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Tolkien Illustrated Guides
The Heroes of Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional world of Middle-earth is filled with great heroes who rose in the face of crisis to shape the course of that world's history. This volume examines the complexities surrounding Tolkien's portrayal of good and evil, analyzing the most celebrated heroes from the earliest days of Arda to the end of the War of the Ring. Men, elves, dwarves, and their allies are covered in detail, and each hero's role in the battle against the forces of evil is discussed at length.
This work is unofficial and is not authorized by the Tolkien Estate or HarperCollins Publishers.
This work is unofficial and is not authorized by the Tolkien Estate or HarperCollins Publishers.
256 pages, Flexibound
First published November 1, 2017
102 people are currently reading
1530 people want to read
About the author
David Day
278 books261 followersDavid Day (b. 14 October 1947 in Victoria, British Columbia) is a Canadian author of over forty books: poetry, natural history, ecology, mythology, fantasy, and children's literature. Internationally he is most notably known for his literary criticism on J. R. R. Tolkien and his works.
After finishing high school in Victoria, British Columbia, Day worked as a logger for five years on Vancouver Island before graduating from the University of Victoria. Subsequently he has travelled widely, most frequently to Greece and Britain.
Day has published six books of poems for adults and ten illustrated children's books of fiction and poetry. His non-fiction books on natural history include The Doomsday Book of Animals, The Whale War, Eco Wars: a Layman Guide to the Environmental Movement, Noah's Choice and most recently Nevermore: A Book of Hours - Meditations on Extinction (2012).
His Doomsday Book was a Time Magazine Book of the Year and became the basis for the 100 part animated-short TV series "Lost Animals of the 20th Century".
David Days best-selling books on the life and works of JRR Tolkien include: A Tolkien Bestiary, Tolkien: the Illustrated Encyclopedia, Tolkien's Ring, The World of Tolkien and The Hobbit Companion.
Day's Tolkien's Ring was illustrated by academy award-winning artist Alan Lee, as was Castles, The Animals Within, Gothic and Quest For King Arthur.
After finishing high school in Victoria, British Columbia, Day worked as a logger for five years on Vancouver Island before graduating from the University of Victoria. Subsequently he has travelled widely, most frequently to Greece and Britain.
Day has published six books of poems for adults and ten illustrated children's books of fiction and poetry. His non-fiction books on natural history include The Doomsday Book of Animals, The Whale War, Eco Wars: a Layman Guide to the Environmental Movement, Noah's Choice and most recently Nevermore: A Book of Hours - Meditations on Extinction (2012).
His Doomsday Book was a Time Magazine Book of the Year and became the basis for the 100 part animated-short TV series "Lost Animals of the 20th Century".
David Days best-selling books on the life and works of JRR Tolkien include: A Tolkien Bestiary, Tolkien: the Illustrated Encyclopedia, Tolkien's Ring, The World of Tolkien and The Hobbit Companion.
Day's Tolkien's Ring was illustrated by academy award-winning artist Alan Lee, as was Castles, The Animals Within, Gothic and Quest For King Arthur.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews
August 16, 2018
3 stars in this case definitely don't mean I liked it, although I wanted to but instead I had to fight the urge to chunk it against the wall much too often. Nevertheless, there were some good things among the bad and the ugly.
The good:
• Fancy binding and paper and gorgeous illustrations; it is visually a beautiful book.
• The included charts can be useful, especially as a quick reminder of various relations (but you can’t rely on them for spelling and dates.)
• Some intriguing takes and interesting comparison with various mythologies and real historical events/personages (although the latter is basically calling Tolkien’s work allegory, which he was strictly and explicitly against, without actually calling it so) and I have learnt some new things about the sources of Tolkien’s ideas and etymology and was reminded of some things I had forgotten.
• But mostly, it just made me want to reread actual Tolkien’s works yet again.
The bad:
• The Heroes of Tolkien is a misleading title, since the book only deals with a selection of the most notable heroes from Tolkien’s works.
