The J. R. R. Tolkien Handbook: A Concise Guide to His Life, Writings, and World of Middle-Earth [Paperback]

Colin Duriez (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2002

J. R. R. Tolkien created an entire fantasy world-complete with its own history, languages, geography, and literature. Readers are quickly caught up in orcs and hobbits, ents, elvin lords, and hundreds of other fascinating and often complex characters who inhabit this magical place. But what are readers to do when they can't remember who Amras was, where in Middle-earth Caras Galadon can be found, or what one might expect to see in the Halls of Mandos? They can open their copy of the J. R. R. Tolkien Handbook. This helpful guide presents all the key characters, places, and things of importance in Tolkien's writings in dictionary format. It also contains details about Tolkien's friends and colleagues, the writers and thinkers who influenced his work, summaries of his beliefs and how they are revealed in his writing, and a handy list of Tolkien's works. Asterisks within articles show other references, allowing readers and students to follow themes that capture their interest and discover more on how Tolkien's life and writing interweave. Tolkien fans, especially those newly introduced to his work by the Lord of the Rings movies, will find this handbook extremely useful for probing the depths of a thoughtful man and his intricate books.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Unlock the secrets to a thoughtful man and his world of orcs, hobbits, dragons, ents, and elvin lords. J. R. R. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and more, created an entire fantasy world complete with its own history, languages, geography, literature, and hundreds of fascinating characters. This helpful guide, arranged in dictionary format, gives you quick and easy access to the key characters, events, and places in Tolkien's writings. The J. R. R. Tolkien Handbook also contains details about Tolkien's friends and colleagues, the writers and thinkers who influenced his work, summaries of his beliefs and how they are revealed in his writing, and a handy list of Tolkien's works. Asterisks within articles allow you to follow the themes that interest you most and discover how Tolkien's life and writing interwove.

About the Author

Compiler Colin Duriez has written and lectured extensively on Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings. The author of The C.S. Lewis Encyclopedia and coauthor of The Inklings Handbook, Duriez lives in Leicester, England.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Baker Books; First edition (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801030145
• ISBN-13: 978-0801030147
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,030,956 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Colin Duriez is based in Keswick in north-west England and writes books, edits and lectures. He has appeared as a commentator on extended version film DVDs of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings, the 'Royal' 4 DVD set of Walden/Disney's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and the Sony DVD Ringers about Tolkien fandom and the impact of Tolkien on popular culture. He has also participated in documentaries on PBS and the BBC. He is also a part-time tutor at Lancaster University.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Decent Affair: 3 Stars, one subtracked because of subtitle, June 9, 2000

By 

Mike London "MAC" (Oxford, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The J. R. R. Tolkien Handbook: A Concise Guide to His Life, Writings, and World of Middle-Earth (Paperback)

It seems Mr Duriez has also written a "Handbook" (the In-Print Encyclopedia) on C.S. Lewis. I don't know the quality of that work, but I do of this, and I mean to tell you about it. It might be good, but I would be wary of it, because this volume promises similar things but does not deliver its high promises. Instead, it offers SOME information, but nothing comprehensive.

The best counsel I can give unto you is to stay away from this book. There's a reason it's out of print people. It's only an average work, not even amounting to 300 pages. It's crossed reference, and in the end, feels like the work of someone wanting to cash in on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. There's much better works (such as Karen Wynn Fonstad, Paul H. Kocher, and David Day) on the literary creations of Tolkien. This book, calling itself comprehensive, is hardly that. This is the subtitle to make others look and buy - but withhold yourself on the hope that this is a first class volume. Its not. Its not a terrible volume, but neither is to an excellent volume. It's average, and for those who really want to get into the works of Tolkien, I would suggest to have this on your shelves along others, for different perspectives. But it's only use is that. On its own, no. With the money you were going to buy this, I'd recommend the much more interesting LETTERS OF J.R.R. Tolkien. If you are looking for something on Lewis' Narnia, go with Paul F. Ford's Companion to Narnia - a first-class reference work (the revised version). That's what a reference work is supposed to be like people, not this average affair.

Mike London

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for newbie, November 29, 2002

By 

H. David Peirce "Zossima" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The J. R. R. Tolkien Handbook: A Concise Guide to His Life, Writings, and World of Middle-Earth (Paperback)

This book is good for somebody new to Tolkien. There are some more complete handbooks/encyclopedias for Tolkien's writings out there, but I think that a newbie might find them overwhelming.

This book is firmly focused on the Lord of the Rings trilogy, drawing information from Tolkien's other books only if it provides useful background to people or events in the Rings trilogy. For instance, there is background on an ancient marriage between a human man (Beren) and an elf woman (Luthien)that sets the stage for the romance between Aragorn and Arwen. My understanding is that Tolkien's other writings contain many other stories, characters, and settings that are not necessary for the understanding of the Rings trilogy.

The Rings movie was my introduction to Tolkien. Since then, I have read the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit. I fully expect that as I continue to read Tolkien and continue to be fascinated by the world he created that I will buy a more complete handbook. But for now, this is a good source of information.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a good place to start, April 19, 2004

By 

Courtney (New Hampshire, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The J. R. R. Tolkien Handbook: A Concise Guide to His Life, Writings, and World of Middle-Earth (Paperback)

I borrowed this book from a friend and then realized that i had to buy my own copy because it really helped me while i was ready The Lord of the Rings and I know it will continue to help me as I read the other books Tolkien wrote. Although I understand it is not entirely inclusive of all the characters, places, ideas, theologies, etc, that Tolkien wrote about (the list would be infinite!!) it does provide the reader with a very comprehensive guide and foundation to begin to understand the journey Tolkien went on and the background for probably the most crucial and important aspects, people, events, places and ideas of Middle-Earth.

The book also contains suggested readings so you can further your study of certain topics, which (as a rising Tolkien scholar) i found to be MOST helpful.

I thoroughly enjoy (yes, present tense, as in, continue to enjoy!) this book and would recommend it to any fan of Tolkien who needs a little help organizing and understanding ALL that is Middle Earth and that is Tolkien!