The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion [Hardcover]

Wayne G. Hammond (Author), Christina Scull (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 27, 2005

In The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion internationally acclaimed scholars Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull examine Tolkien's masterpiece chapter by chapter, offering expert insights into its evolution, structure, and meaning. They discuss in close detail important literary and historical influences on the development of The Lord of the Rings, connections between that work and other writings by Tolkien, errors and inconsistencies, significant changes to the text during its fifty years of publication, archaic and unusual words used by Tolkien, and words and passages in his invented languages of Middle-earth. Thousands of notes, keyed to standard editions of The Lord of the Rings but universally accessible, reveal the richness and complexity of one of the most popular works of fiction in our time. In addition to their own expertise and that of other scholars and critics, Hammond and Scull frequently draw upon comments by Tolkien himself, made in letters to family, friends, and enthusiasts, in draft texts of The Lord of the Rings, and in works written in later years which amplify or illuminate characters and events in the story. Extensive reference is made also to writings by Tolkien not previously or widely published, including elaborate time-schemes, an unfinished manuscript index to The Lord of the Rings, and most notably, the important Nomenclature or guide to names in The Lord of the Rings prepared for the use of translators, long out of print and now newly transcribed and printed in its entirety. With these resources at hand, even the most seasoned reader of The Lord of the Rings will come to a greater enjoyment and appreciation of Tolkien's magnificent achievement.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 894 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (December 27, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618642676
• ISBN-13: 978-0618642670
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.7 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #216,464 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > History & Criticism

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, an annotated LOTR, January 11, 2006

By 

Larry D. Curtis "MrCere" (Utah, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion (Hardcover)

It is amazing that it has taken 50 years for a book like this to come to Tolkien's readers, but at last and with great scholarly authority, comes annotations to "The Lord of the Rings."

Make no mistake, this is a scholarly book and its pretty dense and at times it will push the average LOTR reader. It is full of (appropriately) word origins and possible source info, word meanings and linguistic notes. Still, because of Tolkien's own linguistics background and motivations, this is a must to have at the core of the book and there is plenty of other types of info as well to add roundness and variety to the content.

Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond obviously read and write about LOTR in a way that the casual reader cannot and their considerible knowledge and resources (such as Christopher Tolkien himself) come into play. The book can be used as a side-by-side volume or can be read on its own chronologically. Also included is Tolkien's own, previously out of print "Nomenclature" or guide to names that he used to help potential translators of LOTR and a history of "The Lord of the Rings" The scholars also reference Tolkien's other works such as "The Hobbit", "Unfinished Tales", "The Silmarillion" and Christopher Tolkien's history of Middle-earth.

This is a 900 page work packed with information that can either be read completely or used as a help for those reading "The Lord of the Rings" and wish to get more depth and perspective from further Middle-earth exploration.

It is probably the most important Tolkien publication since (at least) Unfinished Tales in 1980.

55 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Magnificent Work of Scholarship, December 13, 2005

By 

John D. Cofield - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion (Hardcover)

Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull are among the most authoritative of scholars researching the literary creations of J.R.R. Tolkien. In The Lord Of The Rings: A Reader's Companion, they have surpassed even their previous masterpiece: J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator. (As a matter of full disclosure I should mention that I met Christina Scull some years ago in London, and I have maintained a friendship with her and her husband Wayne G.Hammond ever since. Three articles I wrote for the Mensa Tolkien Special Interest Group's newsletter "Beyond Bree" have been referenced in A Reader's Companion, and I am also among those Wayne and Christina thank in their Preface. Even without these connections I would still be highly impressed with this work!)

This Reader's Companion consists of annotations to The Lord of the Rings. The length of Tolkien's masterwork, which is often mistakenly called a trilogy, made the normal method of including annotations alongside the text impossible, and so this separate volume has been produced. The annotations illuminate some interesting and sometimes obscure sections of the book and assist readers in interpreting Tolkien's rich but occasionally (to modern and American eyes) puzzling vocabulary. Tolkien readers and scholars will find it almost as fascinating as the book itself and many will probably read it straight through not once, but many times.

In addition to the annotations, A Reader's Companion also contains a wealth of material, including Wayne and Christina's own history of the writing of The Lord of the Rings. This is in itself a fascinating description of the many forms the story took over the years from 1937 to the early 1950s, and the many vicissitudes Tolkien endured as he "niggled" away at the writing and rewriting each chapter required. Besides this history the authors have included several fascinating discussions of chronologies, maps, and other matters like dust jackets which might with a lesser author be deemed unworthy of notice, but which in Tolkien's case illuminate the painstaking care he took with every detail. Also included is a portion of a previously unpublished letter in which Tolkien describes The Lord of the Rings as a part of his larger literary/mythological work, and the Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings which Tolkien created to assist translators, and which has been published (incompletely) only once before.

As befits such a fine work of scholarship, A Reader's Companion is beautifully bound with a dust jacket which makes use of Tolkien's own designs. Although the book with its index runs nearly 900 pages, it is comfortable and pleasant to hold. The typeface, though it can be small at times, is clear. The page references are easy to interpret and can be applied to whichever of the many editions of The Lord of the Rings the reader may possess.

It seems likely that at least some future editions of The Lord of the Rings will include A Reader's Companion. First time readers will probably prefer not to read the annotations until they have become more familiar with the text. Once they have been swept up in the story they will find A Reader's Companion enhances their experience. Those of us fortunate enough to have read The Lord of the Rings not just once but many times will immediately recognize A Reader's Companion's value and will cherish it as well.

49 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sewn binding!, December 15, 2005

By 

Extollager (Mayville, ND United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion (Hardcover)

The content of this book looks like superlative scholarship. Something that might be overlooked, however, but that deserves applause, is the publisher's use of sewn signatures for the book's binding. Very few books are made this way any more, as far as I can see, being instead bound just with glue; but a book made with sewn pages is likely to last longer and look better. The publisher is to be commended for this extra care, and encouraged to continue to use this method in subsequent printings - - especially while holding the price down so remarkably. Even at full price rather than Amazon's discount price, this book is very good value for they money.