"The Downsters And The Critics"

[mark12_30]

THE DOWNSTERS AND THE CRITICS:
Critical Reviews of the Critical Reviews

This thread will be dedicated to Barrow-Downer reviews of critical works regarding Tolkien's Legendarium, for use by Novice Tolkien Enthusiasts. My intent is to provide Novice Tolkien Enthusiasts (and potential Tolkien scholars) with recommendations for further reading outside the Legendarium itself. This will include links to reviews already in Books (or elsewhere on the Downs.).

For new reviews, please include relevant identification of the book you are reviewing. As a minimum, please include:

• Title
• Author
• Date of Copyright (important when ascertaining which critic is responding to whom.)
• Edition (if multiple editions, include dates accordingly.)
• Summary description of the book's main themes
• Strengths and weaknesses of the book
• Whether you generally recommend this book and why
• Whether you specifically recommend it for novices and why.

Present your opinions with such evidence as befits the concept of literary review.

If you have already "reviewed" a book elsewhere on the Downs (many have), please link to or include that review here, completing the basic requirements listed above as you do so. Pertinent links to entire threads are also welcome.

As a final note to 'Novices': please feel free to write your own thorough reviews of critical works (using the above guidelines) and post your reviews here! Your feedback on any given book is quite valuable information for other interested Novices. Please don't be shy.

EDIT: In response to the question "What do I mean by 'novice' I offer the following sweeping overgeneralizations. (I do not intend to offend, pigeonhole, or oppress anyone, I am simply trying to provide guidelines for filling out that very contoversial last bullet.)

When I started this thread I was using the term "novice" to indicate "one who is new to, and interested in, the world of Tolkien Literary Criticism." (I'm beginning to like the phrase "Freshman Tolkien Scholar" but someone will probably object to that too...) Overgeneralizing again, let's estimate this "novice" or "freshman" has read the Hobbit and The Trilogy; may or may not have struggled through the Silmarillion; and has read between Zero and Five critical works.

So: Last bullet: Is this particular book under review a good book for such a one to attempt, or would their energies be better spent on another volume?

If the answer to the last question is "No, this book is not suitable for a Freshman Tolkien Scholar," that's fine. Just say so in your review.

Also in accordance with Mr. Underhill's excellent recommendation, if further in-depth discussion is desired for any particular work, simply open another thread and provide a link to it here. (And please, please, indicate the book of interest in the title of the new thread.)
Thanks!

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 7:55 AM January 07, 2004: Message edited by: mark12_30 ]

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 6:04 PM January 09, 2004: Message edited by: mark12_30 ]

[mark12_30]

*TOLKIEN'S WORKS*:

A frequently asked question is "I finished the Trilogy, what other Tolkien books should I read?" Many have answered this question.
Here is a link to the
Tolkien Book List at the BarrowDowns.

Here is a link to Palm Tolkien's bibliography of Tolkien's own works. It may be less than complete but it's a good place to start:Palm Tolkien's bibliography of Tolkien's works

"TolkBiB.de is striving to list all books published by or about J.R.R. Tolkien. " They're not there yet, but it's a noble undertaking...
TolkBiB.de

Speaking of reading the Legendarium, here is a link to burrahobbit's Rant

And here is a link to lindil's Legendarium challenge:the HoM-E/UT Society ~ following the Legendarium from c.1915 - 1972

EDIT:
Alas, alas.... when the forum went to the new VB revision, the old links no longer work. And I cannot take the time to update them today... Try searching on the title, until I can make time to fix them. I will move links above this banner as I update them.

lindil's list of abbreviations and acronyms


*REVIEWS / CRITICISM OF TOLKIEN'S WORKS*:
Here are a few thread links for starters:

Biography recommendations

David Day: Literary Burglar?

Legendarium/ David Day books

Supplementary literature

Diamond18 provides an astute review of Middle-Earth For Dummies.

davem wrote a great review here: Tolkien & the Great War: The Threshold of Middle-earth" by John Garth.

Bethberry began this topic
He said, she said: where the critics led which was immediately and completely sidetracked. However she provides a link to a PDF document which contains an exhaustive bibliography of critical publications on Tolkien and his work. The discussion in the article is worthwhile reading. Scanning the list of available works makes me wish I didn't have a day-job.

In Critical Essays on Tolkien several book titles are tossed about. Does anybody have reviews for these books?

***********

Incidentally, the more I search, the more I am convinced of the need for this thread. The books forum abounds with nebulous thread titles which sound promising but deliver little solid guidance. Title searches on Shippey, Carpenter, and Biography also yielded little guidance.

Clear signposts are definitely needed.

In that vein, if anyone has already written (or would like to write) reviews on the following basics, please link to them (or post them) here:

Flieger: Splintered Light,
Flieger: A Question of Time
Tolkien's Legendarium, edited by Flieger and Hostetter.
Pearce's (ed) Tolkien: A Celebration
Birzer's Tolkien's Sanctifying Myth
Lobdell's (ed) A Tolkien Compass.
Shippey's Author of the Century.

davem helpfully provides links to Amazon for:
Proceedings of the 1992 Tolkien Conference
JRR Tolkien & his Literary Reasonances
Celebrating Middle Earth
(I couldn't talk you into reviewing those, could I, davem?)

Carpenter: J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biography
Anderson's Annotated Hobbit, first and second editions

...and all the other multitudinous works which I do not have, but you do...

Another work which I somehow feel belongs on this list, although it was written by Tolkien himself, is:
Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien as compiled and edited by Humprey Carpenter.
He functions in these letters as his own critic.

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 1:10 AM February 03, 2004: Message edited by: mark12_30 ]

[Finwe]

There are a few more books that might need to be added to the list:

• The Magical Worlds of The Lord of the Rings by David Colbert
• Hobbits, Elves, and Wizards by Michael N. Stanton

I own both of those books, so once I manage to re-read them, I'll probably be able to write a review for each, and get that up within the week or so.

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 1:32 PM January 03, 2004: Message edited by: Finwe ]

[Estelyn Telcontar]

I started a thread discussing a chapter from The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy; I do plan to continue with another chapter in the future, on a new thread to avoid confusion.

[mark12_30]

Thank you, Esty, that was one of the threads I had in mind.

I also recall Sharon discussing Flieger, and Shippey. (Sharon, can you help me find those?) And I have a foggy memory of Squatter discussing... biographies?? Quite foggy...

