Tolkien

First Publication: September 21, 1937
Published by: George Allen and Unwin (UK)

The Hobbit has its origins in the stories Tolkien first created for his children growing up. He had been writing many such stories for his children over the years from nursery rhymes to Father Christmas letters. This particular story actually began, as it so famously is remembered, when he encountered a blank page when grading exams. He was so pleased with this, he scribbled, without knowing why, "in a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit." Even upon completion, it had never been intended for publication, and only upon encouragement by C.S. Lewis and several other friends, whom he shared the manuscript with, did it make its slow way to the publishers George Allen and Unwin. Upon sharing it with his son Rayner, Unwin immediately proposed publication of the work. The rest, of course, is history.

Of particular note is that, the original Hobbit is, in form, different than the final form so famous today. In particular, is a gaping difference between the Gollum of the first publication and that of the final edit of the book. Where in the current rendition, Biblo flees and follows Gollum out, after Gollum has sought to betray the hobbit, in this first version, Gollum had intended to give the ring to Biblo as a present, and barring that, readily agreed to guide Bilbo out of the caves, which he does. Quite the change in character for Slinker/Stinker, wouldn't you say?

First Publication: July 24, 1954
Published by: George Allen and Unwin (UK)

Interestingly enough, what we know as the first volume of the epic fantasy novel Lord of the Rings was never intended to be a separate volume. Originally, the entire novel was to be published as one volume, if Tolkien had had his way, possibly published alongside his first begun but last finished work The Silmarillion, but Allen and Unwin opted to publish the book in three volumes. The book was "commissioned" by Allen and Unwin, if commissioned is the right word, as a sequel to The Hobbit but in large part because of Tolkien's writing process and obsession with details and consistency throughout his work, what originally began in the late thirties did not reach completion until much later, obviously only reaching press in 1954.

And, as a part of this obsession, as mentioned in my note above, The Hobbit underwent extensive revision to bring it into line with the plot of his new masterpiece. Of the new movies of this book, it is by far the most accurate of those. Sadly, there is much left out and changed, even in the first Fellowship of the Ring movie. To truly appreciate this masterpiece, I highly recommend reading the book before seeing the movie.

First Publication: November 11, 1954
Published by: George Allen and Unwin (UK)

Published the same year as the first of the LotR volumes, this is a continuation of the book, obviously, and in similar vein as the original, received both positive and negative reviews. There was some debate by Tolkien himself whether the title referred to Orthanc and Barad-Dur, Minas Tirith and Barad-Dur, or Orthanc and Cirith Ungol. In the end, however, he chose to go with Minas Morgul and Orthanc. That is quite interesting to note, as the Peter Jackson adaptation shifted that yet again, focusing the parallel between Orthanc and Barad-Dur.

As mentioned with the previous film of this book, the film takes some license in its story telling. But I will go beyond that for this one. Of all the three films, this one was my least favorite. While some of the scenes, in and of themselves, where quite well done, so many major changes were made and plot elements introduced, characterization changed and manner of telling shifted, that I found myself often disturbed by what Jackson had done to the novel I love. Please, do not make this film version your first acquaintance with this book.

First Publication: October 20, 1955
Published by: George Allen and Unwin (UK)

Here we have the culmination of a great work. In its publication at the end of the year, rather than earlier, Tolkien's propensity for details and consistency was once again at work. His insistence on changes to the Appendices and other details resulted in a later publication date than had originally been intended. With this, Tolkien's launch of the modern genre of fantasy would be complete, and over the years, its popularity would be spurred by various events and movements, from the hippie movement of the 70s to the campaign by his loyal fans in the U.S. to boycott the unauthorized version of his book by Ace Books in the 60s.

