The Complete Guide to Middle-earth: The Definitive Guide to the World of J.R.R. Tolkien Robert Foster 9780008537821

First ever deluxe, slipcased edition of the peerless A-Z guide to the names, places and events in the world of J.R.R. Tolkien, fully illustrated in colour throughout by acclaimed Tolkien artist, Ted Nasmith, and featuring an exclusive colour foldout poster.

J.R.R. Tolkien's works of epic adventure and fantasy, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion have delighted many millions of fans since they were first published, and are now more popular than ever before.

The Complete Guide to Middle-earth has been compiled to enhance the reader's enjoyment of Tolkien's books by bringing together in an A-Z sequence all the key facts and information about names, places, languages and events from The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.

Coupled with numerous genealogical tables and a unique Chronology of the First Age, it will provide an indispensable aid to every reader's discovery of Tolkien's world.

The first, and definitive, encyclopedia, The Complete Guide to Middle-earth is now available for the first time as a clothbound deluxe edition, housed in a fully illustrated slipcase, to complement the deluxe illustrated editions of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales, and is lavishly illustrated with more than 50 full-colour paintings by acclaimed Tolkien artist, Ted Nasmith, with many appearing exclusively in this edition.

Robert Foster was born in Brooklyn, New York. As a teenager, he discovered The Lord of the Rings in his public library, and was an original member of the Tolkien Society of America. Foster's interest in etymology led him to compile a glossary of every name, place, object and event that appears in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, which in 1966 appeared in the Tolkien fanzine, Niekas. He was an Assistant Professor of English at Rutgers University, New Jersey, but since retirement he has pursued his interest in family history.

Ted Nasmith has had a passionate interest in Tolkien since 1970, having first read The Lord of the Rings as a young art student. With dozens of high realism gouache scenes of Middle-earth painted over four decades, he has gained a worldwide reputation in the genre. His work has been published in numerous Tolkien calendars since 1987, and in the acclaimed illustrated edition of The Silmarillion and, most recently, the illustrated Unfinished Tales.

'Middle-earth is the country of J.R.R. Tolkien's tales - the territory of Sauron, Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf and Sam Gamgee - whose legends, history, geography and inhabitants combine to make a unique fictional world. This Guide is a comprehensive reference work to every name and event in Tolkien's books, from The Hobbit to The Silmarillion.'
Daily Telegraph

'Mr Robert Foster's Complete Guide to Middle-earth supplies, as I have found through frequent use, an admirable work of reference.'
CHRISTOPHER TOLKIEN