The J. R. R. Tolkien Handbook: A Concise Guide to His Life, Writings, and World of Middle-Earth

J. R. R. Tolkien created an entire fantasy world-complete with its own history, languages, geography, and literature. Readers are quickly caught up in orcs and hobbits, ents, elvin lords, and hundreds of other fascinating and often complex characters who inhabit this magical place. But what are readers to do when they can't remember who Amras was, where in Middle-earth Caras Galadon can be found, or what one might expect to see in the Halls of Mandos? They can open their copy of the J. R. R. Tolkien Handbook. This helpful guide presents all the key characters, places, and things of importance in Tolkien's writings in dictionary format. It also contains details about Tolkien's friends and colleagues, the writers and thinkers who influenced his work, summaries of his beliefs and how they are revealed in his writing, and a handy list of Tolkien's works. Asterisks within articles show other references, allowing readers and students to follow themes that capture their interest and discover more on how Tolkien's life and writing interweave. Tolkien fans, especially those newly introduced to his work by the Lord of the Rings movies, will find this handbook extremely useful for probing the depths of a thoughtful man and his intricate books.

Compiler Colin Duriez has written and lectured extensively on Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings. The author of The C.S. Lewis Encyclopedia and coauthor of The Inklings Handbook, Duriez lives in Leicester, England.