There and Back Again: In the Footsteps of J.R.R. Tolkien

by Mathew Lyons

Mathew Lyons traces the influence of England and its landscapes in J.R.R Tolkien's world famous novels. Written from both the perspective of an avid Tolkien fan and a historical/literary interest in mythology and the influence of the landscape on Tolkien's work, Lyons follows in the footsteps of Tolkien through England, identifying the places that most arguably influenced Tolkien's creation of "Middle Earth".

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Biography

240 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2004

Reviews

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mmmm not gonna lie: I’m not sure I can trust all the facts in this book. From the very beginning, the author goes between calling Tolkien’s wife “Edith” (her actual name) and “Ethel” (???). So that stuck in my mind throughout the rest of the book. I kept thinking “is this guy getting all his facts straight?”
This book also fluctuates between being very boring and very interesting. Ironically, it wasn’t the history that was my favorite part; it was actually Lyons’s descriptive language, particularly regarding the various English landscapes he explores. The author certainly has a talent for describing setting, and it makes me curious to see if he’s ever tried writing fiction. I think he’d be quite good at it.
It was interesting exploring some of the various places around England that were significant in Tolkien’s life and may have influenced his writings, however I reeeeaaally thought it was a shame that the author didn’t include any photographs. The narrative and history would have come across much better that way in my opinion, especially from the perspective of an American/foreigner to England who only has limited experience with/knowledge of these locations.
I also greatly appreciated any reference to linguistics. There was a good deal in here but I actually wanted more...haha
Overall it was a decent read but I would definitely only recommend it to people who have a sincere interest in Lord of the Rings AND Tolkien himself AND British geography/culture.

[Karen Floyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

10/7/2024
I enjoyed re-reading this (especially after reading The Kingdom By the Sea) and revisiting some of the places that inspired The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. I hope at least some of them have managed to survive despoliation, whether by outright destruction or by commercialization. When the author visited Sarehole it sounded like a LOTR theme park was a possibility. Tolkien would hate that.
This time I was particularly struck by Tolkien's use of the desolation and destruction, the darkness, he witnessed on the Western Front during World War I, in his descriptions of Mordor. The landscape had become deformed, along with any living plant or creature, or any building in it, that was not killed or completely destroyed.

3/31/2009
The English landscape, both as he knew it and as he imagined it, was always at the back of Tolkien's stories. One might even consider it a character in itself. A well-written and thought-full book. I now know which places associated with Tolkien that I want to see - and which I want to avoid.

[Asher Cockrell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, for the most part, it’s all theories and hypotheticals. The prose is pretty good though and the other historical anecdotes keep it from being worth more than a google search.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

At first I wasn't too sure about this one. It seemed it took him a long time to get to the point. But once we got beyond that, I did like it. I am going to sit with it at the computer and look up locations he writes about, and that is really what i wanted the book for. There was a lot of delving into Tolkien's study of language and the derivation of many of his words. I found it interesting, but I think a lot of people might not. I am glad I read it, but it wouldn't be of interest to everyone.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was rather unimpressed overall.

[David Briggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicely written but could have been longer and gone into more depth. Had the feeling the author was a bit half hearted about the whole thing.