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The Making of Middle-Earth: A New Look Inside the World of J.R.R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings consistently tops polls as the best-loved literary work of all time. Now medieval scholar and Tolkien expert Christopher Snyder presents the most in-depth exploration yet of Tolkien's source materials for Middle-earth—from the languages, poetry, and mythology of medieval Europe and ancient Greece to the halls of Oxford and the battlefields of World War I. Fueled by the author's passion for all things Tolkien, this richly illustrated book also reveals the surprisingly pervasive influence of Tolkien's timeless fantasies on modern culture.
337 pages, Hardcover
First published October 15, 2013
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923 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
February 4, 2014
Did I just read a textbook? I think I just read a textbook. The most gorgeous and engaging textbook ever, but a textbook nonetheless.
I saw the beautiful cover of this book and read in the description that there were plenty of pictures, so I thought I was getting a coffee-table style book, you know? But maaaaaaan.... Christopher Snyder goes IN DEPTH with his book! And there were also a lot a lot (on purpose repeat there) of nice, big, chewy SAT words in there. I was about halfway through the book when I decided to read the author blurb on the back flap and it said that Dr. Snyder teaches Honors seminars on Tolkien at Oxford University. I bet this is the assigned reading. :)
I'm so glad I read this! I learned so many new-to-me facts about Tolkien and the road to LOTR. I definitely enjoyed the entire book. I read it cover-to-cover in one sitting on a snow day. The chapters cover a biography of Tolkien's life and a chapter on medieval history and how Tolkien drew so heavily on it for his LOTR and related books. Did you know that Tolkien was fluent in Middle English? And Old English? And Latin? I did not have a full enough appreciation for the man's genius before reading this book! He was a true scholar. Part of me would really love to sit down and have tea with him and pick his brain; part of me fears, and rightly so, that he'd leave me in the dust intellectually if I tried!
My only beef with the book is in the layout. I feel like the three appendices could've been full chapters in their own right. I think some readers could miss out on some great information if they skip the appendices, and not everyone reads appendices. I'm just nerdy like that.
I loved this book and definitely recommend to all Tolkien and LOTR fans. I gave it 4 of 5 stars only because it's so very dense with information that it might be too much for the casual reader. It's got such gorgeous detail (such as all the pages being printed to resemble aged paper instead of stark white), lots of illustrations and photographs, and is peppered with quotes from Tolkien. Overall, a great read.
I saw the beautiful cover of this book and read in the description that there were plenty of pictures, so I thought I was getting a coffee-table style book, you know? But maaaaaaan.... Christopher Snyder goes IN DEPTH with his book! And there were also a lot a lot (on purpose repeat there) of nice, big, chewy SAT words in there. I was about halfway through the book when I decided to read the author blurb on the back flap and it said that Dr. Snyder teaches Honors seminars on Tolkien at Oxford University. I bet this is the assigned reading. :)
I'm so glad I read this! I learned so many new-to-me facts about Tolkien and the road to LOTR. I definitely enjoyed the entire book. I read it cover-to-cover in one sitting on a snow day. The chapters cover a biography of Tolkien's life and a chapter on medieval history and how Tolkien drew so heavily on it for his LOTR and related books. Did you know that Tolkien was fluent in Middle English? And Old English? And Latin? I did not have a full enough appreciation for the man's genius before reading this book! He was a true scholar. Part of me would really love to sit down and have tea with him and pick his brain; part of me fears, and rightly so, that he'd leave me in the dust intellectually if I tried!
My only beef with the book is in the layout. I feel like the three appendices could've been full chapters in their own right. I think some readers could miss out on some great information if they skip the appendices, and not everyone reads appendices. I'm just nerdy like that.
I loved this book and definitely recommend to all Tolkien and LOTR fans. I gave it 4 of 5 stars only because it's so very dense with information that it might be too much for the casual reader. It's got such gorgeous detail (such as all the pages being printed to resemble aged paper instead of stark white), lots of illustrations and photographs, and is peppered with quotes from Tolkien. Overall, a great read.
July 24, 2024
Absolutely fantastic summary of all that's inspired Tolkien, and all that Tolkien has inspired. As a long-time Tolkien enthusiast most of it was not exactly new to me, but the book has a thoroughly enjoyable read, particularly in small chunks on evenings at the mountain cabin.