• Equally misleading is the blurb, promising an examination of the complexities of Tolkien’s portrayal of good and evil and then doing no such thing.
• The subject matter is dealt with superficially, without any in-depth insight into Tolkien’s heroes, so if you expect that, you will be disappointed and better off going for The History of Middle Earth (although I have yet to read it myself.)
• The writing is all over the place, jumping from one topic to another, with out-of-place asides, and often repetitive. The effect is that of a collection of notes on historical, mythological, and literary similarities and connections, rather than a cohesive treatment of the subject in the title.
The ugly:
• Many factual errors, confusing the reader and thus rendering the book useless as reference.
• Day cannot keep the names straight – I know, it is hard with there being so many of them, but if one is writing a book about Tolkien’s heroes, I would consider getting the names right the bare minimum.
• The Silmarillion in particularly is not Day’s strong point, but the book does improve with Parts VI and VII when he gets to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, so perhaps he should have just stuck with those.
On the whole, I found The Heroes of Tolkien mostly a pretty package with insubstantial content, since it is not informative enough for beginners without some pre-existing familiarity with Tolkien’s work and feels lacklustre to someone who is a bit of a Tolkien nerd like me.
This review was first posted on my book blog, Beyond Strange New Words.
The good:
• Fancy binding and paper and gorgeous illustrations; it is visually a beautiful book.
• The included charts can be useful, especially as a quick reminder of various relations (but you can’t rely on them for spelling and dates.)
• Some intriguing takes and interesting comparison with various mythologies and real historical events/personages (although the latter is basically calling Tolkien’s work allegory, which he was strictly and explicitly against, without actually calling it so) and I have learnt some new things about the sources of Tolkien’s ideas and etymology and was reminded of some things I had forgotten.
• But mostly, it just made me want to reread actual Tolkien’s works yet again.
The bad:
• The Heroes of Tolkien is a misleading title, since the book only deals with a selection of the most notable heroes from Tolkien’s works.
• Equally misleading is the blurb, promising an examination of the complexities of Tolkien’s portrayal of good and evil and then doing no such thing.
• The subject matter is dealt with superficially, without any in-depth insight into Tolkien’s heroes, so if you expect that, you will be disappointed and better off going for The History of Middle Earth (although I have yet to read it myself.)
• The writing is all over the place, jumping from one topic to another, with out-of-place asides, and often repetitive. The effect is that of a collection of notes on historical, mythological, and literary similarities and connections, rather than a cohesive treatment of the subject in the title.
The ugly:
• Many factual errors, confusing the reader and thus rendering the book useless as reference.
• Day cannot keep the names straight – I know, it is hard with there being so many of them, but if one is writing a book about Tolkien’s heroes, I would consider getting the names right the bare minimum.
• The Silmarillion in particularly is not Day’s strong point, but the book does improve with Parts VI and VII when he gets to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, so perhaps he should have just stuck with those.
On the whole, I found The Heroes of Tolkien mostly a pretty package with insubstantial content, since it is not informative enough for beginners without some pre-existing familiarity with Tolkien’s work and feels lacklustre to someone who is a bit of a Tolkien nerd like me.
This review was first posted on my book blog, Beyond Strange New Words.
March 25, 2023
Not thorough as I hoped it would be, but an informative and fun read nonetheless.
October 23, 2020
Un libro genial para los amantes de Tolkien.
En este caso nos desgrana, a través de las edades, los diferentes personajes del imaginario del maestro que tuvieron relevancia. Todo ello explicado de forma sencilla, con ilustraciones llamativas y a veces ciertos esquemas y árboles genealógicos que ayudan mucho a seguir la lectura.
Recomendado!
En este caso nos desgrana, a través de las edades, los diferentes personajes del imaginario del maestro que tuvieron relevancia. Todo ello explicado de forma sencilla, con ilustraciones llamativas y a veces ciertos esquemas y árboles genealógicos que ayudan mucho a seguir la lectura.
Recomendado!
