Tolkien and the Lord of the Rings [Paperback]

Colin Duriez (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2001

The book opens with an introduction to the various parts and chapters of The Lord of the Rings and links this to a subsequent A-Z section, divided into sub-sections, e.g. beings, places, events, writing, themes. The last part of the book is a brief biography of Tolkien, with information on his professional life, his friends (such as C.S. Lewis and the Inklings) and the shape of his thought and work. This is a refocused and updated version of his earlier book, Tolkien and Middle-Earth Handbook (Monarch, 1992).

Editorial Reviews

Review

It is impossible to read Colin Duriez's volume without wanting to reread Tolkien's books-an undoubted compliment to both authors. -- Brian Sibley, author of 'The Lord of the Rings' Official Movie Guide

Our customers have been asking for something like this for a long time. -- Jason Short, GreenLeaf Christian Books --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Colin Duriez is the author of The CS Lewis Handbook (Monarch), The C.S. Lewis Encyclopedia (Crossway, 2000), The Poetic Bible (SPCK, 2001) and with David Porter, Azure's forthcoming Inklings Handbook. He is also General Books Editor at Inter-Varsity Press. He lives in Leicester.

Product Details

• Paperback: 307 pages
• Publisher: Azure Books; 2nd edition (December 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1902694228
• ISBN-13: 978-1902694221
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,680,686 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

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must for Tolkien Fans!, January 18, 2003

By 

Evenstar (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tolkien and the Lord of the Rings: A Guide to Middle-Earth (Paperback)

Colin Duriez's "Tolkien and the Lord of the Ring: A Guide to Middle Earth" is an impressive book about the Hobbit, the Lord of the Rings, and the Silmarillion. It's divided into 4 parts.

Part 1: The Mind Behind Middle-earth: Includes background info about Tolkien, his life and work.

Part 2: The Book of the Century: A guide to LOTR, how it relates to the Silmarillion, etc. Basically a recap, in case you're a bit fuzzy.

Part 3: An A-Z of Tolkien's Middle-earth: I found this very helpful; I could look up my favorite people, places, events, and things quickly and effortlessly. This is especially helpful for those currently reading either LOTR or the Silmarillion to get extra info on what they're reading. If you are intimately familiar with the books, however, it would be more reference than new facts.

Part 4: A Look Behind Tolkien's Life and Work: Most interesting part to me. Evaluates key themes, concepts, and images in Tolkien. Allegory (or lack thereof), Christianity, Posession and Power are some of the themes explored by Duriez. Then it talks about key people and places in Tolkien's life.

It's more geared to people who are more interested in the book and Tolkien's writings than in the recent movies, so it shouldn't be confused with books like, "The Magical Worlds of Lord of the Rings."

I recommend it to anyone interested in Lord of the Rings.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Solid reference book, November 20, 2004

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tolkien and the Lord of the Rings: A Guide to Middle-Earth (Paperback)

Colin Duriez does a pretty job of creating a guide to the life and work of J.R.R. Tolkien in "Tolkien and Lord of the Rings: A Guide to Middle-Earth." While those who have read Tolkien's assorted books won't find anything new, it's a good introduction to his books for new readers, and a good "refresher course" for those who haven't read them in awhile.

Duriez starts off by introducing the book, describing his reasons for writing it. Then he speeds off into a mini-bio about Tolkien's life, followed by a dissection of the work he did, and its place in his life. And, since Duriez has written a book about literary club the Inklings, he includes quite a bit about Tolkien's friendships and relationships. For further clarification, Duriez includes a very brief timeline.

Then Duriez summarizes the entire plots of "The Hobbit" and the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, followed by a book-by-book chronology, and an informative chapter on the content of the "Silmarillion," and its connections to the "Lord of the Rings" books. Then he follows up with three A-Z guides -- one to things and people in Middle-Earth, then to themes and concepts in his work (eagles, allegory, theology, quests and so on), and the people and places in his life, such as his family, his friends, the mill he played at as a boy, and the books that influenced his writing. Finally there is a list of summaries, of various books that he wrote.

Duriez has certainly done his research -- he seems very comfortable talking about Middle-Earth, and easily quotes everyone from Peter Jackson to Tolkien himself. What's more, he obviously has a deep respect for Tolkien, and an appreciation for the richness and depth of Tolkien's work. For just about anybody writing this sort of book, that's a must.

What does it not contain? Well, Duriez admits himself in the preface that it's not meant to be in-depth, and Tolkien fans won't come away with anything they don't already know. Most of this is review and recap, with the occasional essay that goes into greater study of Tolkien's work.

However, the book can be very useful -- some people are daunted by the sheer vastness of Tolkien's work, and this makes it hard for them to get into the story. Duriez makes it accessable. His outline of the "Lord of the Rings" plot might be helpful to readers who have trouble understanding what is going on in the books. Ditto with his summaries of "Silmarillion" stories like the tale of legendary lovers Luthien and Beren, or the tragic Turin. It also could be a good "refresher course," for anyone who has forgotten stuff about Middle-Earth.

Colin Duriez, who has made a career writing about Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and the Inklings, pens a pretty decent guide book to Middle Earth and Tolkien's life. It won't reveal anything new, but it's a good introduction to Tolkien's work.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nearly the same as Duriez's "Concise Guide", January 10, 2010

By 

Doug Vitale (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tolkien and the Lord of the Rings: A Guide to Middle-Earth (Paperback)

This book contains the same glossary of LoTR terms and themes as found in The J. R. R. Tolkien Handbook: A Concise Guide to His Life, Writings, and World of Middle-Earth. "Guide to Middle Earth" differs from the "Concise Guide" by simply having a different preface and the short essays, "The Life and Work of JRR Tolkien", "Introducing the Lord of the Rings", "A Guide to The Lord of the Rings and Its History", and "How the Lord of the Rings Relates to the Silmarillion". Nothing too groundbreaking here but a nice reference book for Tolkien fans.