January 29, 2025
The Making of Middle-Earth by Christopher Snyder is a comprehensive textbook about Tolkien’s life, his major works, his critics at the time of this new genre of fantasy that he helped create, and the inspirations that led Tolkien to write. He was a master of ancient languages and poetry, and of European mythology. Tolkien has spoken about some of the things that inspired him. But much of the inspiration written about by Snyder, while within Tolkien’s realm of knowledge, must be considered persuasive but still speculative. Also, Snyder says that Tolkien wrote a monstrous 600,000 word manuscript that was unpublishable. It contained many publishable works but needed much editing. Fortunately his son, Christopher, spent 40 years editing and publishing his father’s works until he died at age 95. Snyder said that Tolkien considered this manuscript, including what would be posthumously published as The Silmarillion, as his life’s work, and that he considered The Hobbit and LOTR as mere distractions. See pages 176-177. The book also includes synopses of all his major works, goes into the blockbuster movies and points out differences from the books, and goes into the culture the movies created. As a Tolkien fan, I am thrilled that Christopher Snyder wrote this masterpiece.
November 5, 2022
Providing a solid introduction to Tolkien’s life and work, The Making of Middle-earth might not add much itself to the corpus of Tolkien criticism. Yet, it’s a great reference for folks like me who don’t want to wade through it all. Tolkien is a polarizing writer, as Snyder demonstrates clearly to anyone who has not met a Tolkien fan or anti-fan.
I found the section on Tolkien’s influences the most interesting, because I first picked up the book hoping to learn more about William Morris’s influence on Tolkien. Snyder delivers and I am even more interested in Morris now. The focus is often on northernness and "ancientry," to use Faramir's convenient term, but Snyder fingers various threads as he examines the Middle-earth tapestry. He also pays close attention to reception criticism, providing his own extensive interpretations of The Silmarillion in particular and analyzing the adaptation choices of the films, and considers Tolkien's place in pop culture (there was a musical?!?!?!). I do wish Snyder was just a wee bit more aware of internet culture surrounding Tolkien; fandom is a handier word for describing the subculture than "Tolkieniana." And it's a usable term in literary studies, so why not in a book like this?
Overall, this is a stimulating and helpful book for those new to Tolkien criticism, and it is gorgeous. There are lots of images and some interesting choices in book design. The Making of Middle-earth has earned its place on my shelves for reference and its excellent list of works for further reading. It’s also not overly trapped in the evangelical appropriation of Tolkien, which is much appreciated. Sometimes the text gets a bit lost in it, though--the table of 1:1 equivalencies between the Bible and LOTR was not a high point--but overall the book does not cater to Christian readers alone.
I found the section on Tolkien’s influences the most interesting, because I first picked up the book hoping to learn more about William Morris’s influence on Tolkien. Snyder delivers and I am even more interested in Morris now. The focus is often on northernness and "ancientry," to use Faramir's convenient term, but Snyder fingers various threads as he examines the Middle-earth tapestry. He also pays close attention to reception criticism, providing his own extensive interpretations of The Silmarillion in particular and analyzing the adaptation choices of the films, and considers Tolkien's place in pop culture (there was a musical?!?!?!). I do wish Snyder was just a wee bit more aware of internet culture surrounding Tolkien; fandom is a handier word for describing the subculture than "Tolkieniana." And it's a usable term in literary studies, so why not in a book like this?
Overall, this is a stimulating and helpful book for those new to Tolkien criticism, and it is gorgeous. There are lots of images and some interesting choices in book design. The Making of Middle-earth has earned its place on my shelves for reference and its excellent list of works for further reading. It’s also not overly trapped in the evangelical appropriation of Tolkien, which is much appreciated. Sometimes the text gets a bit lost in it, though--the table of 1:1 equivalencies between the Bible and LOTR was not a high point--but overall the book does not cater to Christian readers alone.
May 30, 2025
Some readers call this book a text book. Do I care? No, I love this book from cover to cover. Exceptional layouts in the pages, chocked full of useful information, Mr. Snyder, one can tell you put a great deal of thought into this beautiful book. I gleaned so much additional information from this work, further reading(where Tolkien got his inspiration). This is a must have book if you have read the books and are like me, need more. Follow his path from the early years to the many books and writings and even into the movies. I am surely going to me rereading this book in the near future.