[mark12_30]

• Title: Tolkien in the Land of Heroes: Discovering the Human Spirit
• Author: Anne C. Petty
• Date of Copyright: 2003.
• Edition: First.
• Summary description of the book's main themes
  Petty discusses the Fall From Virtue of the primary characters in Tolkien's legendarium and the pervasive effect that the fall has on Tolkien's world as a whole. She assumes a thorough working knowledge of the main works: The Hobbit and the Trilogy, but also the Silmarillion (upon which many of her arguments begin.)
  After the introduction, the book's four parts are:
  The Myth of the Fall in which Petty discusses the high crimes and misdemeanors of various Valar and Maiar. This is followed by the Fall as seen in specific Elves through the ages, Men in general, Numenor, Isildur, Denethor, and Boromir; and a shorter discussion of Dwarves and Hobbits.
  The Consequences of Power includes a discussion on various Agents of Evil (from Morgoth to Mumaks) and with regard to the use of power, the difference between creativity-art-enchantment and dominance-machinery-magic.
  Loss and Longing includes a treatment of nostalgia and history versus elven weariness contrasted with mannish aging and death. Then there is an in-depth examination of broken relationships, a treatment of doom and destiny, and a discussion of the physical Marrin of Arda.
  Of Heroes and Hope: Petty's eucatastrophe in which she rescues the reader from the grueling nature of the three preceeding sections. Finally we hear the horns of Rohan; the Eagles are coming; Turgon has emerged from Gondolin. Her treatment and analysis of Tolkien's heroes is a worthy and uplifting finale.
• Strengths and weaknesses of the book:
  Personally, I found no significant weakness in this book. However it does contain a real difficulty for the reader which the author points out herself: "The myth of The Fall, both in religious terms and in terms of society at large, is the grand canvas upon which Tolkien's entire legendarium has been painted, many layers deep. There is much darkness and dread in those layers before we can get to the light. Here be dragons and much, much more." She does not exaggerate. This book is heavy going and you may want to keep a Bugs Bunny video nearby for comic relief. But it is well worth the effort and perseverance. Her perspectives are deep, her grasp of Tolkien is thorough, and her sympathy for and understanding of his characters is profound.
• Whether you generally recommend this book and why
  Yes, highly recommended. "Tolkien in the Land of Heroes" is a superb treatment of The Fall, evil, and heroism.
• Whether you specifically recommend it for novices and why.
  It may not be a good first introduction into Tolkien analysis because of its tightly focused theme and the intensity of the analysis. It also requires a working understanding of The Silmarillion. Those looking for an introductory critical overview might prefer to start with a more general treatment such as Tom Shippey's "Road to Middle-Earth".

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 9:04 AM January 05, 2004: Message edited by: mark12_30 ]

[mark12_30]

• Title: Understanding Tolkien and The Lord Of The RIngs (Original Title: The Tolkien Relation)
• Author: William Ready
• Date of Copyright: 1968
• Edition: first
• Summary description of the book's main themes
  Ready provides some biographical material on Tolkien, and then connects The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings with that biographical material. (Tolkien was alive at the time of Ready's writing; the Silmarillion was not yet published.) He comes to some of the same conclusions that later critics do (such as Tolkien's grim view of the Long Defeat). There were several stirring sentences toward the end. I have the feeling that there were themes in the book that were meant to be pervasive and summary, and connected to the title. But honestly, they are not clear in my mind, and I feel that has to do with his presentation of the material.
  
• Strengths and weaknesses of the book
  This book has several readily apparent weaknesses.
  If Tolkien was a rambling, mumbling lecturer, Ready is a rambling, mumbling writer. After finishing his book, little stands out in my mind, except his overall acidic tone. Perhaps it makes his compliments stand out, but it does grow tiring.
  Ready is himself one of the highbrowed critics who looked down on Tolkien for allowing colloquialisms into his grand work. While he states his fondness for the Don, he winks condescendingly at Tolkien's affection for hobbits and Smeagol's hissing, and admits with an air of reluctance that it is all part of the package, and we must tolerate it. He would lose many devoted Tolkien fans right there.
  Another weakness incomplete sentences.
  In addition, he displays another fault, for which I am, also, most certainly, found guilty as often as not, and can sympathize, that being, terminal comma addiction.
  These faults hardly inspire the academic trust on which his sweeping statements presume.
• Whether you recommend this in general and why.
  I don't recommend this book in general. I read it because historically it was one of the first critical works generally available. I'm glad it wasn't the last.
• Whether you recommend this book for novices and why.
  Definitely not. This book would not encourage an emerging Tolkien scholar to further pursue in-depth analysis.

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 9:07 AM January 05, 2004: Message edited by: mark12_30 ]

[davem]

I like this idea, & wish I felt qualified enough to contribute as well as Mark. I have read a lot of the recent books on Tolkien, & found most of them trivial, unfortunately. Also, as I'm posting from work, I don't have the relevent volumes to hand, so I can't post all the details Mark asked for. But...

One recent favourite though is: Secret Fire: the Spiritual Vision of JRR Tolkien http://www.secondspring.co.uk/fantasy/secretfire.htm

This is a book by a Catholic author which goes deeply into the symbolism of Tolkien's work, but unlike so many similar works, doesn't use it as a way to try & convert anyone. I'd say its the best intro for anyone wanting to know how Tolkien's beliefs were 'translated' into his fiction.

I've just begun reading Matt Dickerson's 'Following Gandalf', & am finding it quite fascinating, but I won't speak too soon!

[mark12_30]

davem, that book looks great. It's not on Amazon USA...

In terms of reviewing, please, just do it. Take the outline and run with it. For one, I don't want to have to be the one doing ALL the reviews! Two, fresh perspectives are a benefit; some of us have been in dusty attics for too long. Three: I don't want a myopic-mark12_30-only thread. (The entire Barrow-Downs produces a collective shudder; the ground rolls, and mortals gasp in revulsion.)

Reviews are all about opinions, so please put yours here.

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 8:59 AM January 05, 2004: Message edited by: mark12_30 ]

[davem]

I will try, with Following Gandalf, when I've finished it. I'm not a very good reviwer - I tend to think a book is good if it provides me with ideas I haven't already thought of, & not good if it doesn't. I'm a bit shallow, I'm afraid!

