Customer Reviews

Tolkien's World : Paintings of Middle-Earth

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There are 60 illustrations, excellent paintings, with the accompanying text that inspired it. The colours are very well down, and each painting is brilliantly done in terms of publication. There are nine artists represented. These are:

Inger Edelfeldt: 7 paintings

Tony Galuidi: 2 paintings

Roger Garland: 10 paintings

Robert Goldsmith: 2 paintings

Michael Hague: 7 paintings

John Howe:10 paintings

Alan Lee: 10 paintings

Ted Nasmith: 10 paintings

Caro Emery Phenix: 2 paintings

My personal favorite is John Howe. He brings out a lot of dark imagery. I don't know why, but Hague's stuff just does not appeal to me. I have seen him do Lewis's Pilgrim's Regress, and some other stuff, and I just don't like his style (also saw his illustrations for WIZARD OF OX). His are of THE HOBBIT. Galuidi has almost a computer generated quality, and his work is especially intriguing, although there are only 2 of his paintings in this collection. Lee is good. All in all, this is a fair book, collecting the paintings of artisits brining about their own vision of Tolkien's classic saga. Over all, a four star book (bumped up one star because of Howe's supreme quality).

"Tolkien's World" is a very handsome book: large, hardcover, sleeve-cover, fine print and paper. It consists on a serie of paintings divided by books (The Hobbit, LOTR, Silmarillion, etc.) printed in the largest scale possible and with great definition. Beside the picture there is the passage of the book which inspired the painting. In the end there are one-page texts about or written by each of the artists, explaining their influences and relation with Tolkien works. My favorite artist is, without a doubt, Ted Nasmith, that draws very realistic pictures. Second place is John Howe, with his dark and intriguin style. All in all, a pretty nice book. I was very satisfied with it and it helped me to figure the places and events of LOTR. Be aware that there's a book that is kind of a sequel to this one: "Realms of Tolkien: Images of Middle-Earth", which I'm planning to get. It is written on its purchasing info that the author is Ted Nasmith, so is the cover authory. Lucky me.

I enjoyed this book greatly. However, some people may have been dissapointed in that the paintings may not have coincided with the world they pictured in their imagination. Tolkien's masterful use of the English language and powerful descriptions are done justice in many of these paintings. I find that anyone who has read Tolkien's works forms a very distinct picture in their mind. Even though I may not have visualized some of the scenes and landscapes as they have been portrayed, I found seeing other's interpretations to be an interesting experience. I personaly enjoyed the paintings by John Howe, Ted Nasmith, and Alan Lee.

I was excited when I ordered this book, but the first time I looked through it I was hugely disappointed. Only a few of the paintings in the book do any sort of justice to the imagery, whether implied or described, in Tolkien's books. Many of the paintings are by Michael Hague, and his style does not appeal to me at all. Roger Garland's paintings are elegant, tasteful, and mythical, especially the last one in the book, which I think is just perfect. I also like John Howe's paintings, as well as a couple by Alan Lee and Ted Nasmith. The rest (which comprise the majority) seem chunky, futuristic (certainly not the way I or anyone else I know of thinks of Tolkien's books) and boring. They do not capture the mystery, magic, tragedy, joy, sorrow, or beauty we are all acquainted with in Tolkien's works.

I received this book as a gift from my sister, and I think that the basic idea for the work is a very good one. However, I don't think that the book on its own merits is enough for anyone who is not a serious fan of Tolkien and most especially of Lord of the Rings. The pictures and descriptions are enjoyable to look over for those who have read the trilogy, but I am afraid that I had hoped for more. The stories that Tolkien wrote are breathtaking, and I had wanted to experience that same kind of emotion when looking upon the paintings. But despite the talent of the artists, I found most of the art to be rather repetitive and rather uninspiring, save maybe one or two. I don't think that they come close to doing justice to the sweeping landscapes and noble figures which Tolkien described in his work. However, I have no idea what kinds of art and artists exist from which to choose, or if there are any comparable books on this subject. I don't think this is the book for you if you are seeking paintings based on fantasy worlds - there are much better ones. But if you are looking for a book for someone who likes Tolkien, I think it's a nice companion to the trilogy and a good addition to any bookshelf of a Tolkien-lover.

The art contained within this book is well worth the price. One of it's many strong points is that it really seems to make an effort to include something for everyone. The quoted text on the facing pages is nice as well. A great addition to any Middle-Earth collection.

I had to read Tolkien for my English lessons and when I saw Tolkiens's World, I had to buy it! It's really fabulous. I wish I could paint this good.

A great book. The paintings offer an incredible view into Tolkien's Middle-Earth, with portraits from his most popular books. They make you feel like you're there, especially Ted Nasmith's "The Balrog"

This is a collection of 50+ paintings based on various works by Tolkien, which fans of Tolkien will no doubt enjoy. It may be of speial interest to those who watched the movies (and who hasn't, who read Tolkien...) as you can clearly see how some of these paintings are replicated in Jackson's movies; it takes but a moment to catch it in the film, but if you see the pictures enough you'll recognize it.

The quality of the paintings are uneven, and each one has its favorite. Like many people, I find Hague lacking, but also Edelfeldt, who isn't bad but whose style is not unique enough in my opinion.

My favorites, on the other hand, are Howe, Garland, Nasmith, Lee and Galuidi. Garland, my favorite, has a unique and glowing, almost 'mystical' style that does the book justice. Howe's pictures are also intriguing and beautiful, and feel true to the book (and thankfully, he seems to dominate the book in terms of the number of contributions). Nasmith has some splendid landscape pictures, though his vision of the characters leave something to be desired (especially of a fat, distorted Boromir!) Galuidi's sci-fi, computerized style may not appeal to some, but I find them interesting. Finally, Lee's soft watercolors are very appealing, and his vision of the characters is near-perfect (especially Galadriel and Gandalf).

The book provides a rich dimension to the text version. I highly recommend it to anyone who has read, or is reading "The Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings". The paintings actually transport you to that world!