As a note on the Jackson film version of this book, while an improvement over the second film, this one also takes severe liberties with characterization and even has gaping holes in how some events occur At one point, the ents decide to not become involved in the fight with Saruman; however, while transporting the hobbits to the end of the forest, Treebeard becomes enraged by Saruman's destruction of the forest and magically, the rest of the ents appear to attack Orthanc with him. All this does not even include the "double ending" created by Jackson's cutting a huge event at the end of the novel. Needless to say, while entertaining in some ways, I was more than a little disgruntled. And I implore you, do not let the movie version be your introduction to this masterpiece.

First Publication: September 15, 1977
Published by: George Allen and Unwin

I won't go quite so far as to say this is my favorite book of his, but I do put it up there with his other books. Albeit, it is a very different style which is difficult for many readers, but I love it. I don't know that I have anywhere close to the skill to compose such a piece, but I do find inspiration in here for my own cosmology and creation myths. I cannot imagine a good movie of this book, though if it could be done, it would be amazing, often sad and dark, but quite amazing. For anyone wondering where some of the obscure references from LotR come from, this will be your source book. I would recommend reading this before the History of Middle-earth series, and yes, definitely purchase this one if you're a Tolkien fan. Casual fans might be put off by it, but it's well worth the effort.

First Publication: January 1, 2002
Published by: Quality Paperback Bookclub

Even though the material in this book are not entirely exclusive to this book (there are various sources for the poems and stories in this book), it is a great collection of Tolkien's smaller and lesser known works. Among the gems here are Tolkien's seminal essay "On Fairy-Stories," a work I highly recommend for anyone interested in the subject. Also included are his short stories "Farmer Giles of Ham," "Smith of Wootton Major," and "Leaf by Niggle." For anyone who is a fan of Tom Bombadil as I am, a series of poems is included chronicling his adventures as well. For me, this one is highly worth owning.

First Publication: 1966
Published by: Ballantine Books

As with a number of other "collections," this one gathers together some works available in other books out there, notably "On Fairy-Stories," "Leaf by Niggle," and "Farmer Giles of Ham," as well as the aforementioned "Adventures of Tom Bombadil." However, this collection does include a couple works that make this book worth obtaining. One is a poem based around the aftermath of another famous work, "The Battle of Maldon," written by Tolkien. In addition is a work by Peter S. Beagle titled "Tolkien's Magic Ring," a fascinating essay on, what else, Tolkien's use of the ring in his masterpiece. It's not the only such work on that topic, but certain worth a gander.

First Publication: 1981
Published by: George Allen and Unwin (UK) & Houghton Mifflin

Obviously not for the casual fan of his work, for anyone with serious interest in understanding Tolkien and his works, this is a must have. It's a fascinating collection of hundreds of his letters, over 350. Granted, as prolific as Tolkien was in letter writing, that is but a small number of them, and numerous ones were excluded for privacy reasons, but it does nothing to take from this collection. The letters touch on his personal life with Edith and his children, his professional career as a professor, his publishing history, and of course, Middle-earth.

First Publication: October 2, 2001
Published by: Caedmon

This is not a complete reading of his work, nor even a close reading. However, what this collection does offer is a glimpse of Tolkien himself reading his work. In 1952, Tolkien created a tape recording of selections from his The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings and this collection is taken from that recording. It is an abridgement, so not all is included, but it does include a poem called "The Mirror of Galadriel" that was intended for release in the trilogy, but was edited out. Also in the collection are selections from The Silmarillion read by his son, Christopher Tolkien.

First Publication: May 4, 2007
Published by: Harper Collins (UK)

I am presently working my way through this book, and I believe it is mostly for more serious fans, rather than the casual fan. It is a fascinating look at Tolkien's first version of this famous work, including a series of short "essayotic" discussion of each chapter from the first draft of The Hobbit. It is one of the only places you will find the first version of Bilbo's encounter will Gollum, (the others being the actual first edition of the book, as well as some explanation in The Annotated Hobbit) and for that alone, is well worth the investment. I still would love to own my own copy of the first publication of The Hobbit but that is considerably out of my price range. It is a slower read, but quite worth an investment of time and money.