Want to read
April 26, 2023Nachdem ich den wundervollen Film TOLKIEN gesehen habe ist Zeit für dieses Buch.
August 27, 2023
4 stars [Literary]
#2 of 44 in genre
#2 of 30 on Inklings Lit.
Layout: 5
A work of art in its physical appearance. Very clear font. The illustrations were excellent, meaningful, and varied. The margins were illuminated with designs. Even the paper stock was thick, colored, and pleasing.
Use: 4.5
Nearly comprehensive in its scope: it synthesized key information from several other books which analyzed Tolkien's works. The reader will enjoy diverse tidbits about Tolkien's life, historical inspirations for his creation, and snippets of ancient languages.
If you had to choose only one book to read about Tolkien's world, this would be it.
Writing: 3.15
Lexical quality is generally [3], with poetry and terms [4] making the average [3.5]. Pacing [3], semantic value [3.5], syntactic quality [3.5]. Not clearly organized [2.25].
Truth: 3.42
Depth is [4], but breadth is [2.83]. Snyder flies through (sub-)topics. Excellent for a bird's-eye view (which enhances its Use score), but it only occasionally achieves the immersion of Shippey's analysis.
#2 of 44 in genre
#2 of 30 on Inklings Lit.
Layout: 5
A work of art in its physical appearance. Very clear font. The illustrations were excellent, meaningful, and varied. The margins were illuminated with designs. Even the paper stock was thick, colored, and pleasing.
Use: 4.5
Nearly comprehensive in its scope: it synthesized key information from several other books which analyzed Tolkien's works. The reader will enjoy diverse tidbits about Tolkien's life, historical inspirations for his creation, and snippets of ancient languages.
If you had to choose only one book to read about Tolkien's world, this would be it.
Writing: 3.15
Lexical quality is generally [3], with poetry and terms [4] making the average [3.5]. Pacing [3], semantic value [3.5], syntactic quality [3.5]. Not clearly organized [2.25].
Truth: 3.42
Depth is [4], but breadth is [2.83]. Snyder flies through (sub-)topics. Excellent for a bird's-eye view (which enhances its Use score), but it only occasionally achieves the immersion of Shippey's analysis.
December 11, 2018
This analysis of the sources of Tolkien’s Middle Earth is for serious Tolkien fans only (like me). I particularly loved the comparisons between Sindarin and Welsh, and learning Quenya is a mix of Finnish and Greek. It does not diminish my pleasure in LOTR to see the origins of Tolkien’s inspiration in the Icelandic Poetic Edda or Old English Beowulf. I enjoyed photos of medieval sites which were compared to structures in LOTR, The Hobbit, and the Simarillion.
November 22, 2022
Saw this on bookstagram a few times and ordered one immediately.
I love the information in this book. It has Tolkien background, writing information, world-building. It also has notes on their reception, the adaptations of the works (including Rings of Power), and a beautiful design. It’s a big beautiful hardcover with stunning pages.
Have you seen this one yet, or grabbed a copy?
I love the information in this book. It has Tolkien background, writing information, world-building. It also has notes on their reception, the adaptations of the works (including Rings of Power), and a beautiful design. It’s a big beautiful hardcover with stunning pages.
Have you seen this one yet, or grabbed a copy?
October 6, 2022
Absolutely amazing, a fabulous book that examines so many aspects of Tolkien's life and Middle-Earth! 11/10.
November 3, 2022
A wealth of incredibly detailed information on Tolkien that was an utter pleasure to read!!!
March 6, 2023
First of all, this is an absolutely beautiful book. I have the 2022 re-release. The cover is stunning and the internal contents is presented so clearly and in such an aesthetically pleasing way. Truly gorgeous on the shelf, coffee table, desk, wherever.
Now, if you’re a massive Tolkien reader, you may not learn anything new from this book. However, it covers just about everything, with sections on Tolkien’s life, his influences from the Middle Ages, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and others, on top of the critical response to his writings, a section on media and adaptations, as well as Tolkien culture (and counterculture). Such a huge amount in a relatively short book! 350 pages including an extensive bibliography and index. It’s engaging and while informative and educational, it doesn’t get bogged down in academia or specialist lingo (as it it were).