[mark12_30]

• Title:Tolkien's Ring
• Author:by David Day, Alan Lee (Illustrator)
• Date of Copyright: 2002
• Edition : First. Apparently out of print?
• Summary description of the book's main themes
  What the book provides is a general roadmap of mythologies that a fantasy writer would or should be familiar with. Odds are Tolkien was familiar with most of what is presented in this book, whether he intentionally used it or purposely ignored it.
  In this book David Day takes a broad overview of northern mythology and compares/ contrasts it with Tolkien's trilogy. He looks at rings (everywhere he can find them) and at wizards and old men in pointed hats (Odin, for one) and dragons here and there, enchanted weapons, heroes, and villians. He digs up a lot of myths that may or may not have been in Tolkien's mind when he wrote the trilogy. The myths he peruses run the gamut of being apparently related to Tolkien, to being somewhat similar, to being connected only remotely or not at all.
• Strengths and weaknesses of the book
  Although it's fashionable in Tolkien circles to dislike David Day, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say I liked this book. It provided me with an easy introduction to mythologies that I never investigated (Greek mythology bored and irritated me, so I never went beyond it, and had no concept of what was out there). This book was a fair introduction, simple (some might say simple-minded, and I won't argue). Since I am no expert, I can't vouch for its accuracies. What this book gave me was something to browse and ponder, and decide what mythologies to buy first, and which i could put off for a while.
  Alan Lee's illustrations are wonderful.
• Whether you generally recommend this book and why
  If you already know your northern mythology, no. But if you're as clueless about the various myths as I was, it doesn't seem like a bad place to start. Nice illustrations...
• Whether you specifically recommend it for novices and why.
  I would recommend it as a simple, visually-oriented springboard into What's Out There. However-- you'll have to pick it up secondhand or from the library, since it's out of print (I guess not many other people liked it as much as I did!)

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 12:54 PM January 06, 2004: Message edited by: mark12_30 ]

[mark12_30]

Found another thread:
Speaking of books.....

This threadOther Tolkien Writings contains links to two Tolkien Bibliographies. Handy to have.

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 1:45 PM January 06, 2004: Message edited by: mark12_30 ]

[lindil]

Great thread and very nice reviews Helen!

I had actually [on at least one occasion] encouraged the Barrow Wight to have an entire Forum devoted to reviews of various books about Tolkien/editions of Tolkiens works.

Hopefully this thread will grow so large and unweildy that the need will be undeniable.

I am going on a trip to Fl. soon so I will take my Author of the Century and Tolkien's Legendarium with me and try and work something up.

Again, thanks for the great thread!

[Child of the 7th Age]

Helen,

I do make frequent mention of Flieger's books (Question of Time, and Splintered Light) and also Shippey's Road to Middle Earth, and Author of the Century, but I've never reviewed them at the Downs.

I'm going to put in a plug for J.R.R. Tolkien, Artist and Illustrator, by Wayne G. Hammond and his wife Christina Scull, Houghton Mifflin Company. I am running out the door to carpool so can't do anything now, but will put up a review in the next few days.

Also, I have both the First and Second edition of the Annotated Hobbit, edited by Douglas Anderson, and will put up a compare/contrast description of that (unless someone beats me to it).

I'd like to put in another word for an occasional publication that is put out by Cristina Scull. This is called "The Tolkien Collector."

It only comes out infrequently --once every year or so. But it contains a detailed list of everything published over that period: books by Tolkien; books about Tolkien; even calendars, diaries, CDs, etc. The cost is just $11. It is completely descriptive and doesn't tell you how good or bad something is, but it does give you access to titles that I'm sure you've never heard of, even on Amazon!

Click here to subscribe.

[Child of the 7th Age]

One of the problems that I have in the whole area of Tolkien criticism is that some of these works are very expensive.

I would really appreciate it, for example, if Davem could do a review of JRR Tolkien and His Literary Resonances because none of our libraries here have it, even the academic ones, and the crazy volume costs around $75. At least if Davem reviewed it, I'd know what I was missing!

*******************************************

Is it alright, Helen, if we draw folk's attention to "forthcoming" books on Tolkien? I'm always fascinated with works that view Tolkien from a fresh angle.

Jane Chance teaches medieval English lit at Rice University, and even does an occasional course on Tolkien. I have two of her works in paperback already: Tolkien's Art, A Mythology for England; and, LotR--The Mythology of Power. Now she is editing something that looks more interesting to me: Tolkien the Medievalist, published by Routledge for $95 (THE PRICE - FAINT!). It will contain fifteen essays by leading medieval scholars assessing JRRT's contributions to the field of medieval studies.

Since Rice is a local school for me, I am hoping and assuming that it will eventually be accessible there, even if I can not cough up that much money.

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 3:43 PM January 06, 2004: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[mark12_30]

Is it alright, Helen, if we draw folk's attention to "forthcoming" books on Tolkien? I'm always fascinated with works that view Tolkien from a fresh angle.

Sharon, of course. Just keep your post fairly balanced between the novice-interest-level and the level expected by the 'Coming of Age' clubbers et al.

EDIT: Okay, what I meant was this: Be sure to include whether you think the book suitable for an introduction to Tolkien Criticism or not, and if you want to go into depth way beyond the ooutline, start a new thread for it.

In other words, be sure to clearly answer the last bullet in the outline. If the anwer is "No, this book is not suitable for a Freshman Tolkien Scholar," just say so.

(end EDIT)

As long as the thread remains appealing and navigable for novices I'll be happy. Thanks!

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 7:42 AM January 07, 2004: Message edited by: mark12_30 ]

[piosenniel]

Child -

Am hoping you will do a small review/abstract of the two Jane Chance books you presently have.

Their titles/subject matter intrigues me.

Thanks!

~*~ Pio

[Bêthberry]

Let me second Pio's request for a review from Child of Jane Chance's Tolkien the Medievalist.

Here is an online review by David Bratman of J R R Tolkien and his Literary Resonances. This is a book I would be particularly interested in reading so I will try to find it here, Child.

Also, I can do a review of Pearce's Tolkien: A Celebration since I have a copy.

Helen, I think this thread is a wonderful idea, but I'm a bit confused about why you say you want it for novices.

Novices, to my mind, would be reading the primary sources--Tolkien's major texts (TH, LOTR, TS, then BOLT, UT, HOME, the essays also)--while the resources here are secondary. (This is the traditional distinction in literary studies.)

I would think these secondary resources would be of interest to people who regularly read the Books forum and after reading Tolkien's own work.

Maybe I'm missing something here, but I would think that reviews would be directed to a Books audience rather than a N & N audience--not that there is any question of age or intelligence, just one of familiarity with the sources. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Bethberry

[mark12_30]

Bethberry, it's late and I'm groggy, but I'll try to answer (morning edits may follow.)

I am assuming that this thread will be of interest to novices who have finished the Hobbit and the Trilogy, an are wondering what to read next.

When I was younger I devoured whatever I could get my hands on that had "Tolkien" in the title. There is much more available now, and not all of it would encourage a novice to further persue Tolkien studies. That was the thought behind this:

My intent is to provide Novice Tolkien Enthusiasts (and potential Tolkien scholars) with recommendations for further reading outside the Legendarium itself.

I did say, "outside the legendarium itself."

By and large, experienced readers don't need this thread; most experienced Tolkien enthusiasts can eventually find what we need to find using google, amazon, and a few decent scholarly sites including this one.

