Customer Reviews

The Essential J.R.R. Tolkien Sourcebook: A Fan's Guide to Middle-Earth and Beyond

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George Beahm's new book takes a long overdue look at the world of JRR Tolkien: not the world of Middle Earth itself, but rather the extraordinary industry which has grown up around the writer's creation. Upon perusing this book the Tolkien fan, both expert and novice, will find a wealth of information regarding just how much is available to them. Beahm provides clear and concise reviews of all manner of Tolkien books, art, games, DVDs, collectibles and merchandise; and provides details of various rare editions which the true fan may want to track down.

All this is backed up with in-depth interviews with the best of the Tolkien artists, including Michael Whelan, Tim Kirk and Colleen Doran. Indeed, Doran provides a host of new drawings especially for this book - and magnificent they are too!

For the Tolkien fan wondering where to go next, this book is a must.

George Beahm's love for Tolkien's work shines through every page of The Essential J.R.R. Tolkien Sourcebook.

Beahm starts with the Lord of the Rings books themselves and their various editions, from "the most elegant edition" to "the cleverest packaging." From there he branches out to chronicle related works by Tolkien and about Tolkien and LotR, and of course he examines the visual adaptations. He is both reverent and critical. He has harsh words, for instance, for the "full-screen" version of The Fellowship of the Ring, which is "severely cropped to fit the conventional television screen," and warns that the binding of one lavish edition "will not hold up after repeated readings." Audio adaptations, printed products, book- and movie-related collectibles, ring replicas, games and miniatures, websites...these and more fall under Beahm's Sauron-like all-seeing eye.

Then there's Chapter 11, my favorite, that delves into Tolkien-inspired art. Illustrations by Colleen Doran, Tim Kirk, David Wenzel, Steve Hickman, and Donato Giancola enhance an informative chapter on Tolkien artists from the Hildebrandts to Michael Whelan. Doran contributes a number of lovely and delicate full-page illustrations to the book and also provides spot art and illustrated chapter headings, elegant touches that give evidence to Beahm's genuine love for the subject matter.

For fans of Middle Earth, George Beahm's The Essential J.R.R. Tolkien Sourcebook is just that...essential.

The Essential J.R.R. Tolkien Sourcebook by George Beahm is a superbly presented, fan-centered guide to the fantasy world of Middle Earth, a magical land originally envisioned by celebrated author J.R.R. Tolkien in his famous trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" and his other thematically related writings. Featuring information about Lord of the Rings merchandise and collectibles, books about Tolkien, computer software, Tolkien-themed websites, and other online Tolkien related resources, The Essential J.R.R. Tolkien Sourcebook is highly recommended (indeed, an essential reference) for anyone seriously interested in learning more about the fan-culture surrounding this epic and enduringly popular literary saga.

I checked a copy of The Essential J.R.R. Tolkien Sourcebook out of my library a few weeks ago, and I don't want to give it back. I've scanned through it once, cover to cover, and am still jotting down some items I want to follow up on: some book titles I'd like to track down, a few BBC audio dramatizations. There is one gross oversight, however: this sourcebook provides no coverage of the three movie adaptations of Middle-earth books made PRIOR to the Jackson trilogy - that is to say,

- The Hobbit (1977, dir. Rankin & Bass)
- The Lord of the Rings (1978, dir. Ralph Bakshi)
- The Return of the King (1980, dir. Rankin & Bass)

It isn't that these films receive short shrift or unfavorable comparison to the Jackson trilogy, which would be understandable. It is that Mr. Beahm doesn't reference them at all. What makes it even stranger is that he does mention a previous attempt at adapting the books for film: that is, the Morton Grady Zimmerman script which so irritated Tolkien in the '50s, and which never amounted to anything. If Beahm sees fit to mention that one, why doesn't he mention the three animated movie adaptations, some 320 minutes of run-time, that *were* ultimately produced and which have been available on a fairly continuing basis on video and DVD? It's a baffling omission.

Of course a 264-page sourcebook can't be expected to include EVERYTHING in the extended Tolkien franchise. And much of what Beahm does include is wonderful: I even found an entry for Mithril Miniatures, which I used to collect back in the mid-90s. Ultimately this is an excellent, if somewhat flawed, reference book for all things Tolkien up to the year 2004.

If you're looking for more stories about Middle Earth or a complete guide to all Middle Earth collectibles, you may be disappointed by this book. For one thing, it doesn't deal with any merchandise relating to the Ralph Bakshi release of 1978 or to the previously released animated versions of The Hobbit and The Return of the King. There are also scads of collectibles out there that are not covered by this book. However, as a source book for people who are realtively new to Middle Earth or those who know of it mainly through the Peter Jackson movies, it provides quite a nice selection of material. It's an invaluable guide to books published not only by, but also about Tolkien and Middle Earth. It's also a good reference to consult before you go bidding on merchandise advertised on e-bay, particularly if you're new to Middle Earth collecting. And the best part is, since it's only a reference guide and not a collectible in its own right, you can save a lot of money by buying a nice used copy, as I did!