Tolkien the illustrated encyclopedia

by David Day

Paper Book, 1991

Status

Available

Call number

HN 8405 D273

Genres

Reference

Fantasy

Collection

Breitenbach

Publication

Toronto Maxwell Macmillan Canada

Description

An encyclopedic illustrated guide to the world of Middle-earth and the Undying Lands, this book brings together every important aspect of Tolkien's vast anthology.

User reviews

LibraryThing member benjamin.duffy

Pro: the art. The book is absolutely loaded with illustrations, and each of the half dozen or so artists has an extremely distinct style, ranging from etching to watercolor. It's an amazingly beautiful collection.

Con: the accuracy. The book is almost as loaded with errors as it is with pictures,

including boneheaded stuff like mislabeling a picture of Merry as Pippin and vice versa - in other words, things that reflect a fault not in research, but in editing.

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LibraryThing member slaveofOne

Good reference material for reading (or re-reading) Tolkien's Middle-Earth masterpieces--especially for those unfamiliar with "The Silmarillion". Rather uninspiring drawings and artwork, however.

LibraryThing member LisaStens

Not always particularly accurate but the pictures are worth the price of the book. There are all kinds of pictures from all kinds of artists.

LibraryThing member ed.pendragon

This is a work that attempts to live up to its title: it includes an introduction to Tolkien's published works (not just related to MiddleEarth), then rushes straight into chapters on history, geography, peoples and nations, natural history and a Who's Who in Middle Earth, finally ending with

indices. Because David Day doesn't limit himself to The Hobbit and LOTR, there are charts and maps that help to place the War of the Ring in context, and the whole is profusely illustrated by nearly a score of artists. I can't comment on the accuracy of all of the information -- much of it seems to be authoritative -- but the quality of the illustrations is variable: of the principal illustrators Ivan Allen, Rachel Chilton, Lidia Postma and Sally Davies are outstanding, while Andrew Mockett is a mere doodler and I can take or leave the rest.

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