Tolkien Bestiary [Hardcover]

David Day (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 5, 1995

Here is the comprehensive reference guide for the millions of fans of the Hobbit and the Lord Of The Rings trilogy. All of the imaginary beasts, monsters, fauna, and flora of J.R.R. Tolkien's lush fantasy worlds of the Middle-Earth and the Undying Lands are presented in more that 100 black-and-white illustrations and 36 full color paintings. A Chronology of all the historical ages, a general index, genealogies of the races of men, maps, and a special index referring to Tolkien's original works are also included.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Here is the comprehensive reference guide for the millions of fans of the Hobbit and the Lord Of The Rings trilogy. All of the imaginary beasts, monsters, fauna, and flora of J.R.R. Tolkien's lush fantasy worlds of the Middle-Earth and the Undying Lands are presented in more that 100 black-and-white illustrations and 36 full color paintings. A Chronology of all the historical ages, a general index, genealogies of the races of men, maps, and a special index referring to Tolkien's original works are also included.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Gramercy (February 5, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517120771
• ISBN-13: 978-0517120774
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #709,044 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As of July 1999, The Best Illustrated Tolkien. No Contest., July 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Tolkien Bestiary (Hardcover)

Simply put, the other illustrated guides to Middle Earth are enormously inadequate next to this. The information is first rate, neither dumbed down for the common reader nor tediously verbose. Do check it against things like J.E.A. Tyler's A Tolkien Companion, but still it is infomative and moreover written with flare. While the A-Z tellings of the goings on in Middle Earth are solid, the illustrations are unparalleled. Buy this book for Ian Miller's vision alone, because it is sadly one of the only books in print that showcases this genius, sadly forgotten in his own time. Now he draws the occasional magic card and art for the FASA line of Role Playing Games, but his art in A Tolkien Bestiary is unabashidly furious and unrelenting, dark and majestic. Today John Howe and Alan Lee serve more or less adequately to show us Middle Earth, but they are little kids and Miller is a master. Keep your fingers crossed that Peter Jackson has a copy of this, and that we'll see something vaguely Milleresque in the new flicks. This book also has early works from John Blanche, who went on to pioneer the dark grit of Games Workshop's Warhammer world. If you are at all interested in illustration and you haven't seen this book before, it will take you to school. When I was a kid I had this book checked out from the library more or less constantly for 10 years, in the process acruing a small fortune in late fees. It was sadly out of print and so I couldn't buy it (and I was a good kid, so I didn't steal it). Get the book. It's super. Tolkien would have dug it.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Lavishly illustrated companion book for all Tolkien fans., March 21, 1998

By 

Frodo Gamgee (Oskaloosa, Iowa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tolkien Bestiary (Hardcover)

The Tolkien Beastiary is a lavishly illustrated book which plunges deeply into the wonderful world dreamed up by J.R.R. Tolkien. David Day's use of colorful illustrations mixed with facinating, well written history makes this book not just informative, but a fantastic addition to The Guide To Middle Earth. It will provide hours of reading pleasure. I would recommend this handsome oversized "coffee table book" to any and all fans of Middle Earth.

22 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Don't expect accuracy or faithfulness to Tolkien, November 7, 2000

By 

Michael Martinez - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tolkien Bestiary (Hardcover)

David Day is one of the more imaginative Tolkien annotators ever to be published. His work is completely without merit from a scholarly point of view because he makes up his facts and includes many misleading details. He is constantly hammered by Tolkien researchers on the Internet.

What he brings to the realm of Middle-earth commentary is an imaginative retelling of Tolkien's mythology. It's unique, if not legitimate. He lacks Tolkien's style and depth, but many people have enjoyed Day's books through the years despite their inaccuracy.

These books make good conversationalist pieces, but the reader should beware. They won't teach you much about Tolkien's world and what little they have to offer in the way of accurate information is washed away by the unauthorized additions and changes.