But I did not start this thread to make research easier for experts. I started this thread hoping to offer motivated novices (*potential* Tolkien scholars) hope and courage and guidance enough to dive in and get started.

If the experts also benefit from the thread so much the better.

Perhaps I should say it like this: My aim was that this thread be a doorway for novice Tolkien enthusiasts into the books forum and into Tolkien studies in general.

Partly it was inspired by "After the movies, what then?" Someday I'd love to hear from a MarysueNazgirlLeggybopper that she took her first step on the road to a PhD as a result of a thread like this. (Thirty years ago, that fangirl was me.)

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 11:45 PM January 06, 2004: Message edited by: mark12_30 ]

[Child of the 7th Age]

Helen,

I guess I am now thoroughly confused! I thought this thread was for anyone who was interested in discussing books about Tolkien.

I don't mean to tread on toes, but perhaps we need to work this through.

In you first post of January 3 (edited two days later), you mention "Novice Tolkien Enthusiasts (and potential Tolkien scholars)" I interpreted that to mean there would be some folk totally new to Tolkien criticism and others who had just a bit more background, and that we'd all learn from each other.

Like Lindil, I've been hoping for a thread where we could discuss books about Tolkien for a long time. I've sometimes tried to throw out ideas to provoke such a discussion, or more recently responded to things that Davem said, but met with limited success in keeping the thing going. When I saw this thread go up and saw you putting energy into it, I began jumping up and down with glee. So I scraped together a few ideas and came up with two posts.

But, from your cautionary response to my posts on the need to keep the novice squarely in mind, I began thinking that I'd misunderstood the purpose of the thread as a place for all of us to post and respond at whatever level we're at. And I was baffled when I read this:

By and large, experienced readers don't need this thread; most experienced Tolkien enthusiasts can eventually find what we need to find using google, amazon, and a few decent scholarly sites including this one.

But I did not start this thread to make research easier for experts. I started this thread hoping to offer motivated novices (*potential* Tolkien scholars) hope and courage and guidance enough to dive in and get started.

I guess I couldn't disagree with you more. I think we all need a place to discuss books about Tolkien. And, to my frustration, I just haven't seen a lot of that happening on the Downs in the years I've been here.

Moreoever, I have a natural dislike of anything that divides people who love Tolkien into artificial camps like "experts" and "novices". For the life of me, I have no idea who qualfies as an "expert" and who doesn't. There are a lot of people on this site who are one-third my age and who know ten times as much as I do about the characters in Silm. I have as much or more to learn from them as they do from me!

I guess my honest preference is to have this be a thread for everyone, and that the books represented here would run the gamut from general ones with wide appeal to more specialized, scholarly works. When you encouraged Davem, and Esty and Finwe and Lindil (all folk that I consider pretty "expert") to post on a variety of popular and scholarly sources, I thought that was what you wanted too.

So please clarify a bit more once your head gets ungroggy tomorrow morning!

Sharon

********************************************

Bethberry,

Thanks for that link on Literary Resonances. Chance's new book isn't out yet, but I suspect I will finagle a way to get it for my birthday in the spring! Either that or I will slink down to Rice and have a look.

Sharon

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 1:01 AM January 07, 2004: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[Mister Underhill]

I think there's room on the thread for reviews and discussion of all sorts. It's certainly a worthwhile criteria when reviewing to note whether a book is geared more towards casual Tolkien fans or more hardcore Tolkienophiles, but I think that still leaves plenty of room for discussion about these books by novices and experts alike.

For deeper discussion of any particular book, it would probably be better to break off and start a new thread, as has occured, for example, with the book Esty noted (one chapter only, in fact!) and davem's thread regarding Tolkien and the Great War.

I can see why BW has been reluctant to start a whole forum devoted to discussion of books about Tolkien and his work -- I'm not sure if enough people have read enough of the same books to generate that much discussion.

In the meantime, I think there's plenty of room for flexibility here.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

I agree whole-heartedly, Underhill. It’s great that mark12_30 started this thread as a place to post general reviews and opinions on supplementary literature concerning Tolkien and Middle-earth. We haven’t had them gathered in one location up until now. Should anyone wish to start a lengthier discussion about one specific book (or chapter), please post here with a link to the new thread, so that it can be found easily by all who are interested.

[mark12_30]

Perhaps my use of the term "novice" is what has caused the headaches. Simply put: for the definition of this thread a "novice" (i.e. a potential, or perhaps Freshman, Tolkien Scholar) is somebody who is familiar with at least the Trilogy and the Hobbit (perhaps intimidated by the Silmarillion) and interested in but unfamiliar with the common critical works. To over-simplify further: Novice: somebody who's read between zero and five critical works.

Actually, I wondered whether naming this thread after The Monsters and the Critics would be too cryptic for the 'novices' I had in mind. But I also wanted to attract old-timers so we'd get a good selection of reviews. So there it is. Just remember to put the line in the review that indicates to sombebody looking for their first couple of critical works to read, "is this a good starting place or not."

I like Mr. Underhill's idea of branching to another thread for in-depth discussions; good point; that's normal BD etiquette anyway. So: let's write reviews, and please don't neglect that last bullet in the list.

EDIT: I have edited my first post to further define my use of the word "novice". The more I use it the more I like the word "Freshman" instead.

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 9:10 PM January 08, 2004: Message edited by: mark12_30 ]

[zb]

Since child hasn't posted a review of JRRT Artist & Illustrator yet, I'll be presumptuous [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] and offer my own:

• Title: J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist & Illustrator
• Author: Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull
• Date of Copyright: 1995
• Edition: first edition, 1995; my copy, 1998; most recent, 2000.
• Summary description of the book's main themes: This is a collection of Tolkien's artwork from early drafts to final products. It includes illustrations of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion the "Father Christmas Letters", "Roverandom", and "Mr Bliss", as well as early drawings and paintings (of real life), patterns, and an appendix on caligraphy. Hammond and Scull provide a commentary on each of the pictures, including information about how they relate to the text of Tolkien's work and a critique of the illustrations.
• Strengths and weaknesses of the book: The section on "Visions, Myths and Legends" (ie: Silmarillion drawings) I found particularly interesting. The appendix on caligraphy is another strength. The defining feature of this book is, however, the inclusion of earlier drafts and sketches which show how Tolkien's growing vision of ME changed not only the text of his work, but the details of his mental picture.
• Whether you generally recommend this book and why: I certainly do! It's a beautiful book and well worth the wads of cash it sells for. (see my other comments above)
• Whether you specifically recommend it for novices and why: I would. Friends of mine who have little interest in Tolkien have found this book interesting and useful from a purely artistic point of view, and it makes a good lead into serious textual study of Tolkien.

btw: is it acceptable to review a book which has already been reviewed? I'd like to make some further comments about Tolkien's Ring, is all.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Helen,

All that sounds great! The last bullet is a fine idea. Also Underhill's recommendation that we bail out to a separate thread if any of the discussions become too detailed.

