The J.R.R. Tolkien Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to His Life, Writings, and World of Middle-Earth by Colin Duriez

by Colin Duriez

J. R. R. Tolkien created an entire fantasy world-complete with its own history, languages, geography, and literature. Readers are quickly caught up in orcs and hobbits, ents, elvin lords, and hundreds of other fascinating and often complex characters who inhabit this magical place. But what are readers to do when they can't remember who Amras was, where in Middle-earth Caras Galadon can be found, or what one might expect to see in the Halls of Mandos? They can open their copy of the J. R. R. Tolkien Handbook. This helpful guide presents all the key characters, places, and things of importance in Tolkien's writings in dictionary format. It also contains details about Tolkien's friends and colleagues, the writers and thinkers who influenced his work, summaries of his beliefs and how they are revealed in his writing, and a handy list of Tolkien's works. Asterisks within articles show other references, allowing readers and students to follow themes that capture their interest and discover more on how Tolkien's life and writing interweave. Tolkien fans, especially those newly introduced to his work by the Lord of the Rings movies, will find this handbook extremely useful for probing the depths of a thoughtful man and his intricate books.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Reference

Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Colin Duriez is an English writer and scholar best known for his work on the Inklings, the literary circle that included C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Owen Barfield, and Charles Williams. Born in Derbyshire in 1947, he moved to Leicester in 1983 to work as a commissioning editor for the publisher IVP. Over the years he has combined editorial work with teaching, and in 2002 he established his own business, InWriting, in Keswick, Cumbria, providing writing and editorial services as well as book acquisition for publishers.
Winner of the Clyde S. Kilby Award in 1994 for his research on the Inklings, Duriez has been praised as one of the most valuable contemporary scholars on Lewis. His numerous books explore the lives, friendships, and imaginative worlds of Lewis and Tolkien, including Bedeviled: Lewis, Tolkien, and the Shadow of Evil, The Oxford Inklings, and Tolkien and C. S. Lewis: The Gift of Friendship. His work has been lauded for accessibility, scholarly insight, and fresh perspectives.
Duriez has also appeared in television documentaries such as A Quest for Meaning – Myth, Imagination & Faith in the Literature of J. R. R. Tolkien & C. S. Lewis. He lives in Wallingford, Oxfordshire.

Reviews

[sch · Rating 4 out of 5]

July 2025. Holiday read. Helpful, especially on Tolkien's posthumous bibliography.

[Sarah Cnossen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book, which is basically a dictionary of Tolkien's characters and world of Middle-Earth. In it, you read the backgrounds and genealogy of his fictional heroes and heroines as well as mini-biographies of himself and those connected with him. Summaries of his most popular books and essays are given also.

[Chaotician · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent companion to the Lord of the Rings and its sequels and prequels. Duriez has the best research done on Tolkien and his friends.