First Publication: July 2007
Published by: Harper Collins (UK)

I have not yet read this work, as I am currently working my way through the first volume. However, I anticipate this will also be in much the same vein as the first volume: a presentation of the original text, accompanied by notes and "essayotic" explanations of the differences and reasoning for them by the author of this work, John D. Rateliff. It is certainly a worthy investment for any fan of Tolkien's work, beyond the casual reader. I would also recommend these books, as well as the History of Middle-Earth series to any aspiring writer of fantasy.

First Publication: October 28, 1983
Published by: George Allen and Unwin (UK)

This is the first volume in the twelve volume series by Christopher Tolkien titled The History of Middle-Earth, a rather fascinating collection of earlier drafts of Tolkien's mythology and world, with detailed notes and commentary by Christopher Tolkien himself. I would caution readers that the names and events of this series are often quite different than that of the published works many of us have come to know and love. But that does not mean there is not as much to equally love here.

And for myself, it is the chance to glimpse the master of epic fantasy as he works through his own creative process. Combined with his letters and other works about and by Tolkien, and you can not only begin to have a deeper appreciation for what is The Lord of the Rings and its accompanying works, but also for the level of sophistication and skill displayed in his writings. As an aspiring fantasy author myself, I find myself often returning to these and his works as inspiration for my own journey and path. Of course, one cannot emulate him too closely, both because of his great knowledge of language and philology that very few could hope to master, but also because to become great authors of any genre, we must do more than merely imitate those who have come before us.

First Publication: August 16, 1984
Published by: George Allen and Unwin (UK)

Of the two volumes that make up The Book of Lost Tales, this one is by far my favorite, and quite possibly, my favorite of this series. It contains my favorite tale, and indeed, is one of the few places that tale can be found: the full rendition of "The Fall of Gondolin." For that reason alone this one volume, if you purchase none of the other in this series, should be found on your shelf. There are several other fascinating stories here found only here in their full form: The Nauglafring and The Tale of Earendel. It also includes some first versions of tales from the published The Silmarillion, which make it a gem for any fan of Tolkien's works.

First Publication: 1985
Published by: George Allen and Unwin (UK)

Continuing in the same vein as The Book of Lost Tales, this work contains long verse or "lays" of stories in his mythologies. These include "The Lay of the Children of Hurin" and "The Lay of Leithian," each concerning major cycles in his mythology. There was a recent release called The Children of Hurin which itself is worth obtaining, but that version is different from this as well. There are a number of other poems or lays contained in this volume as well, and while not my favorite of the series (I do have an interest in writing poetry, but I must admit, writing such long accounts of my stories in verse will not likely be one of my future endeavors), it is still worth a read.

First Publication: 1986
Published by: George Allen and Unwin (UK)

A continuation of Christopher Tolkien's exploration of his father's writings and transformation from the early and more chaotic versions of his mythology towards the more polished and finished versions we find later, for me this one is most interested because of the inclusion of several maps and diagrams of his world. As a fantasy author, I have found maps and diagrams are indispensable to me, in visualizing the world and layout of the world, and as I'm discovering, to keeping track of families and histories of the world. Worth keeping for a read through and as a reference work in your own writings.

First Publication: 1987
Published by: George Allen and Unwin (UK)

This fifth volume in the series deals largely with a rather interesting episode in the history of Tolkien's world. At one time, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien agreed to each write a story dealing with a certain theme. For Lewis, this was space travel, and that resulted in his books Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra. For Tolkien, this meant the beginning of his The Lost Road. He never completed this work as it was intended, abandoning it very early on. However, it is still quite fascinating to see how he worked the connection between his world and ours in this attempt.

At one point very early in my own writing, I envisioned doing just that in my stories, but abandoned it much sooner than him; in fact, I never got beyond the "envisioning" stage of that, and instead focused more on the stories themselves.

