<div>The definitive Tolkien companion&mdash;an indispensable guide to The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and more, from the author of The Road to Middle-earth. This &ldquo;highly erudite celebration and exploration of Tolkien&rsquo;s works [is] enormous fun,&rdquo; declared the Houston Chronicle, and Tom Shippey, a prominent medievalist and scholar of fantasy, &ldquo;deepens your understanding&rdquo; without &ldquo;making you forget your initial, purely instinctive response to Middle-earth and hobbits.&rdquo; In a clear and accessible style, Shippey offers a new approach to Tolkien, to fantasy, and to the importance of language in literature. He breaks down The Lord of the Rings as a linguistic feast for the senses and as a response to the human instinct for myth. Elsewhere, he examines The Hobbit&rsquo;s counterintuitive relationship to the heroic world of Middle-earth; demonstrates the significance of The Silmarillion to Tolkien&rsquo;s canon; and takes an illuminating look at lesser-known works in connection with Tolkien&rsquo;s life. Furthermore, he ties all these strands together in a continuing tradition that traces its roots back through Grimms&rsquo; Fairy Tales to Beowulf. &ldquo;Shippey&rsquo;s commentary is the best so far in elucidating Tolkien&rsquo;s lovely myth,&rdquo; wrote Harper&rsquo;s Magazine. J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century is &ldquo;a triumph&rdquo; (Chicago Sun-Times) that not only gives readers a deeper understanding of Tolkien and his work, but also serves as an entertaining introduction to some of the most influential novels ever written.</div>

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J.R.R. Tolkien

<div>&ldquo;Uniquely qualified to explicate Tolkien&rsquo;s worldview,&rdquo; this journey into the roots of the Lord of the Rings is a classic in its own right (Salon.com). From beloved epic fantasy classic to record-breaking cinematic success, J.R.R. Tolkien&#39;s story of four brave hobbits has enraptured the hearts and minds of generations. Now, readers can go deeper into this enchanting lore with a revised edition of Tom Shippey&#39;s classic exploration of Middle-earth. From meditations on Tolkien&#39;s inspiration to analyses of the influences of his professional background, The Road to Middle-earth takes a closer look at the novels that made Tolkien a legend. Shippey also illuminates Tolkien&#39;s more difficult works set in the same world, including The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, and the myth cycle, and examines the remarkable twelve-volume History of Middle-earth, written by J.R.R.&#39;s son Christopher Tolkien. At once a celebration of a beloved classic and a revealing literary study, The Road to Middle-earth is required reading for fantasy fans and English literature scholars alike.</div>

The Road to Middle-Earth

<div>&ldquo;A fascinating ecocritical evaluation&rdquo; of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and other works of the master fantasist (Northeastern Naturalist). The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion are rarely considered to be works of environmental literature or mentioned together with such authors as John Muir, Rachel Carson, or Aldo Leopold. Nonetheless, Tolkien&rsquo;s vision of nature is as passionate and has had as profound an influence on his readers as that of many contemporary environmental writers. The burgeoning field of agrarianism provides new insights into Tolkien&rsquo;s view of the natural world and environmental responsibility. In Ents, Elves, and Eriador, Matthew Dickerson and Jonathan Evans show how Tolkien anticipated some of the tenets of modern environmentalism in the imagined world of Middle-earth and the races with which it is peopled. Dickerson and Evans examine Tolkien&rsquo;s major works as well as his lesser-known stories and essays, comparing his writing to that of the most important naturalists of the past century. A vital contribution to environmental literature and an essential addition to Tolkien scholarship, Ents, Elves, and Eriador offers both Tolkien fans and environmentalists an understanding of Middle-earth that has profound implications for environmental stewardship in the present and the future of our own world. &ldquo;This book is for everyone who loves the work of J. R. R. Tolkien, and who loves the world around them.&rdquo; &mdash;Armchair Interviews &ldquo;Anyone who ever thrilled to Tolkien&rsquo;s fighting trees, or to the earthy Tom Bombadil, or to the novel charm of the Shire will want to read this important and lovely book.&rdquo; &mdash;Bill McKibben, Scholar in Residence in Environmental Studies, Middlebury College</div>

Tom Shippey
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Books By Tom Shippey (2 Books)

J.R.R. Tolkien

The Road to Middle-Earth

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© 2024 OPEN ROAD INTEGRATED MEDIA

Tom ShippeyFollow this author

Books By Tom Shippey (2 Books)

J.R.R. Tolkien

The Road to Middle-Earth

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© 2024 OPEN ROAD INTEGRATED MEDIA

Tom Shippey
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