Tolkien's World From A To Z: The Complete Guide To Middle-Earth Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
For the millions who have already ventured to Middle-earth, and for the countless others who have yet to embark on the journey–here is the one indispensable A-to-Z guide that brings Tolkien’s universe to life.EVERY CHARACTERFrom Adaldrida Brandybuck to Zaragamba–every Hobbit, Elf, Dwarf, Man, Orc, or other resident of Middle-earth is vividly described and accurately located in proper place and time.EVERY PLACEColorfully detailed descriptions of geographical entries allow you to pick up the action anywhere in Middle-earth and follow it through all five volumes.EVERY THINGFrom stars and streams to food and flora, everything found in Middle-earth is alphabetically listed and, when necessary, cross-referenced.HERE IS TRULY A MASTER KEYTO TOLKIEN’S MIDDLE-EARTH
Paperback: 569 pages
Publisher: Del Rey; Revised edition (December 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0345449762
ISBN-13: 978-0345449764
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.3 x 8.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (134 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #38,452 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #17 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > History & Criticism #17 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Genres & Styles > Science Fiction & Fantasy #39 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Regional & Cultural > European > British & Irish
I can't say enough good about this book. As a companion resource to the any of Tolkien's novels based in mythical Middle Earth this is the perfect companion. This isn't a series of essays and it doesn't try to explain the twists of plot in all of Tolkien's books. What this book does is give complete, sourced and easy to find definitions for nearly ALL of the terms, places and people in Middle Earth.Ever wonder what the difference between the Maiar and the Istari? Want to know a brief history of Morgoth, the original poison in Middle Earth? This is the book for you. I had to work VERY hard to find any obscure term not included in this book. Not only is this book complete but it is cross-referenced and multiple terms are listed. For instance both Melkor and Morgoth are listed separately so you will find him regardless of which name you look him up under.What a wonderful piece of work. This book has furthered my reading enjoyment of the Lord of the Rings and opened the Silmarillion to me in a entirely new light. A definite A+ recommendation.
I feel a bit of nostalgia whenever I open this book because it takes me back more than twenty years to when I was first beginning to study Tolkien's world. Robert Foster's glossary is now sadly outdated because so many informative books have been published by Christopher Tolkien, but none of the tertiary sources written by other Tolkien researchers even come close to Foster's dedicated achievement.Unlike some early Tolkien indexers, Foster usually refrains from mixing his opinions with the facts he is reporting. His occasional guesses and interpretations may be wrong but given the information available when the book was written they are solid and well-considered. Many more recent books have contained unforgivably egregious errors because those later authors had access to material Foster didn't.The sources that Foster covers include some of Tolkien's private correspondence, and the research has been vindicated by Humphrey Carpenter's Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. Foster's other sources include The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, Pauline Baynes' 1969 map of Middle-earth (on which she was advised by Tolkien himself), and the first edition of The Road Goes Ever On.The most impressive section, however, is Foster's attempt to devise a chronology of the First Age. Such a chronology could be achieved with any hope of accuracy only after Christopher Tolkien published The War of the Jewels in 1994, 16 years after Foster published the Complete Guide. Foster's guesswork was off by no more than a few years. I still glance through his chronology for a quick reference when I just need to be reminded of critical dates.My only regret is that this book was never updated, although I heard a rumor that HarperCollins was looking for someone to revise it. It would be good to see a much fuller guide published, but only if Foster's impeccable standard was adhered to.
I was looking to purchasing this edition for a long time. I finally received it only to be disappointed. Nothing bad can be said of the quality of the printing, the feel & thickness of the paper or the beautiful Nasmith paintings, which are all first class. Before ordering this edition I browsed the content of the paperback edition using .com's LOOK NOW feature. You see annotated references at the end of each entry, showing which book (i.e., Silmarillion) & page number(s.) My gripe is that this 2003 edition, while presented beautifully is missing the KEY FEATURE I looked forward to the most, which is linking any subject by all books & pages referencing that particular topic. So the main reason to get this book is missing! Maybe I woud have been better off getting the 2003 hardcover & 2001 softcover edition for the notations along with a book of Tolkien artwork, like "Realms of Tolkien: Images of Middle-earth." Hopefully this review will help people select the exact edition to get the features they want.
The book truly deserves praise. The most wanted quality of a reference is its completeness. I assure you: there are NO entries missing. Places, people, topics and events are ALL present. There are many cross-references that help you find more about a specific subject. I've been in Sciences for quite a few years and read intensively. In many books I've read, the index is often weak and incomplete. As an index, the book fulfills my wishes, everything is there. Furthermore all entries receive a complete description and explains relationships with other subjects. This work is apparently a Ph.D., well it certainly deserves the title.
This Guide contains the two things most necessary for any serious study of Tolkien's works: clarity and correctness. Foster clearly did a lot of homework when creating this Guide, because it covers all the Ages of Middle-earth and so can be used both by those who have only read 'The Hobbit' as readily as those who, like myself, own and have read almost everything Tolkien has ever written.When I need to know some fact about Middle-earth and don't feel like hauling out the appropriate book, I turn to Foster's Guide -- you should, too.
Robert Foster has created an excellent book for those that want to know more about Middle-Earth. The information is not only complete and concise, it also includes the book source, the Age, word origin, and translation for many words. This book is so much more than I expected. It has made reading J.R.R Tolkien's works more enjoyable, and has made me better understand the great imagination and depth of work created by Tolkien. Thank You, Robert Foster for creating this fine work so that I can quit leafing through Tolkien's pages for information, and can turn directly to the correct page and information.
The Languages of Tolkien's Middle-Earth: A Complete Guide to All Fourteen of the Languages Tolkien Invented Tolkien's World from A to Z: The Complete Guide to Middle-Earth The Battle for Middle-earth: Tolkien's Divine Design in The Lord of the Rings Master of Middle-Earth: The Fiction of J.R.R. Tolkien Tolkien's World: A Fantasy Coloring Book The Complete Earth Chronicles (The Earth Chronicles) Middle School Makeover: Improving the Way You and Your Child Experience the Middle School Years Middle Range Theories: Application to Nursing Research (Peterson, Middle Range Theories) Greater Middle East Region: Including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya and Turkey (Hammond Greater Middle East Region Map) Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life (Middle School series Book 1) The Art of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien The Art of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien Tolkien Calendar 2016 Tolkien Calendar 2017: The Hobbit 80th Anniversary Tolkien Calendar 2017 Tolkien Calendar 2015 Tolkien Calendar 2015: The Hobbit Tolkien Calendar 2014, The hobbit Tolkien Calendar 2013: The Hobbit Tolkien Calendar 2012