May 26, 2018
I must say that you'll only enjoy this book if you've actually read The Silmarillion because then you'll understand every reference that is being made. David Day has been writing Tolkien books for many years and he's been doing that splendidly. To me you can see his books as a sort of extension to Tolkien's work because that's basically all that this is.
David spends a lot of time explaining that Tolkien was heavily influenced by all sorts of mythology from all over the world, but mostly by Norse and Greek. This book shows you the comparison of the of the Ainur and the Valar against the gods and goddesses from different mythologies. If you're a enthusiastic Tolkien fan like I am then these information wouldn't really surprise you.
Like all of the other books that David wrote about Middle-Earth this one also includes many beautiful illustrations of different occasions that took place throughout the Ages. I myself am a fan of seeing all of these illustrations and they add a lot of details to these books.
Yes, I took a picture of my own book to proof my point!
This book doesn't really teach you anything new and a lot of things were constantly being repeated which kind of annoyed me at times especially because I already knew it. Still it doesn't really ruin the experience of this book.
In general this was a lot of fun to read because David Day knows how to write very well. The thing that I obviously liked the most were all of these illustrations which were beautifully drawn. If you're a big Tolkien fan then you are certain to enjoy this.
David spends a lot of time explaining that Tolkien was heavily influenced by all sorts of mythology from all over the world, but mostly by Norse and Greek. This book shows you the comparison of the of the Ainur and the Valar against the gods and goddesses from different mythologies. If you're a enthusiastic Tolkien fan like I am then these information wouldn't really surprise you.
Like all of the other books that David wrote about Middle-Earth this one also includes many beautiful illustrations of different occasions that took place throughout the Ages. I myself am a fan of seeing all of these illustrations and they add a lot of details to these books.
This book doesn't really teach you anything new and a lot of things were constantly being repeated which kind of annoyed me at times especially because I already knew it. Still it doesn't really ruin the experience of this book.
In general this was a lot of fun to read because David Day knows how to write very well. The thing that I obviously liked the most were all of these illustrations which were beautifully drawn. If you're a big Tolkien fan then you are certain to enjoy this.
December 14, 2024
Very interesting seeing how Tolkien drew from his love of philology and fascination with different myths.
January 9, 2018
Came across this book at a convenience store and was immediately drawn by its blue leather-like binding. I decided to flip through the pages and came across plenty of sketches and beautiful full-colored illustrations. I had to have this book!
Before I started reading it I was worried I wouldn't understand many of the allusions made to The Silmarillion (which I haven't read) but decided to go for it anyway. I was pleased to find a concise, easy to follow (and surely very condensed) description of The Silmarillion to which Norse and Greek/Roman mythology references were intertwined. The charts and timelines used were also a great help in keeping track of character names and places.
The book narrates the history of Middle Earth from The Silmarillion to The Hobbit and finally The Lord of the Rings, stopping to give a closer look to the myths and folklore that served as inspiration or seem reminiscent to Tolkien's creations (characters, places, battles, etcetera). Most entries are heavy on linguistic content, ranging from simple things like slang to possible Greek and Latin origins for a word or name; this, in my opinion, can be a a bit tiring but I understand linguistics played an enormous part in Tolkien's work so it's perfectly understandable that this approach was used. Apart from the mythological references there's also historical events mentioned, as well as some details about Tolkien's life, that influenced his creations.
Only detail I was bothered by was that some information kept being repeated from section to section (say, you may find a same particular detail mentioned somewhat lengthly on Elrond's, Arwen's and Aragorn's separate entries). However, I can understand this could be due to trying to make each entry possible to read as independent sections in case someone used the book as a reference instead of going through every single page.
Anyway, I find this book a very friendly guide to Middle Earth and I'll make sure to keep it close if I venture into reading The Silmarillion in the future.
Before I started reading it I was worried I wouldn't understand many of the allusions made to The Silmarillion (which I haven't read) but decided to go for it anyway. I was pleased to find a concise, easy to follow (and surely very condensed) description of The Silmarillion to which Norse and Greek/Roman mythology references were intertwined. The charts and timelines used were also a great help in keeping track of character names and places.