First Publication: 1988
Published by: George Allen and Unwin (UK)

This volume, along with the next three (The Treason of Isengard, The War of the Ring, and Sauron Defeated) were also known by the series title The History of the Lord of the Rings. This first volume or sixth volume, depending on which series you are referring, chronicles three initial phases of the LotR, culminating when the fellowship enters the mines of Moria. For those who are more exclusively interested in the development of LotR, this would be the book to start with, and it's well worth the time invested here. I would add that for any author delving into the fantasy genre, time spent learning about Tolkien's writings will certainly pay dividends in the end, not only because of learning about his works and process, but also because such studies also lead to other works and authors for inspiration, particularly in the areas of myth and folklore.

First Publication: 1989
Published by: George Allen and Unwin (UK)

This seventh volume takes up where the previous volume left off, and includes a very fascinating discussion of the original map of Middle-earth at the end of the Third Age. Maps are fantasy writers' best friends, in large part because they can help give some sense of visualization to readers of the locations of places and important events. I, myself, have drawn at least two or three rough versions of maps of my own fantasy novel's world, though these will undoubtedly need to be revised and reworked going forward.

First Publication: 1990
Published by: George Allen and Unwin (UK)

The eighth volume in this series picks up with the Battle of Helms Deep and continues to the opening of the Black Gates. For me, what is most fascinating as I read this series it the slow emergence of characters and events for the first time, discovered by Tolkien himself only as he was writing. In this volume alone are the emergence of Faramir as a character, and the shattering of the palantir as it fell(yes, later that does change). And for myself, I find inspiration in that Tolkien does not know where all these things came from, but discovered them as he wrote. I myself write in much the same fashion, having an outline of major events or the plot but often very little knowledge of the in-between events.

First Publication: 1992
Published by: George Allen and Unwin (UK)

This is the last of the History of the Lord of the Rings and the ninth volume in the History of Middle-earth series. Bringing the story to its conclusion, I also find the inclusion of a rejected Epilogue quite fascinating, as well as a story called The Notion Club Papers, a time-travel story related to Numemor. There are some other areas of interest to hardcore Tolkien fans as well, such as an account of his Adunaic language.

First Publication: September 23, 1993
Published by: George Allen and Unwin (UK)

The tenth volume of the series, for me this was one of the more interesting books in the series, containing essays on a number of metaphysical aspects of his mythology and world. It is one of the few places you'll see blatant discussion and exploration of such large issues as original sin, the sufferings of death and immortality, and the soul and the body. As most Tolkien readers know, Tolkien often deals with such issues at a more in-tangent manner, leaving such issues often in the background of his world. This one is definitely worth a read or two.

First Publication: October 20, 1994
Published by: Harper Collins (UK)

Along with the tenth volume, this book further explores the later draft of The Silmarillion, that is, his mythology after the writing of the Lord of the Rings. What is most fascinating for me is to see the choices and methods of fitting his various mythological stories into the published manuscript for The Silmarillion. What Christopher Tolkien often had to deal with were manuscripts and texts written at various times in his father's life and which often did not mesh well in style or in staying consistent to the storyline. With my own interest in creating my own world and mythology, such a discussion is quite fascinating and informative.

First Publication: September 2, 1996
Published by: George Allen and Unwin (UK)

The last volume in this series, this one might indeed hold special interest for the more diehard Lord of the Rings fans. The bulks of this book deals with the creation of the Prologue and the Appendices of Tolkien's LotR, but aside from that, there are a few other interesting bits from other writings, including the earlier Lost Roads tales and the colonization of the Numenoreans in Middle-earth.

First Publication: January 5, 1998
Published by: Harper Collins (UK)

It has been some years since I have read this book, so the details are a bit sketchy, but I do remember enjoying this one. It is a children's book, it must be remembered, and is not written in the same grandiose, complex style of his masterpiece. It was written as a consolation for his son Michael at the loss of his favorite toy dog. Tolkien had originally submitted it for publication back in 1936, but it was not published until much, much later, obviously. It's an amusing tale, and one I would recommend for some light reading of his.