If you’re looking for a place to start learning about Tolkien and the legendarium on a deeper level, this would absolutely be the book to do it. And while it’s not necessarily for specialists, it’s a lovely book that is jam-packed with information from every corner of Middle-earth.
Now, if you’re a massive Tolkien reader, you may not learn anything new from this book. However, it covers just about everything, with sections on Tolkien’s life, his influences from the Middle Ages, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and others, on top of the critical response to his writings, a section on media and adaptations, as well as Tolkien culture (and counterculture). Such a huge amount in a relatively short book! 350 pages including an extensive bibliography and index. It’s engaging and while informative and educational, it doesn’t get bogged down in academia or specialist lingo (as it it were).
If you’re looking for a place to start learning about Tolkien and the legendarium on a deeper level, this would absolutely be the book to do it. And while it’s not necessarily for specialists, it’s a lovely book that is jam-packed with information from every corner of Middle-earth.
April 18, 2023
If anyone has been following my Tolkien journey, they'll know how much I LOVE context... and this was the biggest dragon hoard of context so far. Needless to say, I loved it a lot.
I knew I wanted to know more about Tolkien and his academic career, and now newly armed with a much longer bibliography of reference reading and a new hunger to re-read everything he's ever written I think I'll be looking at a much longer than anticipated Tolkien-reading craze.
I knew I wanted to know more about Tolkien and his academic career, and now newly armed with a much longer bibliography of reference reading and a new hunger to re-read everything he's ever written I think I'll be looking at a much longer than anticipated Tolkien-reading craze.
December 11, 2025
Very interesting. A must read if you nerd out over lotr.
November 25, 2022
Christopher Snyder takes us through the three 'worlds' of Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien:
- "the physical world in which he was born and educated, and in which he taught, wrote, made friendships, worshipped, and raised a family."
- "the intellectual realm where Tolkien spent much of his time, beginning with his first fascination with fairy stories through his adult obsessions with Northern languages and legends."
- "the world most familiar to Tolkien fans: Middle-earth, a land of elves and dark powers and Tom Bombadil."
In sum, Snyder summarizes the first two worlds (providing a brief Tolkien biography and summary of the history/literature/languages he loved) and shows how they influenced the third world. He walks us through the best-known works (The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings), but also The Silmarillion, The Children of Hurin, and other Tolkien tales. He then discusses the movies (both the animated versions, from the '70s/'80s, and the Peter Jackson films) and 'Tolkieniana' in general.
I enjoyed this book- particularly the insights into Tolkien's influences. There are historical and literary inspirations behind the characters, places, and stories in the Tolkien books that I never noticed before.
I also liked that the book covered these topics briefly, without delving too deeply into any of them. (There are a ton of footnotes for those who wish to do so.) Overall, this is a nice book for the Tolkien fan who wants to learn more but does not want to dedicate their life to studying the man.
- "the physical world in which he was born and educated, and in which he taught, wrote, made friendships, worshipped, and raised a family."
- "the intellectual realm where Tolkien spent much of his time, beginning with his first fascination with fairy stories through his adult obsessions with Northern languages and legends."
- "the world most familiar to Tolkien fans: Middle-earth, a land of elves and dark powers and Tom Bombadil."
In sum, Snyder summarizes the first two worlds (providing a brief Tolkien biography and summary of the history/literature/languages he loved) and shows how they influenced the third world. He walks us through the best-known works (The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings), but also The Silmarillion, The Children of Hurin, and other Tolkien tales. He then discusses the movies (both the animated versions, from the '70s/'80s, and the Peter Jackson films) and 'Tolkieniana' in general.
I enjoyed this book- particularly the insights into Tolkien's influences. There are historical and literary inspirations behind the characters, places, and stories in the Tolkien books that I never noticed before.
I also liked that the book covered these topics briefly, without delving too deeply into any of them. (There are a ton of footnotes for those who wish to do so.) Overall, this is a nice book for the Tolkien fan who wants to learn more but does not want to dedicate their life to studying the man.
