The Art of the Lord of the Rings J. R. R. Tolkien 9780008601416

A sumptuous full-colour art book containing the complete collection of almost 200 sketches, drawings, paintings and maps created by J.R.R. Tolkien for The Lord of the Rings.

As he wrote The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien's mental pictures often found expression in drawing, from rough sketches made within the manuscript to more finished illustrations. Only a few of these were meant for publication; most were aids to help Tolkien conceive his complex story and keep it consistent. Many do not illustrate the final text, but represent moments of creation, illuminating Tolkien's process of writing and design. In addition to pictorial sketches, numerous maps follow the development of the Shire and the larger landscape of Middle-earth, while inscriptions in runes and Elvish script, and 'facsimile' leaves from the burned and blood-stained Book of Mazarbul, support Tolkien's pose as an 'editor' or 'translator' of ancient records.

The Art of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien collects these drawings, inscriptions, maps, and plans in one volume. More than 180 images are included, all of them printed in colour from high-quality scans and photographs. Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull, two of the world's leading Tolkien scholars, have edited the book and provide an expert introduction and comments. Readers who have enjoyed The Art of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, with which the book is uniform, will find much of interest also in The Art of The Lord of the Rings.

J.R.R.Tolkien (1892-1973) was a distinguished academic, though he is best known for writing The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and The Children of Hurin, plus other stories and essays. His books have been translated into over 50 languages and have sold many millions of copies worldwide.

Wayne G. Hammond is a librarian at the Chapin Library of Rare Books at Williams College, Massachusetts. Christina Scull is the former librarian of Sir John Soane's Museum, London. As well as publishing books in their own names, together they have written 'J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator', The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion' and the two-volume 'J.R.R.Tolkien Companion and Guide'.

'How, given little over half a century of work, did one man become the creative equivalent of a people?'
THE GUARDIAN

'Demanding to be compared with English mythologies... at times rises to the greatness of true myth'
FINANCIAL TIMES

'A creation of singular beauty... magnificent in its best moments'
WASHINGTON POST