********************************************

Zb,

What a great review! I'm impressed. And I agree with your assessment of the book.

I know of no other book that gives this wealth of detail and example reflecting JRRT's artistry: sketches, paintings, doodlings on envelopes and especially on newspapers, the latter of which are quite striking.

Another good thing is that you can still find stray copies of this book in places like Borders as well as on the internet, although the list price for a paperback copy is not cheap--$25.

[mark12_30]

Zb, thank you! Great review. And regarding multiple reviews, of course they are welcome. Please say on!

If a particular book ends up being controversial with dramatically opposing views expressed here, that's the time to open a new thread for it; but we're a long way from that so far!

[mark12_30]

• Title: Tolkien-- A Look Behind The Lord Of The Rings
• Author: Lin Carter
• Date of Copyright: 1969 (before the Sil was released-- before a lot of things were released, actually)
• Edition : First
• Summary description of the book's main themes
  
  "Summary" is right. Most of this book consists of Summaries.
  The first couple of chapters are biographical. There follows a summary (one chapter per book) of The Hobbit and each book of the Trilogy. Then there's one chapter entitled "The Trilogy-- Satire or Allegory?" in which he comes to the conclusion, "Neither." Again, no surprise to us, but in 1969, give him a bit of credit.
  One more chapter discusses Tolkien and his theory of Fairy Stories; he did read the essay.
  Then we get to the meat of the book: The Look Behind. And there is very little Tolkien in it; he is looking at the predecessors and he does give us a thorough look.
  Lin Carter is definitely well-read; his book proves this beyond a shadow of a doubt. It's good for humility-- one learns that there's a lot out there one doesn't know.
  He spends a chapter on the Classical (greek/ roman) epic, with a wave at later midieval imitations or retellings; a chapter on the Chansons De Geste; a chapter on The Medieval Romance; then an introduction to William Morris (Well at the World's End and many others), Lord Dunsany (The King of Elfland's Daughter and many others), E.R. Eddison (The Worm Ouroboros) and a few others. He defines each stage and what it contained that the previous did not. The entire survey was enlightening, informative, but not engrossing. The part I knew the least about was Morris, Eddison and Dunsany.
  Then he ties all this together and shows how Tolkien's work was a culmination of this whole process; also enlightening.
  It seems amusing to us now, but he spends a few more chapters on his delirious joy at discovering the list of dwarven names in the Edda, and rapturously describes his discovery of "Earendel" in various ancient documents; also Frodo's name and Gandalf's name, found in other manuscripts. What is now common knowledge he dredged up by himself via his own research. Again, one has to give him credit for being quite well-read.
  
• Strengths and weaknesses of the book: Because of its very early release, there is not much in this book to surprise anyone who has the least understanding of Tolkien these days. I read it for the historical value (I'm interested in seeing how critical works unfolded over time.) He makes some educated guesses concerning what might be revealed by the (future) publishing of The Silmarillion that are rather interesting. For the 2004 Tolkien fan, this book contains only one thing which may or may not be revelatory depending on your background: Carter's view of how the epic quest, epic war, the Chansons de Geste, the midieval romances, and the Heroic Fantasy novels all funnel into LotR (which is interesting.) Other than that, this book is of historical interest only. (The King of Elfland's Daughter is now on my reading list thanks to Carter.)
  
• Whether you generally recommend this book and why: Maybe, depending on the readers' background. See strengths and Weaknesses above.
• Whether you specifically recommend it for novices and why. Definitely not. The worthwhile contents can be found with less effort elsewhere.

[mark12_30]

Yé! utúvienyes! "I have found it!"

Okay, for the rest of you maybe it was never lost.

When I was in high school ('75-'79) I remember being puzzled and nonplussed by Ready's cold dismissal of Aragorn as overly noble and therefore uninteresting. Then I was absolutely elated when-- somebody, some critic, some wonderful good-guy-Tolkien-fan-- found Aragorn as interesting and admirable as I did. That critic proceeded to open up Aragorn's character in ways I had not begun to conceive. I've often wished to find that chapter again, and it's one reason I've been combing thru the old critics (not the only reason.)

Well, it was Paul H. Kocher. The book is called "Master of Middle-Earth", copyright 1972. It's fascinating reading, and Kocher is easy to warm up to; Kocher is willing to give Tolkien slack on numerous issues that he sees as probable contradictions-- when in fact, those who have read the Sil (LUCKY US!!) know that Tolkien had long ago figured all that stuff out. I think Kocher would have been tickled pink. (Maybe he is.)

A review will follow when I'm done enjoying this charming old book.

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 11:41 AM January 14, 2004: Message edited by: mark12_30 ]

[mark12_30]

• Title: Master of Middle-Earth
• Author: Paul H. Kocher
• Date of Copyright: 1972 (pre-Silmarillion)
• Edition: First
• Summary description of the book's main themes: Kocher's gentle enthusiasm is infectious, and few negative notes are heard. Everywhere Kocher looks within Tolkien's works, he finds depth and wonder, and happily shares it.
  Chapter titles:
  I. Middle-Earth: An Imaginary World? Kocher discusses the weaving of the familiar with the fabulous in such a way that the fabulous becomes acceptable, throughout the Hobbit, the Lord of the Rings.
  II. The Hobbit is a discussion of the difference in tone and structure between The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, and the difficulties in treating the Hobbit as the Prologue.
  III. Cosmic Order. From careful study of the appendices (and without Silmarillion's Ainulindale) Kocher presents a fascinating analysis of fate, doom, destiny, guidance, and outside influence.
  IV. Sauron and the Nature of Evil: contrasting free will and dominance.
  V. The Free Peoples: a cultural study of Treebeard's List.
  VI. Aragorn: An in-depth and heartfelt analysis of the motivations, struggles, trials, and virtues of Strider. This chapter is the reason I began combing through the older critical works. I remember reading it nearly three decades ago, and being astonished that so much could be discerned about a man so many consider mysterious and puzzling. I treasure this chapter.
  VII. Seven Leaves: a lovely critical visit to seven of Tolkien's minor works. Treated here are "The Lay of Aotrou And Itroun", "Imram", "The Homecoming of Beorhthnoth", "Leaf by Niggle", "Farmer Giles of Ham", "Smith of Wootton Major", and "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil". He treats each peice insightfully down to individual poems in "Bombadil".
• Strengths and weaknesses of the book: It was published pre-silmarillion, and so is missing much that Kocher would no doubt have found helpful; but I find this book wonderful despite that.
• Whether you generally recommend this book and why: The final two chapters especially, yes. Generally, even though Kocher wrote Pre-Sil, he is insightful and thorough.
• Whether you specifically recommend it for novices and why: That depends. Even though it lacks the balance of the Silmarillion in its analysis, I think it was remarkably insightful for its day. For someone who has loved the Trilogy but hasn't yet been able to make it through the Silmarillion, I might recommend this book as an introduction to critical analysis. I find Kocher very easy to enjoy.

