Reviews for The J. R. R. Tolkien companion & guide

The average rating for The J. R. R. Tolkien companion & guide based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-02-20 00:00:00 Joel Puffe I was surprised how much I liked the Chronology--and I say this as a rather hardcore Tolkien would-be academic. It is quite dry, about as interesting as Appendix B "The Tale of the Years" in The Lord of the Rings, which makes sense since this is basically the same thing. That should have been my first warning--I love the Tale of the Years. The Chronology was littered with little references and quotations I'd never seen before and did a lot to illuminate Tolkien the Professional, who has tended to lurk behind his authorial self. Partly because of its direct, non-commenting tone, it moves forward inexorably, and in the later stretches especially I had a real sense of Tolkien the Person, and in this respect it was quite moving. Obviously, it's not a book for everyone, but it's a beautiful read for the right people.

Review # 2 was written on 2009-03-30 00:00:00 Ricky Arts Like any Chronology, this volume is for fanatics. If you wish to know what lecture Tolkien gave on 17 July 1961, or what correspondence he engaged in on 8 Nov. 1959, this is the book for you! It works well with Carpenter's Biography to give an interesting snapshot of the life of the man. Very interesting.