One of Tolkien's most cherished and heralded works, The Lord of the Rings is the story of the struggle between good and evil in Middle Earth. Its universal themes and epic sweep make it a work still popular with readers of all ages. Ideal for research, this volume includes a comprehensive collection of interpretive essays that provide expert commentary on this timeless work. It also features an introduction by master scholar Harold Bloom, a chronology detailing Tolkien's life, a bibliography, and an index.
Reading level: Grades 9 and up/College

The first of two companion volumes which documents the later writing of The Silmarillion, Tolkien's epic tale of war. After the The Lord of the Rings was at last achieved, J R R Tolkien turned his attention once again to 'the Matter of the Elder Days'.

Tolkien the Medievalist

Interdisciplinary in approach, Tolkien the Medievalist provides a fresh perspective on J. R. R. Tolkien's Medievalism.

Nine critics and scholars give various interpretive evaluations of the classic fantasy trilogy. Bloom honestly admits that he didn't enjoy the books, but many of the writers whose work is excerpted here do not share his views. Each author evaluates the Tolkien novels using different criteria, some discussing their appeal, some their literary merit. Each essay is well defined and laboriously researched, and each opinion is defended within its context. The credentials of the authors are available for perusal. The book is a useful tool for students needing to examine the themes and context of Tolkien's work.

Michael Stanton, a noted expert on science fiction and fantasy literature, has written an indispensible new guide to Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings for readers and viewers alike. Stanton, who has been teaching Tolkien's epic for over 25 years at the University of Vermont, guides the reader through the thickets of characters and places Tolkien creates eschewing academic jargon and an overload of literary criticism to provide an understandable look at Tolkien's fantasyscape. He looks at characters, places, the various books of the epic, dreams, the notions of time and history, providing a rich and wonderful guide to Tolkien's world that no one will want to be without this year.

Новый путеводитель по эпопее Дж.Р.Р. Толкиена «Властелин Колец» - как для читателей, так и для зрителей. Автор - Майкл Стэнтон, признанный эксперт в области научной фантастики и фэнтези.