The book narrates the history of Middle Earth from The Silmarillion to The Hobbit and finally The Lord of the Rings, stopping to give a closer look to the myths and folklore that served as inspiration or seem reminiscent to Tolkien's creations (characters, places, battles, etcetera). Most entries are heavy on linguistic content, ranging from simple things like slang to possible Greek and Latin origins for a word or name; this, in my opinion, can be a a bit tiring but I understand linguistics played an enormous part in Tolkien's work so it's perfectly understandable that this approach was used. Apart from the mythological references there's also historical events mentioned, as well as some details about Tolkien's life, that influenced his creations.
Only detail I was bothered by was that some information kept being repeated from section to section (say, you may find a same particular detail mentioned somewhat lengthly on Elrond's, Arwen's and Aragorn's separate entries). However, I can understand this could be due to trying to make each entry possible to read as independent sections in case someone used the book as a reference instead of going through every single page.
Anyway, I find this book a very friendly guide to Middle Earth and I'll make sure to keep it close if I venture into reading The Silmarillion in the future.
December 28, 2023
Книгата е добра и има много любопитни факти около Толкин и създаването на неговата митология. Дейвид Дей ни дава добра информация около оформянето на цялостния епос и за невероятните познания на Професора по лингвистичните науки и световните митологии. Всеки път, когато научавам как Толкин създава героите си, сюжетите си, оставам поразена от целия гений, който е събрал между страниците. Със сигурност, обаче, за да се разбере в пълнота "Героите на Толкин" трябва да сте запознати със събитията от "Силмарилион". Последните части са свързани изцяло с "Хобит" и "Властелинът на пръстените", но ако не сте чели предишните книги ще се объркате и може да ви стане скучно.
За мен лично книгата бе полезна и направена по интересен начин. Малко ми досади честото повтаряне на някои герои и техните истории, но може би авторът е искал да наблегне на огромното разнообразие от митове и филологически науки, които стоят зад героя.
За мен лично книгата бе полезна и направена по интересен начин. Малко ми досади честото повтаряне на някои герои и техните истории, но може би авторът е искал да наблегне на огромното разнообразие от митове и филологически науки, които стоят зад героя.
January 18, 2022
I appreciate what this Author tries to do but man so much of what he says is just pure conjecture. Yeah bro Grond is similar to Mjolnjr because they're both big hammers. So fucking insightful dude wow. Manwë is similar to Zeus because they're both leaders of their respective pantheons... yes obviously, but can we go deeper than just these surface level observations please.
Gets a higher rating than it deserves because of how beautiful the leather cover and many illustrations are.
Gets a higher rating than it deserves because of how beautiful the leather cover and many illustrations are.
May 27, 2023
ტრადიციულად საინტერესო იყო სახელების ეტიმოლოგია და ინსპირაციები, რის იხედვითაც შეიქმნა ესა თუ ის პერსონაჟი.
August 8, 2022
Once again I am compelled to believe that Tolkien’s mythology is the real mythology of the world, and all others are just copy-cats. I am also 100% on board with Tolkien’s Atlantis complex.
Despite a lot of complaints about David Day’s constant comparisons and parallels of Tolkien’s characters to popular characters in Greek, Roman, Norse, etc. mythology, I think the author here was just accentuating the theory that Tolkien is sharing the real world mythology, and all other mythologies and religions stem from his. I personally love believing this fantasy, and it shows the genius of Tolkien yet again.
The only time I found myself speed-reading through was a section in the final quarter of the book (the Third Age) where it basically felt like just a long synopsis of The Hobbit and LOTR…which I already know like the back of my hand.
I personally would have preferred this book’s layout as a collection of all the heroes (still in a somewhat chronological order) with detailed descriptions of each, instead of just the whole book being laid out as a chronology of the stories, with some heroes popping back up periodically in relation to when they appear in Tolkien’s books (such as Elrond, being present in The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings). This resulted in a lot of repetition near the final quarter of the book.