September 9, 2017
I tend to reserve 5 stars only for books that fill me with a deep sense of awe or wonder or joy. This one met all of those and more. The Lord of the Rings has always been to me a sort of home-in-a-book, so there is certainly a bias in a pre-existing love there. but this book enchanted me from the beginning, starting as a biography of much interest, filled with historical, philosophical, and mythological parallels, and ending with thoughtful sorrow which one may only really come upon when finishing a beloved book, much like Tolkien's works themselves. I cannot recommend this enough, to the curious or already captivated fan.
October 3, 2024
I found this book in Barnes & Noble, though it’s a long-read to try to read in-store, so I found it in the library catalog. Sort of. I put it on hold, but it took a while to come in because whoever checked it out from the library system didn’t get around to returning it until long after the due date. It did come eventually, though!
In the end, I quite liked this book, though I don’t know if it’s really anything new. It contains a rundown of Tolkien’s life, his scholarly interests, and then going through the Legendarium (“The Hobbit”, “The Lord of the Rings”, and “The Silmarillion”) with notes of what influenced different parts of the stories therein. There are Appendices, too, talking about things like adaptations. I don’t think that they really say anything that a hardcore fan doesn’t already know.
There are some things that he doesn’t get quite right? Most of it is mythology, but there are a couple of other things. At one point he says that Eowyn’s sword is named ‘Dwimmerlaik’, which, uh, no, it isn’t, and I’m struggling to see why you thought that given the usage of the word in the text itself (it’s something she calls the Witch-King/his flying mount, along with “Lord of Carrion”)??
Also, a thing I’ve noticed is that authors talking about Tolkien have Opinions on adaptations. This guy talks about the Jackson films and mostly approves, though has some disappointments. Notably, though, he seems to despise the animated “Hobbit” film from way back when; I’ve only seen bits and pieces of it, so I can’t argue for it, but I was surprised by it.
It’s not a bad text for a starter, though it’s not the best, either. It’s a good place to start looking into mythology if you’re already interested in fantasy.
In the end, I quite liked this book, though I don’t know if it’s really anything new. It contains a rundown of Tolkien’s life, his scholarly interests, and then going through the Legendarium (“The Hobbit”, “The Lord of the Rings”, and “The Silmarillion”) with notes of what influenced different parts of the stories therein. There are Appendices, too, talking about things like adaptations. I don’t think that they really say anything that a hardcore fan doesn’t already know.
There are some things that he doesn’t get quite right? Most of it is mythology, but there are a couple of other things. At one point he says that Eowyn’s sword is named ‘Dwimmerlaik’, which, uh, no, it isn’t, and I’m struggling to see why you thought that given the usage of the word in the text itself (it’s something she calls the Witch-King/his flying mount, along with “Lord of Carrion”)??
Also, a thing I’ve noticed is that authors talking about Tolkien have Opinions on adaptations. This guy talks about the Jackson films and mostly approves, though has some disappointments. Notably, though, he seems to despise the animated “Hobbit” film from way back when; I’ve only seen bits and pieces of it, so I can’t argue for it, but I was surprised by it.
It’s not a bad text for a starter, though it’s not the best, either. It’s a good place to start looking into mythology if you’re already interested in fantasy.
February 15, 2024
So, since I was in the middle of "History of Middle Earth Volume I", I was surprised to receive this book as a gift; I assumed it was entirely based on "Behind the Scenes" for the film, but it turns out, it was about Tolkien, his life, the inspirations that led to "The Lord of The Rings", public reception, and more!
Very fascinating to see potential sources of Tolkien's inspiration, particularly "Chapter 2: Tolkien's Middle Ages"!
Highly recommended for any Tolkien fan, new or old (though I would also suggest that one read at least "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of The Rings" before doing so).
OVERALL, I give it a 9/10;
very fascinating to delve into, though I must admit the closer to the end it got (relating to more modern developments and what not, specifically in the last chapter), it seemed it was starting to spout information with less structure.
MY NOTES:
- Nostalgia is an element of universal application (pg 33)
- Rohirrim names (Old English)
- Beowulf was a pagan tale written by a Christian scribe.
