The Nature Of Middle-Earth
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
The first ever publication of J.R.R. Tolkien’s final writings on Middle-earth, covering a wide range of subjects and perfect for those who have read and enjoyed The Silmarillion, The Lord of the Rings, Unfinished Tales, and The History of Middle-earth, and want to learn more about Tolkien’s magnificent world.
It is well known that J.R.R. Tolkien published The Hobbit in 1937 and The Lord of the Rings in 1954–5. What may be less known is that he continued to write about Middle-earth in the decades that followed, right up until the years before his death in 1973.
For him, Middle-earth was part of an entire world to be explored, and the writings in The Nature of Middle-earth reveal the journeys that he took as he sought to better understand his unique creation. From sweeping themes as profound as Elvish immortality and reincarnation, and the Powers of the Valar, to the more earth-bound subjects of the lands and beasts of Númenor, the geography of the Rivers and Beacon-hills of Gondor, and even who had beards!
This new collection, which has been edited by Carl F. Hostetter, one of the world’s leading Tolkien experts, is a veritable treasure-trove offering readers a chance to peer over Professor Tolkien’s shoulder at the very moment of discovery: and on every page, Middle-earth is once again brought to extraordinary life.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This collection of Tolkien's last unpublished writings, curated by Tolkien expert Hostetter, may best be understood as a continuation of the many previous volumes assembled by Tolkien's son, Christopher Tolkien, that allow readers to see the author "thinking... on paper." Hostetter goes so far as to say in his foreword that this volume will appeal most to those who already have "particular interest" in Tolkien's Unfinished Tales and The History of Middle-Earth. Indeed, the entire first section is devoted to various brief writings in which Tolkien works out the rate at which elves age, making adjustments to fit the timescale of The Silmarillion. This is not to say that there's nothing here to delight more casual fans: other pieces give detailed descriptions of many Lord of the Rings characters, touch on the true nature of the great eagles that appear in that work and The Hobbit, muse on the Elvish languages, and discuss which characters have beards. Each passage is preceded by information on when and how Tolkien wrote it, going so granular as to include details on writing implement usage. The upcoming Lord of the Rings TV show may drive interest among casual readers, but hardcore Tolkien fans will still be the primary audience. For devotees, this will be a treasure.