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 8:24 AM January 26, 2004: Message edited by: mark12_30 ]

[davem]

Title: Tolkien's Legendarium: Essays on the History of Middle Earth
Authors: Numerous, edited by Verlyn Flieger & Carl F Hostetter.
Date of Copyright: 2000
First Edition

Summary of contents:
Basically, this is a collection of 14 essays on the History of Middle Earth series, edited by Christopher Tolkien. It s edited by Verlyn Flieger & Carl F. Hosteter, who both contribute essays. Flieger has stated that they had originally thought of calling it a ‘Festschrift’, but decided that such a title might put off some potential readers! It is divided into 14 essays, plus a bibliography of Christopher Tolkien’s published work - useful for those who think the only thing he has given us is those of his father’s writings which were unpublished at the time of his death. How many people knew that he has edited & translated The Saga of King Heidrek the Wise?

The volume itself is divided into three sections: The History (5 essays); The Languages (3 essays);& The Cauldron & the Cook (6 essays).

1:Early days of elder Days by Rayner Unwin. This is a first hand account of the publishing history of the postumous writings, & gives us a real insight into the practicalities of the venture. Unwin tells us that when Tolkien first offered some parts of the ‘History’, the Silmarillion as it was then unfolding, it was turned down flat, The Lost Road in particular being described as ‘a hopeless proposition’ , a view which we know Tolkien hiimself was to come to agree with, but which proved to have inspired the later Notion Club Papers, an altogether more accomplished work, & one which along with Of Tuor & his coming to Gondolin is sadly incomplete.
After the success of The Lord of the rings, however, the publishers interest in these legends of the Elder days suddenly grew intense. Unwin writes ‘Within a year or two of the publication of The Lord of the Rings, as I well know, it was not for lack of urging that ‘The Silmarillion’ failed to be published. I was shown from time to time the serried ranks of box files that contained, as I was told, like beads without a string, the raw material of ‘The Silmarillion’, & tried to be encouraging. But by then it was too late.’

He goes on to tell us thatafter Unfinished Tales he ‘did not believe that more would come from the box files via the literary executor’’, but that he was ‘quite wrong’. Christopher believed that a true vision of Middle Earth was incomplete if the ‘serious pilgrim could not be guided along all the paths’.A profit sharing agreement was made & the rest is history (or ‘History’)

2: The development of Tolkien’s Legendarium by Christina Scull. This is a fascinating essay on the development of the mythology, useful especially for the concise insight it gives into the way Tolkien worked & the way the tales ‘grew in the telling’.

3: A continuing & growing creation by Wayne G Hammond. In short, an analysis of how Tolkien couldn’t leave his creation alone, & kept returning to it, changing it, right up to the end of his life. As Hammond states ‘Tolkien’s difficulty, which increased as the years passed, was that he was pulled in two directions by competing forces:by mythology on one side, & by History & Science on the other. ...These are difficult forces to assimilate without conflict.’ A good point for those who demand complete consistency throughout Tolkien’s writings.

4: On the Consruction of ‘The Silmarillion’ by Charles Noad. Noad is a recognised expert of tolkien’s work, & has proof read many of the volumes of HoME. What Noad attempts to do is construct ‘The Silmarillion’ which he feels Tolkien would have given us if he had been able to complete it. He gives a well reasoned argument, & finally comes up with:

Quenta Silmarillion
Concerning the Powers:
Ainulindale
Valaquenta
The Great Tales:
The Lay of Leithian
Narn i Chin Hurin
The Fall of Gondolin
Earendil the Wanderer
The Later Tales:
Akallabeth
Of the Rings of Power
Appendices:
The Tale of Years
Of the Laws & Customs among the Eldar
Dangweth Pengolod
Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth
Quendi & Eldar

5: The Literary Value of the History of Middle Earth by David Bratman. Bratman looks at HoME as literature & asks if it is worth reading for itself, rather than as simply a mine for interesting background information. As he states ‘The History of Middle Earth was not designed by its editor for casual reading, & only scattered parts of it have the potential for the kind of widespread popularity that came to the Hobbit & the Lord of the Rings. but there is much of it that can be read as straightforward narrative, ignoring the textual notes , by a reader with a sympathetic attitude towards the author’s & editor’s intent’. He goes on to refer readers to specific parts of HoME which might appeal, for instance:’Readers who, Like Sam Gamgee, want to hear more about Elves...should read the Silmarillion...& follow it with The Book f Lost Tales..’ & Readers who like Tolkien’s poetry for its own sake should definitely read The Lays of Beleriand’.

The second section, The Languages, is quite difficult for anyone like myself who struggles with complexities of Tolkien’s languages.

6: Gnomish is Sindarin: the conceptual evolution of an Elvish Language by Christopher Gilson is an examination of the way the Gnomish of the Lost Tales develops into Sindarin.

7:Certhas, Skirditalia, Futhark: A feigned history of Runic origins by Arden R Smith. this essay purports to show how the Cirth developed into the Norse Runes.

8: Three Elvish Verse Modes: Ann Thennath, Minlamad thent/estent, & Linnod by Patrick Wynne & Carl F Hostetter. Taking as their starting point Tolkien’s statement that the chief criterion by which one could measure the success of an ‘art language’ was the ability to use it to write poetry, the authors examine elvish verse forms. Ann-Thennath is the form in which the original Lay of Luthien, which Strider sings to the Hobbits was composed. Minlamad Thent/estent was the metre used in the composition of the Narn. An example of Linnod can be found in Gilraen’s prediction of her impending death, ‘Onen i-Estel Edain, u-chebin estel anim’.

9: Tolkien’s Lyric Poetry by Joe R Christopher. Christopher examines Tolkien’s lyric verse, beginng with Kor, through the Lay of Luthien & the Death of St Brendan to such works as Winter comes to Nargothrond.

10: Some of Tolkien’s Narrators by Paul Edmund Thomas. An analysis of the way Tolkien uses the narrative voice to conceal & reveal, offer opinions & judgements. He shows how the narrative voice cahnges through out the writing of the early drafts of LotR, showing how the narrative voice of the first draft is similar in some ways to that of the Hobbit, but subtly different in others.

