third
Printing, 1977)
There was a very short time between Tolkien’s death and the
publication of ‘The Silmarillion’, but speculation was feverish in the
meanwhile. This slim little book by Kilby [he “was an American author and English professor, best known for his scholarship on
the Inklings, especially J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. A professor at Wheaton College (Illinois) for most of his life, Dr. Kilby founded the Marion
E. Wade Center there,
making it a center for the study of the Inklings, their friends (such as Dorothy Sayers), and their influences (such
as George
MacDonald).” –
Wikipedia.] was published in 1971 and revised and released again in that time
slot. Slightly chewed.
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: Literary Speculation. Biography. Hardback.
Tolkien and the Silmarils, by Randel Helms. (1981)
“Imagination and Myth in ‘The Silmarillion’”. An early
analysis of ‘The Silmarillion’; Helms had written the earlier book, ‘Tolkien’s
World’. By the time I got a copy of this book I had been reading ‘The
Silmarillion’ and criticism about it for at least twenty years and found little
to interest me. But it was Tolkien, and it had nostalgic connections, so into the
hoard it went.
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: Literary Criticism. Fantasy. Hardback.
Cliff Notes on Tolkien’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The
Hobbit’, by Gene B. Hardy Ph. D. (1977)
Okay, it probably only just qualifies as a book. More of a
fat pamphlet.
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: Study Aid. Softcover.
The Magical Worlds of ‘The Lord of the Rings’, by David
Colbert. (2002)
This quickie publication, full of glib facts and
cut-and-paste copyright free art, was obviously produced to cash in on the
popularity of the movies. I see to my dismay, though, that it looks like
something has been eating on the cover page; silverfish perhaps.
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: Guide. Reference. Softcover.
Exploring J. R. R. Tolkien’s ‘The Hobbit’, by Corey Olsen.
(2012)
Came out, I expect, in anticipation of the Jackson movies. “Exploring
J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” is a fun, thoughtful, and insightful
companion volume designed to bring a thorough and original new reading of this
great work to a general audience. Professor Corey Olsen takes readers on an
in-depth journey through The Hobbit chapter by chapter,
revealing the stories within the story: the dark desires of dwarves and the
sublime laughter of elves, the nature of evil and its hopelessness, the mystery
of divine providence and human choice, and, most of all, the transformation
within the life of Bilbo Baggins. Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The
Hobbit” is a book that will make The Hobbit come
alive for readers as never before.” – Amazon. And Doug thinks it’s good:
"An admirable and thought-provoking consideration of the underlying themes
of The Hobbit, following the there-and-back-again progress from its famous
first line on through to Bilbo's return home at the story's end." -
Douglas A. Anderson, author of The Annotated Hobbit.
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Literary Criticism. Hardback.
The History of Middle-Earth Index, J. R. R. Tolkien. Edited
by Christopher Tolkien. (2002)
“Complete integrated indices of History of Middle-earth
volumes to complement new series. For the first time every index from each of
the twelve volumes of The History Of Middle-earth has been published together
in a single volume -- to create a supreme index charting the writing of
Tolkien's masterpieces The Lord of The Rings and The Silmarillion. This
stunning work of reference complements the fascinating History of Middle-earth
series, now repackaged to complement the distinctive and classic style of the
'black cover' A-format paperbacks of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The
Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales.” - Amazon. I won’t say boring, but
oh-so-specialized reference volume that would be nearly unreadable if you
weren’t lucky to have all the volumes of ‘The History of Middle-Earth’. Such as
I do.
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Reference. Softcover.
The Hobbits: The Many Lives of Bilbo, Frodo, Sam, Merry and
Pippin, by Lynette Porter. (2012)
“For generations of entranced readers, and now a new
generation of filmgoers, Tolkien is synonymous with his most famous
creation—the hobbit. The beloved characters of Bilbo, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and
Pippin have been much-adapted for radio, television, film, and stage. Lynette
Porter follows the hobbits through these many other lives, from Tolkien's
on-page revisions and John Boorman's unmade screenplays, through to Peter
Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and its musical
counterpart. She also reviews over 50 years of "Hobbit Art",
including the work of Alan Lee, John Howe, and Ted Nasmith. Journeying through
fanzines, videogames, fanfiction, and more, Porter demonstrates how the
hobbits, their characters, and their stories continue to introduce new
audiences to Tolkien's work, in new and adapted forms.” – Amazon.
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: Pop Culture. Softcover.
