Tolkien's World from A to Z: The Complete Guide to Middle-Earth
by Robert Foster

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Book Reviews of Tolkien's World from A to Z: The Complete Guide to Middle-Earth

Book Review: Invaluable
Summary: 5 Stars

From A to Z ("Abyss" to "Zirakzigil"), Foster carefully includes entries from the LOTR trilogy, the Silmarillion, the Hobbit, and lots of other books by Tolkien. He carefully includes dates, when people were born and died, translated names (Legolas's is "Greenleaf," Tom Bombadil's is "Old--without father"), and what language those names are in. For the sake of clarity, he also includes a timeline up until Elrond was born, and then several of Tolkien's created family trees. (Who was Elrond's great-grandpa?)

If you simply can't remember something -- like Aragorn's many and varied names, what Gandalf is, what the Elvish name for hobbits is -- then this can refresh your memory. While there are a few inevitable errors, Foster is exceedingly careful and faithful to Tolkien's work. If it's set down in here, you can bet that it's correct. The one slightly distracting aspect of this book is that the characters with two names are listed by their given name, not family name. So Frodo Baggins is listed under F, not B; Sam Gamgee is under S, not G.

So if you're a fan of the books, just getting into them, or even have only seen the movies and want to understand Middle-Earth a little better, you should definitely check out "Complete Guide to Middle-Earth." For anyone who enjoys Tolkien's work, it's a keeper.

Summary of Tolkien's World from A to Z: The Complete Guide to Middle-Earth

Mythology Books

• Books > Subjects > Literature & Fiction > World Literature
• British
• Education & Reference
• Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Epic
• Science Fiction > History & Criticism