| Tolkien's World from A to Z The Complete Guide to Middle Earth | |
 |
Rating: Author: Robert Foster Published: March, 1978 Series: Review by: CL7 Kali D'or Order from amazon.com |
|
Review:
The Complete Guide is another book I found on sale from the Science Fiction Book Club. Having forgotten more than I remembered, it was a necessary purchase since I wanted to be able to re-read and enjoy, as well as watch and appreciate, the books and the movies that tell the story of The Lord of the Rings.
Maps and illustrations are quite nice to have on hand and it did make the reading easier the first time around, but I did find that there were people and places referred to that I had totally forgotten about. Having the Complete Guide on hand continues to be helpful as I read and re-read Tolkien's works. The information is clearly written, there are crossreferences that are simple to figure out, dates are appropriately displayed. Elvish names, places and things are translated clearly. As sppropriate, mini-biographies are found for the characters we are most familiar with as well as those we might have missed, but who do play am important part of the whole story. The book is well organized, like a dictionary, everything in alphabetical order, each letter having its own chapter. I haven't yet found a person or place or thing that is missing. This is definitely not a picture book, there are no illustrations. At the back of the book are some tables of information, genealogical tables and a chronology of the First Age. As a companion book to The Atlas of Middle Earth, this one fills in the blanks nicely. If you want to learn more about Tolkien's world and those who inhabited it, this is a good addition to your reference library.
Title: Tolkien's World from A to Z The Complete Guide to Middle Earth |
2/6/05