A Tolkien Compass, Edited by Jared Lobdell. (2002)
A reprint of the original, without the contested ‘Guide to
the Names in The Lord of the Rings’, Tolkien’s own glossary to aid translators
of his work. With a new Foreword by Tom Shippey.
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Essays. Literary Criticism. Softcover.
The Languages of Tolkien’s Middle-Earth, by Ruth Noel. (1974,
1980).
Bought this at Hastings, well before the saga of ‘The History
of Middle-Earth’ came out, and you could have a simple look through “A complete
guide to all fourteen of the languages Tolkien invented.” Includes the Elvish
and other runes.
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Imaginary Languages. Fantasy. Reference.
Softcover.
The Mythology of Middle-Earth, by Ruth Noel. (1977)
“Memo to aspiring authors: The Golden Bough is
not all of mythology, and if you're going to do a mythological study, you'll
need to read more than that. As a folklorist and a student of medieval romances
(which is what The Lord of the Rings is, even though it was
written in the twentieth century), I found this book intriguing. In concept. In
practice, it is yet another book that tries to explain Tolkien without
understanding Tolkien.” – Review by ‘waltzmn’ on Library Thing. But for a young
Tolkien nut in high school it seemed the bee’s knees. [Lacks this jacket.]
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Mythology. Literary Criticism. Hardback.
One Ring to Bind Them All: Tolkien’s Mythology, by Anne C.
Petty. (1979)
“In One Ring to Bind Them All, Anne Petty shows
that when viewed through the combined methodologies of Joseph Campbell,
Vladimir Propp, and Claude Lévi-Strauss a folkloristic/mythic structure is seen
to underlie Tolkien’s epic work. The Lord of the Rings is
20th-century mythology manifested in the familiar pattern of the three-stage
hero quest made popular by Campbell—departure, initiation, and return—and in
the elemental motifs of folktales, as discovered by Propp and expanded upon by
Lévi-Strauss. This cross-disciplinary analysis shows that Tolkien presented to
modern readers and other writers a rich array of reinvented mythic archetypes
and icons: the desperate quest (good vs. evil); a magical object that embodies
or initiates the quest (the ring); the wise wizard who oversees or aids the
quest (Gandalf); the reluctant hero, an ordinary person with untapped abilities
(Frodo); the hero’s loyal friend and supporter (Sam); the warrior king whose
true identity is hidden (Strider/Aragorn); the goddess figure (Galadriel); and
so on. Petty asserts that through The Hobbit and The
Lord of the Rings Tolkien created a fully realized world that evokes a
sense of authentic history and is imbued with clarity and a beauty of
linguistic expression, a world that continues to draw new audiences to the myth
of Middle-earth.” – GoodReads. [Not my cover, but I can't for the life of me find even a blurry picture of the plainer green cover that I have.]
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: Literary Criticism. Softcover.
The People’s Guide to J. R. R. Tolkien: Essays and
Reflections on Middle-earth from TheOneRing.Net. Erica Challis, Editor in
Chief. Foreword by Tom Shippey. (2003)
For years TheOneRing.Net was where I would go for breaking
Tolkien news; since the release of the last ‘Hobbit’ movie they have slowed
down. But I would always read with interest the posts by Quickbeam, Tehanu,
Anwyn and Turgon, four superfans, and here are gathered and printed some of
their best pieces on the world of Tolkien in all its forms.
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Essays. Articles. Softcover.
The Tolkien Scrapbook, Edited by Alida
Becker. Illustrations by Michael Green, Color Illustrations by Tim Kirk. (1978)
I used to have a softcover copy of this, which I either sold
or gave away. There was a period when I was quite ruthless, even to my Tolkien
books. No dustjacket and the cloth cover is rather stained. Collects Tolkien
stuff from the Groovy Ages of the fandom, the best of which is Kirk’s artwork,
articles by W. H. Auden, Colin Wilson, and even Edmund Wilson’s famously
negative review. “Includes folklore, songs, poems, and recipes of Middle Earth,
a collection of articles about Tolkien and his works, a biography, reading
list, and directory of national and international Tolkien and fantasy societies
and publications.” – Amazon.
Ranking: Essential Keeper.
File Code: Scrapbook. Fantasy. Hardback.
The Tolkien Scrapbook, Edited by Alida Becker. Illustrations
by Michael Green, Color Illustrations by Tim Kirk. (1978)
Well, this is the softcover edition I said I had ruthlessly
sold or given away. Boy, was I wrong. When it comes to Tolkien, I have a
dragon-like retentiveness. This is why this Inventory is such a good thing; it
checks my memory against reality and airs out the old hoard.
Ranking: Keeper, apparently.
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