11: The Footsteps of Aelfwine by Verlyn Flieger. Flieger examines the role & significance of the ‘Elf-Friend throughout Tolkien’s fiction, showing that it means, or at least came to mean, something far more than merely someone who is friendly to Elves. She points out that the greatest ‘Elf-friend’ is Tolkien himself, ‘For of course the ultimate, the overarching Elf-friend is Tolkien, no other. He is the bridge between the worlds. The foootsteps of Aelfwine, sometimes faint, sometimes clear, are Tolkien’s footsteps...His footsteps lead us as readers from character to character, from story to story, to a fuller understanding of the world of his imagination, & to a deeper understanding of the man himself’.

12: The Lost Road, The Dark Tower, & The Notion club Papers: Tolkien & Lewis’s Time Travel Triad by John d Rateliff. Most of us know that Tolkien began The Lost Road as a result of a bet with CS Lewis - Lewis would write a space travel story, while tolkien would deal with the theme of time travel. As Flieger has shown in her book, A Question of Time, Concepts of time, of how past & future interact & consciousness can be free to move between past, present & future, the relativity of time & conciousness were all ideas that played a major part in tolkien’s thinking.

13:Gandalf & Odin by Marjorie Burns.An exanination of the way Tolkien used the figure of Odin. She finds that Tolkien has somewhat Christianised the mysterious wander of Norse myth, atributing his positive qualities to Gandalf, notably his wisdom, but some of his ‘darker’ aspects get passed on to Saruman & Wormtongue among others. She also notes that just as Odin has Eagles to bring him news of the world outside, Odin Has Ravens, but this is perhaps due to the ‘negative’ connotations that the Raven has developed.

14: Turin’s Ofermod by Richard C West. Ofermod is an anglo-saxon word, for haughtiness, over-weening pride. Tolkien relates it in his Homecoming of Beortnoth to the behaviour of this leader, giving a ‘fair chance’ to the invading Vikings, who far outnumbered the English defenders & resulted in slaughter of the defenders. Tolikien didn’t approve, seeing it as a Pagan attitude, one more thing inwhich Christianity had taught us to know better. As an aside, it was pointed out by Jean Chausse in a talk he gave at last year’s Oxonmoot, that Turin & Boromir are the only two of Tolkien’s major heroes who actually go out to seek glory in battle, & both come to bad ends, Boromir only managing a last minute act of redemption, & Turin’s final victory over Morgoth floating in & out of Tolkien’s plans.

Strengths & Weaknesses: Strengths - too many to mention. this is one of the great collections of essays on Tolkien, worth reading at least once, but would repay numerous re-readings. Weaknesses: well as the titale says, the essays focus on HoME, & only those who have read the series willl really get full value from it - though, having said that, I got hold of it before reading HoMe & it inspired me to go out & buy the set!

I would generally recommend the book to those who have read HoMe, or as a primer for those who are intending to make the assault!

Would I specifically recommend it for novices? No, it is only for the commited, or those who intend to be commited (& to be honest, taking the price into acccount, commitment is required to purchase it!).

[Estelyn Telcontar]

I summarized another chapter of The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy here and started a discussion on it. Welcome to all who join in!

[Estelyn Telcontar]

· Title – Meditations on Middle-Earth

· Editor – Karen Haber (17 different authors)

· Date of Copyright - 2003

· Edition – first

· This book is a collection of essays by various authors, telling how Tolkien and his books influenced them and their writing and/or touching on various aspects of his works. Some of the authors are now famous themselves – Terry Pratchett and Ursula LeGuin are names that every fantasy fan knows, for example.

· The strength of this book is the variety – each chapter is different and interestingly written, many with a good portion of humour. I found many of them to be great “teasers” that got me interested in reading more by the authors. A weakness could be the fact that these are not in-depth critical studies, and not every chapter is equally interesting for everyone, but that is a minor weakness that applies only to those looking for a more scholarly work.

· I do recommend this book as enjoyable reading. Some chapters amused me, some touched and moved me, some were eye-openers. More than that, they made me want to go pick up my LotR and read the story again to recapture the magic that these writers share with us.

· Yes, I recommend this book for novices – it’s fun to read, with short chapters written in a very personal style, not at all dry and academic.


PS - Come to think of it, there is one weakness of the book that occurs to me - its title! It sounds like it could be another of those devotional books based on LotR and is actually something completely different.

[lindil]

• Title: Author of the Century
• Author: Tom Shippey
• Date of Copyright: 2000
• Edition: First Paperback Edition 2002
• Summary description of the book's main themes: In the earlier part of the book Shippey rather charmingly turns Tolkien and the English language back on JRRT's critics and essentially chews em up and spits em out. He then turns his Oxford Profs eye to the most multi-leveled and fascinating study ofthe 3 big books of the common-mans Tolkien Canon [Hobbit, LotR and Silm] you may ever come across. A serious tour deforce. I think even JRRT would have given it a pleasent guffaw. Which I doubt would happen to often in this age of Tolkienglutomania. to . From the back [from the backcover - and I agree wholeheartedly]:

  The core of the Book examines The lord of the Rings as a linguistic and cultural map and as a response to the meaning of myth. It presents a [sic.] unique argument to explain the nature of evil and also gives the the reader a compelling insight into the unparalled level of skill necessary to construct such a rich and complex story. ... and shows the fundamental importance of the Silmarillion to the canon of Tolkien's Work

• Chapter titles:
• Foreward: Author of the Century
  
  
  
  I. The Hobbit: Re-inventing Middle-Earth
  
  
  
  II. The LotR (1): Mapping out a plot
  
  
  
  III. The LotR (2): concepts of Evil

IV.The LotR (3): THe Mythic Dimension

• V. The Silmarillion: The Work of his heart
  
  
  
  VI. Shorter Works: Doubts, Fears Autobiographies

Afterword: The Followers and the Critics

• Strengths and weaknesses of the book:

+'s This book is possibly the single most fascinating and sympathetic guide or better yet, exploration of the interfacing of JRRT's world, heart and soul, with that of the scholarly world that preceded him [and that JRRT lived and breathed in], and hitherto, has been the hidden domain of layfolk, however well read.

-'s Like The Silmarillion, Unfinshed Takles and the History of Middle-Earth, there is no question as to whether you should read them, just when. It is truly essential reading but I think for someone who has read the books a few times and needs to, maybe be slightly re-awakened in the awe at JRRT.
Also, you better love linguistic minutae and detritus. The ground is thick with it, but there is so much more.