- Rollo (Norse Adventurer; research)
- Inspiration for Theoden's speech (pg 68)
- "Magic and Machines" (pg 79)
- [Excerpt] "Go to nature..." (pg 87)
- Tolkien's subcreation... (pg 91)
- didactism: a philosophy that emphasizes instructional and informative qualities in literature, art, and design. In art, design, architecture, and landscape, didacticism is a conceptual approach that is driven by the urgent need to explain. (pg 93)
- Snow White (1895) (pg 103)
- Odyssey connection (pg 116)
- Good & Evil: Bothenian & Manichean "evils"...
- "-since-" sense? (accent error?)
Very fascinating to see potential sources of Tolkien's inspiration, particularly "Chapter 2: Tolkien's Middle Ages"!
Highly recommended for any Tolkien fan, new or old (though I would also suggest that one read at least "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of The Rings" before doing so).
OVERALL, I give it a 9/10;
very fascinating to delve into, though I must admit the closer to the end it got (relating to more modern developments and what not, specifically in the last chapter), it seemed it was starting to spout information with less structure.
MY NOTES:
- Nostalgia is an element of universal application (pg 33)
- Rohirrim names (Old English)
- Beowulf was a pagan tale written by a Christian scribe.
- Rollo (Norse Adventurer; research)
- Inspiration for Theoden's speech (pg 68)
- "Magic and Machines" (pg 79)
- [Excerpt] "Go to nature..." (pg 87)
- Tolkien's subcreation... (pg 91)
- didactism: a philosophy that emphasizes instructional and informative qualities in literature, art, and design. In art, design, architecture, and landscape, didacticism is a conceptual approach that is driven by the urgent need to explain. (pg 93)
- Snow White (1895) (pg 103)
- Odyssey connection (pg 116)
- Good & Evil: Bothenian & Manichean "evils"...
- "-since-" sense? (accent error?)
July 30, 2023
This is a very accessible work that gives insight in many things Tolkien. I especially loved the second chapter "Tolkien's Middle Ages" which delves into inspirational sources and as a result I now have a very long wish list of books (oops). It is a beautiful addition to my Tolkien shelf for sure!
However, a minor point of critique: the middle part could have been a lot shorter. Assuming those (or most) who read this have read Tolkien's most popular works (Hobbit, LotR) and therefor do not need an extensive summary of the books. The philological explanations and mythical similarities felt a little short for the amount of pages used, which is a shame, because the author is clearly knowledgeable in this area (as proven by the first part).
Despite above mentioned critique, it felt like I was in capable hands during this read and I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of information and it's objectiveness in explantions of themes. During all of this, I was sure to keep a notebook near me to write down a lot of the cited works that intrigued me (and boy they are many). Well, who needs a small TBR, right?
However, a minor point of critique: the middle part could have been a lot shorter. Assuming those (or most) who read this have read Tolkien's most popular works (Hobbit, LotR) and therefor do not need an extensive summary of the books. The philological explanations and mythical similarities felt a little short for the amount of pages used, which is a shame, because the author is clearly knowledgeable in this area (as proven by the first part).
Despite above mentioned critique, it felt like I was in capable hands during this read and I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of information and it's objectiveness in explantions of themes. During all of this, I was sure to keep a notebook near me to write down a lot of the cited works that intrigued me (and boy they are many). Well, who needs a small TBR, right?
March 26, 2023
I enjoyed this book. It is a compendium that draws on well-trodden ground using multiple sources, theories and photographs and illustrations from the early days of the philologist and author, J.R.R. Tolkien to the movies of Peter Jackson. The inspiration for the the sub-creation of Middle Earth is manifold - Norse legend, Icelandic sagas, Anglo-Saxon epic poetry, Arthurian legend, the Bible, and Finnish mythology. Tolkien's life journey - orphaned as an adolescent, witnessing as a soldier the horror of the Somme and his dedication to philology and his conversion to Catholicism all played outsized roles in shaping the culture, languages and histories of Middle Earth. This book often scans the surface of these topics and would be of little value to serious medievalists and Tolkien scholars. But it was perfect for someone like me looking to broaden his knowledge on how Tolkien weaved his tapestry into one of the world's most valuable book and movie franchises.
June 4, 2023
You're hot and you're cold, you're in and you're out, you're sometimes really interesting and sometimes deadly dull. It's a beautiful physical edition, and I enjoyed much of it. I was hoping for something substantive, well-researched, but written in a non-academic style, discussing the sources of Tokien's inspirations. To a large extent I got that.