First Publication: October 20, 1949
Published by: George Allen and Unwin (UK)

Not my favorite of his shorter works, it is still an amusing tale, and much like The Hobbit in its anachronisms. Beyond that and its relation to faerie, it has very little connection with his Middle-earth world and mythology. While you can certainly obtain this book by itself, I would highly recommend one of several collections listed here, as it would be much more economical to purchase several of these shorter works at one time.

First Publication: November 9, 1967
Published by: George Allen and Unwin (UK)

This is an amazing exploration of just what the Tolkien envisioned "faerie" is. Read this with his essay "On Fairy-stories" and it'll give you a pretty good idea what he sees faerie, the realm that is, as. I enjoy this story quite a bit, obviously, and even found some inspiration to start a cake baking tradition as found in the story. Originally, this was intended to be an introduction for a work by George MacDonald, but it rather quickly morphed into this story, and I might add, as a reaction to his returning to MacDonald's work after so long. I believe a bit of his nostalgia evaporated upon returning, and this was his reaction. Well worth a read, especially, as I said, with his seminal essay.

First Publication: November 2, 1962
Published by: George Allen and Unwin (UK)

These are probably not for the casual fan, as they were verse stories about a minor character, Tom Bombadil. I say minor only in those who are casual fans. For those who are a bit more hardcore about Middle-earth, many, many fans love Tom Bombadil and his enigmatic persona. These, then, are for those out there like myself. They explore Bombadil's life and adventures and give us a glimpse into his world beyond the hints we have from LotR. All the same, I would opt for one of the collections listed here that include these, rather than finding this published individually.

First Publication: January 1997
Published by: Harper Collins

This is a very solid collection of his works, already mentioned here in the above list: "Farmer Giles of Ham," "Leaf by Niggle," "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil," and "Smith of Wootton Major." It is missing, notably, his essay "On Fairy-stories," and to me, that makes A Tolkien Miscellany a much better bargain. I won't deny, the essay can be difficult to understand if you're not used to Tolkien's style, but it's well worth opting for the other collection.

First Publication: April 16, 2007
Published by: Harper Collins

For those of you who collect, the edition I have and the one pictured here is a great addition to any library. However, I must confess, I gleaned only small bits and pieces beyond what I have already learnt of Hurin's children in other works listed here. It's an enjoyable read, and well worth it, but if you have The Silmarillion and some of the History of Middle-earth series dealing with this work, unless you're like me and must have all works and books Tolkien, you might pass on this one.

First Publication: September 2, 1976
Published by: George Allen and Unwin (UK)

I must confess that I have not read this book in its entirety. I have read part of it at times, and it is quite a fascinating collection. I first learnt of it when reading his biography for the first time, and was immediately curious about these. Between 1920 and 1942, Tolkien composed and illustrated a series of letters for his children from "Father Christmas," telling of the adventures up there with his elves and the various other characters he invented, including snow Goblins. I do not know if I am quite so creative, but I do at times have visions of doing just that, should I have children one day.

First Publication: 1974
Revised Edition: May 1980
Published by: Mirage Press and Houghton Mifflin, respectively

I probably wouldn't recommend reading this cover to cover, obviously, but for anyone interested in languages and in particular, languages of Middle-earth, this is indispensable. Much a glossary/dictionary, it does contain some errors and is not quite as up-to-date as it could be, especially since it was published before other materials, such as the History of Middle-earth series. Still, worth owning and using, so long as you keep those things in mind.

First Publication: 1979
Published by: Mitchell Beazley

Another good reference work, if a bit, shall we say, erroneous, at least for purist like myself. Don't get me wrong, it's a good book to own, and has some beautiful illustrations and artwork in it. And there is alot of good information here. But it does take some liberties in the listings, adding terms and creature name suggestions that do not appear in Tolkien's actual work. This is actually a common complaint you'll find if you do any searching on this book as well, so you don't need to be a hardcore fan like myself to know this. Still, I wouldn't shy away from this title either.