Considering that everyone reading these books are already Tolkien fans and know all the chronological events of each book, I think just detailed pages or chapters on each of Tolkien’s heroes would have been more enjoyable.
In all, not my favorite of the World of Tolkien series, but still an enjoyable revisit to Middle-Earth and the genius of Tolkien’s complex intellect yet again.
Despite a lot of complaints about David Day’s constant comparisons and parallels of Tolkien’s characters to popular characters in Greek, Roman, Norse, etc. mythology, I think the author here was just accentuating the theory that Tolkien is sharing the real world mythology, and all other mythologies and religions stem from his. I personally love believing this fantasy, and it shows the genius of Tolkien yet again.
The only time I found myself speed-reading through was a section in the final quarter of the book (the Third Age) where it basically felt like just a long synopsis of The Hobbit and LOTR…which I already know like the back of my hand.
I personally would have preferred this book’s layout as a collection of all the heroes (still in a somewhat chronological order) with detailed descriptions of each, instead of just the whole book being laid out as a chronology of the stories, with some heroes popping back up periodically in relation to when they appear in Tolkien’s books (such as Elrond, being present in The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings). This resulted in a lot of repetition near the final quarter of the book.
Considering that everyone reading these books are already Tolkien fans and know all the chronological events of each book, I think just detailed pages or chapters on each of Tolkien’s heroes would have been more enjoyable.
In all, not my favorite of the World of Tolkien series, but still an enjoyable revisit to Middle-Earth and the genius of Tolkien’s complex intellect yet again.
April 7, 2024
Es un buen libro para aquellos amantes de la literatura de Tolkien que busquen profundizar en los orígienes de este universo fantástico.
El libro da un rápido repaso a los personajes y acontecimientos más relevantes de los textos de Tolkien, encontrando paralelismos entre estos y los relatos mitológicos de diferentes culturas y épocas. Estas conexiones siven, sobretodo, para ensalzar la figura de J.R.R Tolkien, quien es capaz de acumular e hilar una cantidad enorme de conocimiento a cerca de multiples mitos, lenguas y leyendas para condensarlas y darles una nueva forma en su propio universo literario.
Sin embargo, algunas de esas conexiones o paralelismos resultan algo forzadas o "cogidas con pinzas" por el autor.
Obviando algunas erratas en la traducción al español y a pesar de esos pocos paralelismos algo inconsistentes, recomiendo esta lectura a todo aquel que se considere fan de las obras de Tolkien.
El libro da un rápido repaso a los personajes y acontecimientos más relevantes de los textos de Tolkien, encontrando paralelismos entre estos y los relatos mitológicos de diferentes culturas y épocas. Estas conexiones siven, sobretodo, para ensalzar la figura de J.R.R Tolkien, quien es capaz de acumular e hilar una cantidad enorme de conocimiento a cerca de multiples mitos, lenguas y leyendas para condensarlas y darles una nueva forma en su propio universo literario.
Sin embargo, algunas de esas conexiones o paralelismos resultan algo forzadas o "cogidas con pinzas" por el autor.
Obviando algunas erratas en la traducción al español y a pesar de esos pocos paralelismos algo inconsistentes, recomiendo esta lectura a todo aquel que se considere fan de las obras de Tolkien.
November 10, 2018
I just finished this book and I loved it so so much!! I have learned an increadible amount of stuff, among others that Tolkien took a LOT from our own mythology - from the stories and history, from the Niebelungenlied, from Norse and Roman mythology... I knew some things were taken from like the story of King Arthur etc but I didn't know so much! The only thing I didn't like is that there is no mention of Tom Bombadill (except for a small illustration out of the blue)! How do you not mention the only character that was able to resist the power of the Ring without batting an eyelash?! They cut out Tom from the movies, now he's left out too... like why, he's such an amazing and interesting character. So that's the reason I gave it 4🌟 butI'm so glad I got this book, I need to get the rest too. For all you #tolkienfans make sure you read this!! .
