Alchemy in Middle-Earth: The Significance of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (Hardcover)

by Mahmoud Shelton (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Never before has the esoteric significance of the "Novel of the Century" been explained. At last its profound symbolism is made clear in light of the Hermetic tradition, establishing The Lord of the Rings to be the work of an illuminated imagination. Alchemy in Middle-earth traces J.R.R. Tolkien's motifs to unexpected connections with Scotland, the Middle East, and legendary Atlantis, and unveils the ancient wisdom in Tolkien's great work not only with the Alchemy of the past, but also with the living spiritual alchemy of Sufism. In the process, the mysterious relationship between the spirituality of Islam and Tolkien's Christianity is revealed, signifying nothing less than the completion of the Grail quest at the end of an age.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 124 pages
• Publisher: Temple of Justice Books; 1st Hardcover Ed edition (May 31, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974146803
• ISBN-13: 978-0974146805
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,642,658 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a great read!, March 22, 2006

By	T. Ahmed - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is filled with fascinating tidbits from an Islamic perspective on the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The information is indepth, detailed and presented beautifully. A definite must have for anyone who is a fan of the LOTR books/movies and has an understanding or interest in Islamic perspectives. It is truly wonderful to see how Tolkien wove together this story with inferences from the three great Abrahamic religions. Read this book- it will make LOTR even more amazing.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, February 7, 2005

By	Dawoud Kringle "Renegade Sufi" (New York City) - See all my reviews

"Alchemy in Middle Earth" illustrates how the great J. R. R. Tolkien wove Islamic and Judeo-Christian mystical symbology throughout the Lord of the Rings. I found myself re-reading this book several times.
I am a Muslim and I made gifts of this book to some Imams (Islamic "ministers") of my aquaintance. They were all impressed with the content of the book and of the brilliant scholarship of both Tolkien and Shelton.

3 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Grab bag of symbolism, June 25, 2007

By	Ruki (London, UK) - See all my reviews

I am sure Mahmoud means well but this is typical perennialist writing. He throws a whole range of cultural and religious symbols together in a bag, shakes them and then makes out there is some reality more than conicidence in the fact some of them stick together. This commentary lacks rigor but has tons of imagination, in other words. Of course, Shelton's basic thesis, that Tolkien's work owes much to Middle Eastern religious thought and symbolism (whether Islamic or not) is true, but that doesn't make Tolkien a saint, a spiritual teacher or even a 'mystic'. He's just a story-teller. Believe it or not, most sagas in the history of world literature are about 'the conflict between good and evil'. Come to that so is the Terminator series of films. So is LOTR. But reading LOTR will not make you a Sufi. It won't even make you a better person. Neither will this book, I'm afraid. The writing lacks discipline, and discipline (in the sense of being a disciple with a master) is precisely what you need to become a better person according to Sufism/Islam. Stories help but they are not the whole deal. Verdict: not what it wants to be, this book. If you want to know Islam, read the Qur'an, not Tolkien.