First Publication: April 13, 2000
Published by: Mitchell Beazley

This is a reference work you'd do well to own. I say that not owning my own copy, though I have had the chance to view this book, and I was quite impressed. It's the first encyclopedic book in the realm of Tolkien's works, and contains a huge amount of information well organized and easily searchable. At some point soon, I hope to obtain my own copy of this, after which I will update this description.

First Publication: 1976
Published by: Gramercy

A solid reference book, I actually own a couple copies of this one, bought at used book sales. I don't find I consult it as often as other works, and discovered a few errors in it as well. However, the later printings of this work supposed corrected and updated the material, so perhaps I'll have to watch for the newer editions. If you are going to buy this one, it's probably safer to go that route, if accuracy is of utmost importance, which it should be to any Tolkien fan.

First Publication: September 27, 1996
Published by: Harper Collins

There are, in fact, a number of books out there collecting artwork and illustrations based on Tolkien's Middle-earth. This is one of them, and a fairly solid one. I love such art work, but don't profess to be an expert on it. There are quite a few great Tolkien artists out there, some of which you may have heard of. This book does contain a couple of my favorites, Alan Lee and John Howe.

First Publication: 1992
Published by: Harper Collins

Much like the book above, this book was published earlier, and actually launched the Realms of Tolkien title. It's not nearly as expansive as the later book, and if you want a collection of his artwork, I'd recommend going with the later work. Of course, if you're like me and want every book Tolkien, then by all means, purchase this one. You might also check used book sales as well for this one, to save some cash on it.

First Publication: September 15, 2003
Published by: Harper Collins

Geography has played a large role in Tolkien's work. If you read the various histories I listed above, one thing you'll notice is that the landscape often shifted and expanded or contracted through his work on the world. As I mentioned above, maps of geography are indispensable to any work of epic fantasy, and with such a complicated world as Tolkien's is, that is an understatement. This collection offers quite a few maps, some by famous illustrators of Tolkien's work, such as John Howe.

First Publication: 1981
Revised Publication: 1991
Published by: Houghton Mifflin

I own and love this book. It's essentially a collection of maps of the various lands in Arda, Tolkien's Middle-earth, and a gem of a book at that. For anyone having trouble visualizing the locations and relationship between those locations of distance and geography, this is a great readers' companion, and I highly recommend the purchase of this one.

First Publication: September 20, 1999
Published by: Harper Collins

I can't say this "book" would be for the casual fan. Most of the places on this map are of the First Age of Middle-earth, and only touch on places from LotR and The Hobbit on the edges of these maps. But, for fans of his other work, The Silmarillion, this collection and accompanying booklet is well worth obtaining. It is not really much of a "book," being quite short, but it's worth it for the maps alone.

First Publication: 1979
Revised Edition: 1996
Published by: Harper Collins

I do not know the earlier two versions of this book, but this later 1996 edition. Certainly not an indispensable book, nonetheless, it's a fun book for any Tolkien fan. I could see it being used to create a custom "Trivial Pursuit" type game. The questions aren't all easy either. In fact, even for hardcore fans, the questions can at times pose difficulties for them.

First Publication: May 5, 1977
Published by: George Allen and Unwin

This is the seminal biography on Tolkien, and still considered one of the best out there. And it's a wonderful read, fascinating and entertaining for anyone who has an interest in the man behind the work. It has shown some cracks over time, with some rather idyllic portrayal of some events, but I still love this biography better than any other I have read. In fact, I often find myself inspired to write just reading this work. There are some other worthy titles to read beyond this, but this is a good starting point. And please, by all means, be careful of other biographies. Some of them are less than reputable, or approach him with a fixed agenda. The latter fault is one too common in criticism and biography nowadays.

First Publication: 2003
Published by: Harper Collins

While this one focuses exclusively on Tolkien's involvement in World War I, it does so in a seemingly objective way, and of that, I am grateful. It's a good read. In fact, it'll definitely bring a greater appreciation to you of what Tolkien's experiences in that war were, and just how they influenced his depictions of war in LotR and his other works. I truly enjoyed this one, and would recommend it to anyone interested in going beyond the standard bio mentioned above.

