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The History of Middle-Earth #1-2
Tolkien's the Lord of the Rings Postcard Book: Postcards
The success of the "Lord of the Rings" movies has overshadowed the fact that Tolkien's words have been inspiring artists for more than 60 years, and there have been many visual interpretations of his books. This collection of 40 postcards gathers together a few of the most successful: the work of Alan Lee and John Hope, whose work formed the basis of the film's rich imagery; the art of Ted Nasmith, official artist of "The Silmarillion" and creator of one of the best-loved of all the Tolkien Calendars; plus a range of artists from those approved by J.R.R. Tolkien himself, such as Pauline Baynes and Cor Blok, to a generation of fantasy artists for whom Tolkien has inspired their best work.
Hardcover
First published December 1, 2011
15 people are currently reading
312 people want to read
About the author
J.R.R. Tolkien
799 books78.1k followersJohn Ronald Reuel Tolkien: writer, artist, scholar, linguist. Known to millions around the world as the author of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien spent most of his life teaching at the University of Oxford where he was a distinguished academic in the fields of Old and Middle English and Old Norse. His creativity, confined to his spare time, found its outlet in fantasy works, stories for children, poetry, illustration and invented languages and alphabets.
Tolkien’s most popular works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are set in Middle-earth, an imagined world with strangely familiar settings inhabited by ancient and extraordinary peoples. Through this secondary world Tolkien writes perceptively of universal human concerns – love and loss, courage and betrayal, humility and pride – giving his books a wide and enduring appeal.
Tolkien was an accomplished amateur artist who painted for pleasure and relaxation. He excelled at landscapes and often drew inspiration from his own stories. He illustrated many scenes from The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, sometimes drawing or painting as he was writing in order to visualize the imagined scene more clearly.
Tolkien was a professor at the Universities of Leeds and Oxford for almost forty years, teaching Old and Middle English, as well as Old Norse and Gothic. His illuminating lectures on works such as the Old English epic poem, Beowulf, illustrate his deep knowledge of ancient languages and at the same time provide new insights into peoples and legends from a remote past.
Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in 1892 to English parents. He came to England aged three and was brought up in and around Birmingham. He graduated from the University of Oxford in 1915 and saw active service in France during the First World War before being invalided home. After the war he pursued an academic career teaching Old and Middle English. Alongside his professional work, he invented his own languages and began to create what he called a mythology for England; it was this ‘legendarium’ that he would work on throughout his life. But his literary work did not start and end with Middle-earth, he also wrote poetry, children’s stories and fairy tales for adults. He died in 1973 and is buried in Oxford where he spent most of his adult life.
Tolkien’s most popular works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are set in Middle-earth, an imagined world with strangely familiar settings inhabited by ancient and extraordinary peoples. Through this secondary world Tolkien writes perceptively of universal human concerns – love and loss, courage and betrayal, humility and pride – giving his books a wide and enduring appeal.
Tolkien was an accomplished amateur artist who painted for pleasure and relaxation. He excelled at landscapes and often drew inspiration from his own stories. He illustrated many scenes from The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, sometimes drawing or painting as he was writing in order to visualize the imagined scene more clearly.
Tolkien was a professor at the Universities of Leeds and Oxford for almost forty years, teaching Old and Middle English, as well as Old Norse and Gothic. His illuminating lectures on works such as the Old English epic poem, Beowulf, illustrate his deep knowledge of ancient languages and at the same time provide new insights into peoples and legends from a remote past.
Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in 1892 to English parents. He came to England aged three and was brought up in and around Birmingham. He graduated from the University of Oxford in 1915 and saw active service in France during the First World War before being invalided home. After the war he pursued an academic career teaching Old and Middle English. Alongside his professional work, he invented his own languages and began to create what he called a mythology for England; it was this ‘legendarium’ that he would work on throughout his life. But his literary work did not start and end with Middle-earth, he also wrote poetry, children’s stories and fairy tales for adults. He died in 1973 and is buried in Oxford where he spent most of his adult life.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 9, 2012
The narrative is much more interesting than the silmarillion, but the mythos is clearly unfinished. I would recommend this book for diehard Tolkien fans, but if you just want to get some more LotR background, go for the Silmarillion first.
June 11, 2020
Racconti ritrovati è alla fine un'unica storia che narra delle antiche vicende di Valinor, una zona oltre l'oceano occidentale e la Terra di Mezzo. Scopriremo della nascita dei Valar, dei figli di Iluvatar, storie di Elfi, di uomini, di nani e di orchi. È legata maggiormente al Silmarillion, cioè ci sono molti più riferimenti a questo tomo. Non è stato certamente il libro che ho preferito, il fatto che non ci fosse un unico protagonista a cui affezionarsi mi ha alquanto frastornata.
December 28, 2025
Det är nog Tolkien när han är som bäst enligt mig, dom tidiga berättelserna har en rå charm som tyvärr lite försvinner i hans mer putsade verk. Sen älskar jag verkligen ramberättelsen i The Lost Tales.
February 6, 2015
Vorgeschichte zu Herr der Ringe
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews