Publication History |
David Day’s “A-Z of Tolkien” is more than a simple reference companion for
JRR Tolkien’s world of Middle-Earth. It is an act of devotion.
Tolkien, as the Introduction explains, created the worlds of Middle-Earth and
the Undying Lands as a gift to England. Essentially, he was determined to
create for Great Britain the kind of rich mythology that other countries and
cultures had and then set his stories within these worlds. As Day writes, “The
enormity of this undertaking is staggering. I would be as if Homer, before
writing the ‘Iliad’ and ‘Odyssey,’ had first to invent the whole of Greek
mythology and history.”
Day draws from all of Tolkien’s Middle-Earth works, not just “The Lord of the
Rings,” but from “The Hobbit,” “The Silmarillion,” and others. From Tolkien’s
work, Day compiled this encyclopedic guide of the people, places, events,
creatures, and even plants. Entries range in length from a short paragraph to
nearly two pages. Day’s work is not as dry as many of these kinds of guides.
Each is eloquently written and many read like great works of short fiction in
their own right.
The very scope of the work makes its flaws that much more surprising. For
example although the Ent Treebeard’s wife has an entry (“Wandlimb”) as do
what seems like the entire Dwarven royal line, there is no entry for “Smeagol,”
the infamous Gollum’s given name. Several other names were not cross-
referenced, although an index helps to make up for these flaws (“Smeagol
Gollum” does appear in the Index, referring the reader to the entry on Gollum).
The black and white illustrations were contributed by six different artists,
creating a nice diversity in styles. Covering a wide variety of subjects, the
illustrations capture everything from simple mischievousness, to mystery and
honor, to some of the terrifying monsters lurking in the dark places of Middle-
Earth. Interestingly, the sketches are still relevant and current, even in this
world of Peter Jackson’s cinematic adaptation of “The Lord of the Rings”—
testament to the clarity of Tolkien’s vision and prose. I would have liked even
more illustrations.
“A-Z of Tolkien” has to potential to add substantially to a reader’s appreciation
of Tolkien’s works, whether using the guide as a reference while reading the
Middle-Earth stories (“The Silmarillion” in particular can be a dense read) or as
a “coffee-table” book to pass the time. In either case, one cannot look at Day’s
guide without being, once again, astounded at Tolkien’s accomplishment of
creating such a complex, rich, and real world and Day’s achievement in
chronicling it.
I rate “A-Z of Tolkien” a 9 out of 10.
JRR Tolkien’s world of Middle-Earth. It is an act of devotion.
Tolkien, as the Introduction explains, created the worlds of Middle-Earth and
the Undying Lands as a gift to England. Essentially, he was determined to
create for Great Britain the kind of rich mythology that other countries and
cultures had and then set his stories within these worlds. As Day writes, “The
enormity of this undertaking is staggering. I would be as if Homer, before
writing the ‘Iliad’ and ‘Odyssey,’ had first to invent the whole of Greek
mythology and history.”
Day draws from all of Tolkien’s Middle-Earth works, not just “The Lord of the
Rings,” but from “The Hobbit,” “The Silmarillion,” and others. From Tolkien’s
work, Day compiled this encyclopedic guide of the people, places, events,
creatures, and even plants. Entries range in length from a short paragraph to
nearly two pages. Day’s work is not as dry as many of these kinds of guides.
Each is eloquently written and many read like great works of short fiction in
their own right.
The very scope of the work makes its flaws that much more surprising. For
example although the Ent Treebeard’s wife has an entry (“Wandlimb”) as do
what seems like the entire Dwarven royal line, there is no entry for “Smeagol,”
the infamous Gollum’s given name. Several other names were not cross-
referenced, although an index helps to make up for these flaws (“Smeagol
Gollum” does appear in the Index, referring the reader to the entry on Gollum).
The black and white illustrations were contributed by six different artists,
creating a nice diversity in styles. Covering a wide variety of subjects, the
illustrations capture everything from simple mischievousness, to mystery and
honor, to some of the terrifying monsters lurking in the dark places of Middle-
Earth. Interestingly, the sketches are still relevant and current, even in this
world of Peter Jackson’s cinematic adaptation of “The Lord of the Rings”—
testament to the clarity of Tolkien’s vision and prose. I would have liked even
more illustrations.
“A-Z of Tolkien” has to potential to add substantially to a reader’s appreciation
of Tolkien’s works, whether using the guide as a reference while reading the
Middle-Earth stories (“The Silmarillion” in particular can be a dense read) or as
a “coffee-table” book to pass the time. In either case, one cannot look at Day’s
guide without being, once again, astounded at Tolkien’s accomplishment of
creating such a complex, rich, and real world and Day’s achievement in
chronicling it.
I rate “A-Z of Tolkien” a 9 out of 10.
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| A-Z of Tolkien (David Day) By SC Bryce |
First Printing:
FantasyBookSpot.com (Apr. 11, 2006).
FantasyBookSpot.com (Apr. 11, 2006).
Second Printing:
SCBryce.com (Dec. 22, 2006).
SCBryce.com (Dec. 22, 2006).
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