First Publication: January 6, 1992
Published by: Harper Collins

Sadly, I do not own this book, so most of the information I have here will be from researching it. It appears to be a worthy edition to any Tolkien library, being a collection of photographs of Tolkien, family, and other memorabilia of Tolkien's life. The photographs are accompanied by notes and brief explanations, so it's not a detailed description of his life, but it might serve as a good companion to his biographies.

First Publication: August 8, 2005
Published by: Constable

I do not own, and have not read this book. In fact, only one chapter in this book is about Tolkien, his work and relationship to his first edition. It contains twenty essays/chapters, each on a different author. For Tolkien fans, this is probably not at the top of the list, but it seems like it might prove interesting as a review of some great authors and their works.

First Publication: 1982
Revised Edition: June 24, 2003
Published by: Allen and Unwin, and Houghton Mifflin

This work first appeared back in 1982, but has been updated since to take into consideration other seminal works in Tolkien study, particularly the History of Middle-earth series. In this particular book, Shippey explores the foundations of the LotR, as well as his Unfinished Tales and the History of Middle-earth series. I found it to be a highly interesting read, and for any Tolkien fan, it's a must have towards a deeper understand of the foundations of Tolkien's amazing world.

First Publication: September 2000
Published by: Harper Collins

Of the scholarly works, this book, along with the one mentioned above, is well worth the investment of time and money. It's a scholarly exploration of Tolkien's works, this one focusing on LotR, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion. The book explores connections with myth and storytelling, the weaving of tales, the philosophy behind Tolkien's approach, really, it's a very fascinating and worthwhile read. The book was written partly as an explanation for how Tolkien could be voted "the most influential author of the twentieth century" in numerous polls, as well as his LotR being voted "the book of the century" in other polls. I have it. Read it. Would highly recommend purchasing it.

First Publication: November 1997
Published by: Palgrave Macmillan

I won't say this was the best scholarly work I've ever read on Tolkien, but it was a good read, and certainly worth at least an initial read, even if you won't return to it often. It focuses more on defending Tolkien's work as relevant and a defense to the values Tolkien's work espouses, especially the value of community, ecology and spirituality. Interestingly enough, there is a huge divide among academic scholars on the place Tolkien's work should have. My own feelings on that are that academia seems to have a problem with what it terms "genre" fiction, as if the mainstream "literary" fiction it glorifies isn't itself just another genre. But that's just my two cents on it.

First Publication: October 27, 1995
Published by: Harper Collins

Thankfully, I do own this amazing book, and I must say, it's well worth obtaining. It is not merely another collection of artwork on Tolkien's work; rather, this is a collection of his own art and illustrations. Yes, Tolkien had some skill at drawing, and it is quite a fascinating study to see his own depictions of his literary works. This book also contained some quotes from previously unpublished minor works of his. The book explores Tolkien as an artist, delving into his life from the beginnings of his interest as an artist to his works in later life. I'd highly recommend this one.

First Publication: 1976
Published by: Running Press

I have not read this particular scholarly work on Tolkien, and so cannot attest as to the quality or objectively of the work, but it appears, from what I've read on it, to be a solid and worthwhile purchase. It explores the impact of Tolkien's life experiences on his work. It also includes artwork by the Brothers Hildebrandt; I'm not huge fans though I don't hate their work either. Still, the artwork is considered classic by many, and so does add to this work. I'll update this once I have read this work.

First Publication: February 1, 2006
Published by: B&H Books

I haven't read this book in its entirety, so I didn't feel good about rating it, but it is an interesting book. The book addressed two important questions through the eyes of several writers, including Tolkien. The questions are: "What is Man?" and "What is the purpose of life on earth?" Particularly interesting for those trying to understand these authors' views on this topic, it's a worthwhile investment, but maybe not a high priority.