But I also got excruciating summaries of The Silmarillion (if you thought it was boring, try reading the précis version), and in a 180, a Teen Beat style "what Lord of the Rings character most resembles which mythological figure" sort of sidebars, and that all felt a bit odd. As they say, pick a lane.
(Note: I'm a writer, so I suffer when I offer fewer than five stars. But these aren't ratings of quality, they're a subjective account of how much I liked the book: 5* = an unalloyed pleasure from start to finish, 4* = really enjoyed it, 3* = readable but not thrilling, 2* = disappointing, and 1* = hated it.)
But I also got excruciating summaries of The Silmarillion (if you thought it was boring, try reading the précis version), and in a 180, a Teen Beat style "what Lord of the Rings character most resembles which mythological figure" sort of sidebars, and that all felt a bit odd. As they say, pick a lane.
(Note: I'm a writer, so I suffer when I offer fewer than five stars. But these aren't ratings of quality, they're a subjective account of how much I liked the book: 5* = an unalloyed pleasure from start to finish, 4* = really enjoyed it, 3* = readable but not thrilling, 2* = disappointing, and 1* = hated it.)
October 21, 2023
I recently have listened to many episodes of the Prancing Pony Podcast, having read through The Silmarillion and The Hobbit along with the podcast. I also read for the second time the Carpenter biography of Tolkien (which is wonderful). All of that set me up nicely for this book, which is a nicely-done review of Tolkien's life and writing and the many influences upon him. This book brings in a nice look at many sources, authors, events, interests, etc. upon JRR Tolkien and having the familiarity of those recent readings and listenings, it made this book very pertinent to me. I enjoyed it very much and recommend it to Tolkien fans. It covers right up to modern times including the LOTR and Hobbit movies. In reading it, you also are exposed to many other books or sources for continued reading. I highly recommend this, not to mention that the hardcover is simply a beautiful book and looks very nice on my shelf!
January 21, 2024
A wonderful stroll through many of the sources and styles of Tolkien's writings, bringing a deeper appreciation of Tolkien's accomplishments. Part biography, part analysis, a compelling read with accompanying illustrations that, well, illustrate, rather than overpower the text. Of particular interest to me was the chapter entitled 'Tolkien's Middle Ages', given my interest in the Middle Ages, in part attributable to Tolkien: though Tolkien's era of interest is a bit earlier than mine.
I'm a bit puzzled as to Snyder's reference to 'The Silmarillion' being 'controversial'. I may have to look into that one a bit, as I'm blissfully unaware of any 'controversy'. Personally I love it, and always look forward to a re-read.
A beatifully presented book, well worth a read for Tolkien fans.
I'm a bit puzzled as to Snyder's reference to 'The Silmarillion' being 'controversial'. I may have to look into that one a bit, as I'm blissfully unaware of any 'controversy'. Personally I love it, and always look forward to a re-read.
A beatifully presented book, well worth a read for Tolkien fans.
August 29, 2018
very interesting but it was more about tolkiens life and I would have liked more information about the world of the books and movies. Also the last 30 or 40 pages were all information on the sources used. I did not read everything in the book. I skipped parts that I thought were boring and as it is basically a biography of tolkiens life you can skip and still understand.
October 9, 2023
A richly developed treatise on the sources, influences and effects of J. R. R. Tolkien's epic fantasies. This updated edition covers recent additions to the wide range of stories and media generated by Tolkien's writings. I found this book to be well-researched and clearly presented, full of informative text and imagery without being overly intellectual in tone.
October 1, 2022
One of my Tolkien scholarship favorites. Full of all sorts of good info on both the novels and film adaptations. I’ve scanned this one several times and was happy to see a rereleased version for newcomers at Barnes and Noble a week ago.
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February 19, 2023Not sure how to rate this to be honest! It did definitely feel like reading a textbook, which is one of the reasons why it took me so long for how many pages are the actual book. 😂 A solid 1/3 of this is bibliography.
May 18, 2017
A very nice look at Tolkien, his life and his Legendarium.
February 7, 2024
It’s awesome 5.0 Folios
March 13, 2024
I loved how this book explored all the threads that brought Tolkien's Middle-earth to life. A great historical overview of the lore, books, and media for all Tolkien enthusiasts.
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