• Whether you generally recommend this book and why:

Absolutely, with the caveat above. ***** stars [out of 5]

• Whether you specifically recommend it for novices and why:

Nope, already covered above.

~~~~~~~~~~

Finally I will close with another peice of back cover material . This time from the Houston Chronicle itself:

Shippey's highly erudite celebration and exploration of Tolkien's work [is] enormous fun...[he] deepens your understanding of the work without making you forget your initial, purely insinctive response to Middle-earth and hobbits.

Well I was always an Elf-lover, but that aside. Shippey manages to all but bow down before the professor, with a knowing concious humility, but doing it with incredible skill and grace himself and at the same time, explore with a wanderlust through what must have become the nearly private domain [for an English speaker anyway], the Northern European and Biblical stories. In their own languages [and the liturgical language of the Roman Catholics]

It is no wonder to learn that at both Leads and Oxford[!] Shippey took Tolkiens same professorships, and even taught his curriculum for a bit [at Oxford I believe].

It is one of a handful of critical works on JRRT that I would take to a desert island if I could have a20 or so books on the Legendarioum and the Prof. [Not counting my other interests, that is.]


Out of all of the things to appear in the 'years of the movie' and leading up to it. Shippey's books are at the top of the list excepting only the few things in Vinyar Tengwar penned by JRRT himself.

One further note about suggested reading before Shippey.

Tolkien: a Biography and The Letters, These especially will open you up to the depth and breadth that is Tolkien's communications [and life].


---------------------------------------
I hope to add more to the chapter sections after a another read.3/30/04

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Thanks for reviewing that wonderful book, lindil! I read it a year or two ago and very much enjoyed it. As a fan of the "minor works", I especially liked his chapter discussing them, most notably the "autobiographical allegories." I agree, this book is well worth reading for anyone interested in background information to Tolkien's works.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

During my recent vacation, I read an old Tolkien biography that I found on my brother’s bookshelf and talked him into letting me keep. I suppose it could be called obsolete, since it dates back to 1976 and the author did not have access to information and documents because the family did not support nor cooperate with him. It was written before Humphrey’s official biography, which appeared one year later. Here’s a brief summary of the book.

• Title – J.R.R.Tolkien – Architect of Middle Earth
• Author – Daniel Grotta-Kurska
• Publisher – Warner Books
• Date of Copyright – 1976
• Edition – first (and presumably only)
  
• Summary description of the book's main themes – Each chapter of this biography deals with a period of JRRT’s life, from “The Young Lad” to “The Recluse”.
  
• Strengths and weaknesses of the book – Since the author had to rely on what research he was able to do, largely on his own, he presents a different view of Tolkien than the official biography. Writing as an American, primarily for Americans, he explains a lot of socio-cultural background which is often unfamiliar to those readers, for example the British school/university system. That is the book’s greatest strength, as I see it. He also draws his own conclusions and deductions from the information available to him, making plain by the way he states them that they are his own ideas. This is both strength and weakness, since some of his conclusions are later proved wrong from Tolkien’s documents/letters. The unofficial status of the book is a weakness as well; several passages of it had to be deleted for legal reasons. (Reading the notice of that fact made me all the more curious about what might have been there!)
  
• Whether you generally recommend this book and why – This is no substitute for Carpenter’s biography and is most likely no longer available, since I have not heard of it elsewhere. For completists who come across it and enjoy tidbits of additional information after reading Carpenter’s biography, it’s worth it.
  
• Whether you specifically recommend it for novices and why – Beginners who want a Tolkien biography should start with Carpenter’s official one, since he had access to the Tolkien family, papers, and letters.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Esty,

You may be surprised to learn that this book is around and widely available. There was a second copyright granted in 1978, and another in 1992, the year that I bought a hardback copy. Amazon is still selling paperback editions dated 2002. Used copies are available online for as little as $.15, which perhaps says something about the lack of demand for this volume.

Like you, I have reservations about this book. I also get the sense that the author may have added some material in the later editions that is even more critical of the author and the estate. (I don't have a 1976 copy so I can't tell for sure.) In places, the author's treatment of JRRT seems heavy handed. Let me set down a few quotes from the prologue:

Tolkien had a strong fear of being interrupted. The slightest unexpected intrusion upon or derivation from his prearranged daily schedule had an immediately detrimental effect upon his writing. And Tolkien was lazy. His total literary output over a period of more than five years was surprisingly small. Tolkien was a disorganized writer, an incorrigible procrastinator,a slow worker and one who created his own distractions....

Conversing with Tolkien was a demanding task because it was often very difficult to understand exactly what he was saying. He spoke in a soft, low-pitched, rapid voice, not bothering to enunciate or articulate clearly. Tolkien mumbled constantly, his speech often seemed garbled to even his most attentive listeners, and he unconsciously upset friends because they could never tell whether he was telling a joke or cursing under his breath......

He was also bad at telling jokes and stories because he invariably muffled the punch line (or never even got to it), swallowed his words, or laughed heartily in the middle.....

I don't doubt that some of these criticisms apply to Tolkien, but Grotta handles the material with little sympathy or finesse.

In a preface added in 1992, Grotta disparages Christopher Tolkien who "has now developed something of a cottage industry in editing and rewriting his father's fragments for publication." He also speaks disparagingly of Tolkien's "lack of domestic equilibrium" without further explanation. I read somewhere that those were the sections excised from the book. Hints of Grotta's feelings still remain. Edith is described as someone who was jealous of her husband's male friends and who used migrained headaches as an excuse for avoiding unwanted social contact; there are few positive comments to counterbalance these.

I can understand that the estate felt uncomfortable with this and did not grant the author access to Tolkien's personal papers. I do agree that the author does a good job explaining the socio-cultural background and that this is helpful for the American reader, but overall I can't recommend it.

~Child

[mark12_30]

I also read Grotta. A quick note: essentially, I concur with much that you've said, Esty and Child. The one thing that really does stand out in my mind is his Bombadil theory. Did that strike either of you? Has it been discussed elsewhere? Is it worth a new thread?

[Lalwendë]

I'm not much of a 'bumper' but I thought this thread was particularly worth bumping up, with letters to be written to Father Christmas and all. It's certainly given me one or two ideas. And maybe there are some new recommended works which 'Downers might be willing to write a little about.

[The Saucepan Man]

This isn't a review, but Mrs Saucepan came across a review of a book called The Science of Middle Earth by Henry Gee in the Fortean Times. I couldn't find that review, but here is another from Popular Science:

The Science of Middle Earth

It looks interesting, mainly because it addresses many of the topics that come up frequently here at the Downs. Apparently, it even has sections on Orcish reproduction and Balrog's wings.

I am thinking of ordering a copy. Has anyone else read it? If so, is it worth getting?

[Lalwendë]

I bought this at the weekend, and though I've not yet had chance to read it properly, I've skimmed through and it looked interesting. There was a chapter on exactly why Legolas could discern not only the Rohirrim at a distance but could make out details - this all seemed to be explained thoughtfully and even included equations (which made me think "I'll read that when I get home and am less tired" ).