February 24, 2020
Atlas of Tolkien made me curious about reading the Silmarillion, but damn, Heroes kind of did the opposite. The author himself mixes names up, there are countless facts repeated throught the book, and instead of the short version of cool stories and mithologies surounding beloved heroes, this is more of a disconnected compilation of the sources of these myths. Still, there are some beautiful illustrations, and it is interesting enough in most chapters.
But I mean who tf thought it would be a good idea not to justify the text?? Wtf man
But I mean who tf thought it would be a good idea not to justify the text?? Wtf man
December 20, 2025
Should be retitled, the etymology of Tolkien, because it spends most of its time talking about the meanings of names and words and stuff. This is sometimes interesting and sometimes not.
I like the illustrations, and the physical copy is just beautiful. It’ll look amazing in my future library.
I like the illustrations, and the physical copy is just beautiful. It’ll look amazing in my future library.
January 17, 2022
A great companion book for those either first looking past the world of the movies or those who are a bit more familiar with Tolkian's legendarium but find the depths of the Silmirilion or Unfinished Tales a bit dense. The illustrations, tables and family trees as well as the comparisons to real worl pantheons and inspirations are a fantastic resource for the most in depth Tolkien fan even if some of the other text may be a bit light.
April 11, 2022
A fun book with really cool illustrations. It definitely helps to have read the silmarillion beforehand
June 18, 2020
All the mistakes I've found in "The Heroes of Tolkien"
1. "Manwë's mightiest brothers [were] Ulmo, the Lord of the Waters of Arda, and Mandos, the Lord of the Halls of Mandos" (page 21) No. Manwë's brother is Melkor. Mandos's brother is Lórien. Ulmo has no siblings.
2. "... who was frequently identified with the Vanir goddess Freya, the spouse of Thor" (page 25). No. Thor was married to Sif. Freya's husband is Óðr.
3. “In Norse myth, all the skill of the elves Sindri and Brokkr, the greatest smiths in the Nine Worlds, and all the wisdom of Odin, were invested in the forging of Draupnir” (page 103). Brokkr and Sindri are dwarves, not elves. Actually I don’t know of any elven smiths in the entire Norse mythos.
4. David Day compares Isildur to Hreidmar from the Volsüng and then closes by saying “the evil of these rings soon results in the treacherous murders of Hreidmar and Elendil” (page 108). There’s no question that’s supposed to read “Hreidmar and Isildur.” Isildur was the one betrayed by the Ring; the closest Elendil ever got to the Ring was getting killed by the hand that bore it. Besides, this is an entire paragraph about Isildur. David Day has to have meant Isildur here.
5. "A terrible fate befalls Durin's Folk in 1980 of the Second Age when, in delving deep in the Mines of Khazad-Dûm, the Dwarves awake a monstrous demon of fire...." (page 132). A chart two pages later gives the date of the Balrog in Moria as 1980 of the *Third* Age. The second date is correct.
6. Typo: "Isidur's Heir" instead of "Isildur's Heir" (page 194)
7. "The last stand of Boromir, Gondor's greatest warrior, on the cliff pass above the Ramos Falls on the river Anduin." Never heard of the Ramos Falls. Must be the lesser cousin of the Falls of Rauros. (page 214)
1. "Manwë's mightiest brothers [were] Ulmo, the Lord of the Waters of Arda, and Mandos, the Lord of the Halls of Mandos" (page 21) No. Manwë's brother is Melkor. Mandos's brother is Lórien. Ulmo has no siblings.
2. "... who was frequently identified with the Vanir goddess Freya, the spouse of Thor" (page 25). No. Thor was married to Sif. Freya's husband is Óðr.
3. “In Norse myth, all the skill of the elves Sindri and Brokkr, the greatest smiths in the Nine Worlds, and all the wisdom of Odin, were invested in the forging of Draupnir” (page 103). Brokkr and Sindri are dwarves, not elves. Actually I don’t know of any elven smiths in the entire Norse mythos.
4. David Day compares Isildur to Hreidmar from the Volsüng and then closes by saying “the evil of these rings soon results in the treacherous murders of Hreidmar and Elendil” (page 108). There’s no question that’s supposed to read “Hreidmar and Isildur.” Isildur was the one betrayed by the Ring; the closest Elendil ever got to the Ring was getting killed by the hand that bore it. Besides, this is an entire paragraph about Isildur. David Day has to have meant Isildur here.
5. "A terrible fate befalls Durin's Folk in 1980 of the Second Age when, in delving deep in the Mines of Khazad-Dûm, the Dwarves awake a monstrous demon of fire...." (page 132). A chart two pages later gives the date of the Balrog in Moria as 1980 of the *Third* Age. The second date is correct.
6. Typo: "Isidur's Heir" instead of "Isildur's Heir" (page 194)
7. "The last stand of Boromir, Gondor's greatest warrior, on the cliff pass above the Ramos Falls on the river Anduin." Never heard of the Ramos Falls. Must be the lesser cousin of the Falls of Rauros. (page 214)
October 23, 2025
Se ami il mondo di Tolkien e ti perdi volentieri tra elfi, hobbit e battaglie epiche, Gli eroi di Tolkien è uno di quei libri che non puoi lasciarti scappare. David Day ci accompagna in un viaggio bellissimo tra i protagonisti della Terra di Mezzo, raccontandoli in modo nuovo e sorprendente. Ciò che mi ha colpito di più è come Day riesca a dare profondità e significato a personaggi che pensavo di conoscere già bene. Ogni eroe viene presentato non solo per quello che fa nella storia, ma per ciò che rappresenta: il coraggio, la speranza, il sacrificio, la fede nel bene anche nei momenti più bui. È un po’ come riscoprire Il Signore degli Anelli con occhi diversi. Le illustrazioni sono semplicemente stupende. È uno di quei volumi che ti viene voglia di tenere in bella vista, magari accanto all’edizione illustrata del Silmarillion o Lo Hobbit.
Mi è piaciuto anche lo stile: è chiaro, coinvolgente, e si sente che l’autore ama davvero il mondo di Tolkien. Non è un saggio pesante o accademico, ma un testo che si legge con curiosità e un pizzico di meraviglia. È una lettura perfetta per chi vuole tornare nella Terra di Mezzo e scoprire qualcosa di nuovo sui suoi personaggi più leggendari.
Un libro bello, curato e pieno di passione, ideale per ogni fan di Tolkien o per chi vuole approfondire i miti dietro le sue storie.
Mi è piaciuto anche lo stile: è chiaro, coinvolgente, e si sente che l’autore ama davvero il mondo di Tolkien. Non è un saggio pesante o accademico, ma un testo che si legge con curiosità e un pizzico di meraviglia. È una lettura perfetta per chi vuole tornare nella Terra di Mezzo e scoprire qualcosa di nuovo sui suoi personaggi più leggendari.
Un libro bello, curato e pieno di passione, ideale per ogni fan di Tolkien o per chi vuole approfondire i miti dietro le sue storie.
January 21, 2022
While this is a book that is very easy to read (in that I don’t find I have to force myself to keep reading and finish it), I can’t justify in any capacity overlooking the amount of information that is repeated throughout not just this book but Day’s series thus far, and the innumerable mistakes that could have easily been picked up on with some good editing and a round of pre-readers to give this book anything higher than 2 stars.
On an entirely separate note I wish there was an option for books like this to rate the artwork and illustrations separately, because that is definitely 5 stars in this case.
Artists featured are:
- Mauro Mazzara
- Andrea Piparo (my personal favourite)
- Allan Curless
- Ian Miller
- Ivan Allen
- John Davis
- Kip Rasmussen
- Les Edwards
- Lidia Postma
- Tim Clarey
& last, but not least;
- Victor Ambrus
And I would definitely encourage anyone to search out their other works!
On an entirely separate note I wish there was an option for books like this to rate the artwork and illustrations separately, because that is definitely 5 stars in this case.
Artists featured are:
- Mauro Mazzara
- Andrea Piparo (my personal favourite)
- Allan Curless
- Ian Miller
- Ivan Allen
- John Davis
- Kip Rasmussen
- Les Edwards
- Lidia Postma
- Tim Clarey
& last, but not least;
- Victor Ambrus
And I would definitely encourage anyone to search out their other works!
was-reading-then-dropped
February 3, 2018First of all let me say, this book has had such beautiful illustrations. Why I dropped it was, the book seems to be about how Tolkien created his world and the scientific deconstruction of myth and magic of Tolkien's world and the attempt to link it from myths and stories of this world. While I am uncertain of the authors conclusions and statements on the matter and his research, I would offer for those interested in learning more about Tolkien's world, "Characters of Tolkien" also by Mr Day or some other resource or perhaps Tolkien's works themselves.
As for the this book itself I would suggest this for people more interested in world building or a scientific view of Tolkien's creation.
As for the this book itself I would suggest this for people more interested in world building or a scientific view of Tolkien's creation.
August 30, 2019
Po grafické stránce se jedná o jednu z nejlépe zpracovaných knih, které se mi doposud dostaly do rukou. Je ovšem napováženou říct: “jestli jste milovníci Tolkiena, směle do toho”, protože kniha textově obsahuje určité nesrovnalosti ve faktech. Já nejsem zas takový fanoušek, takže mě to do oka netrkne, ale věřím, že někomu to může pěkně zvednout tlak. Knihu jsem si brala ke čtení se záměrem toho, že to bude krásné kochání pro oči a trochu víc prozkoumám, jak někdo vybudoval svůj svět (i když je tady Tolkienovo univerzum tedy rozebráno z pohledu Davida Daye). Jsem spokojená a tajně doufám, že u nás vyjdou i další díly...
September 19, 2018
What a wonderful, concise history of Tolkien's created worlds by focusing on all the heroes. BEAUTIFUL illustrations! I loved learning about how Tolkien linked historical myths to make his own mythology for England. I really appreciated all the philology (I hope I used that right?), learning where the names came from and their Latin/Norse/Roman roots. The only thing that detracted for me was there was all this mention of all the Norse and Roman influences but it didn't really mention Tolkien's faith and the role it played in shaping some of the world. With the exception of mentioning Judeo-Christian tradition with the creation of Arda, it seemed to totally ignore his faith background. I don't know if it was intentional, or just not the scope of the book, but I felt like it was the piece that was missing from making it a 5 star book. BUT, it's a fantastic resource for any Tolkien fan to own!
September 16, 2020
Es impresionante la cantidad de referencias históricas, legendarias y mitológicas que tuvo Tolkien para crean su maravilloso universo.
Tal vez puede ser a veces repetitivo David Day con las referencias, pero definitivamente su trabajo es valioso para quienes adoramos el mundo de Tolkien.
Tal vez puede ser a veces repetitivo David Day con las referencias, pero definitivamente su trabajo es valioso para quienes adoramos el mundo de Tolkien.
December 30, 2019
Поздравления за изданието! Имаме нужда от още такива преводни книги.
April 29, 2023
3.5⭐️ wordt weinig nieuws verteld als je Tolkiens werk al hebt gelezen. Wel aardig naslagwerk.
July 27, 2024
I love this set of books. Beautifully presented, amazing works of art and a great reference for Tolkien fans.
August 7, 2024
3,5 / 10
January 4, 2025
Nice easy read to indulge my Tolkien nerdiness.
September 10, 2019
Another great piece to my collection about Middle-earth. I didn't know how much the whole world of the Middle-earth was inspired by myths and legends of the past. That was really unexpected
P.S. Beautiful bookbinding, amazing work!
P.S. Beautiful bookbinding, amazing work!
March 26, 2025
Acceptable reading, but a bit too superficial, would’ve preferred longer and more in-depth chapters. Overall, solid work on Tolkien lore.
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