The Worlds of J. R. R. Tolkien: The Places That Inspired Middle-earth

by John Garth

A lavishly illustrated exploration of the places that inspired and shaped the work of J.R.R. Tolkien, creator of Middle-earth.

This new book from renowned expert John Garth takes us to the places that inspired J.R.R. Tolkien to create his fictional locations in The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and other classic works. Featuring more than 100 images, it includes Tolkien’s own illustrations, contributions from other artists, archive images, maps and spectacular present-day photographs.

Inspirational locations range across Great Britain – particularly Tolkien’s beloved West Midlands and Oxford – but also overseas to all points of the compass. Sources are located for Hobbiton, the elven valley of Rivendell, the Glittering Caves of Helm’s Deep, and many other key spots in Middle-earth, as well as for its mountain scenery, forests, rivers, lakes and shorelands.

A rich interplay is revealed between Tolkien’s personal travels, his wide reading and his deep scholarship as an Oxford professor. Garth uses his own profound knowledge of Tolkien’s life and work to uncover the extraordinary processes of invention, to debunk popular misconceptions about the inspirations for Middle-earth, and to put forward strong new claims of his own.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography, Reference, Literary Criticism, Travel, Books About Books

208 pages, Hardcover

First published June 9, 2020

Reviews

[Dannii Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

My boyfriend isn’t a fiction reader, preferring business or self-improvement books, but the one fiction writer we share a fascination for is Tolkien. We have a shelf full of multiple copies of his beloved works as well as stacks of encyclopaedias and various non-fictions focusing on them. I was so excited to add this new insight to the fantasy master to our collection, as well as to pore over the new knowledge it has to impart.

Whereas the other books we own all focus on Tolkien’s work directly, this looks at the various real-world equivalents that were drawn from as inspiration for his terrific fantastical worlds, both in scope and geographic design. Every page had scores of illustrations and photographs included, which brought all the knowledge it imparted to life. I had many hours of fun perusing them.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I guess when you reach a certain level of success with your books there are the inevitable books on the genesis and source of those works. The longer they are famous the more titles they seem to collect and one of the greatest of these would be the tales from Middle Earth.

So it sounds like I am being rather negative over this book - Certainly not, rather I am skeptical over the quality of them. They are by their nature rarely written with the consent or support of the original author. In fact many of them are written many years later where facts and details start to lose their focus.

So why do I rate this book so well. I think for me its the approach the author took and the respect that was given. Facts were stated and opinions given but never were the two reversed. For someone who enjoys wandering the magical county of Middle Earth this book gives an intriguing insight in to the real places that enable a imaginary world so much more tangible and realistic

[Justin Wiggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very fascinating book about the geographical locations, myths, legends, literature, and personal experiences that inspired J.R.R.Tolkien's mythology.

[Midnight.reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Odporúčam : všetkým fanúšikom, ktorí si chcú prečítať niečo hlbšie a detailnejšie o Tolkienovej tvorbe

Neodporúčam : ak hľadáte ľahké čítanie. Kniha disponuje množstvom informácii a písaného textu

Tolkien čerpal inšpiráciu na písanie Stredozeme zo života, ako ho poznáme. Mnohí čitatelia si myslia, že tento svet je z inej planéty, no opak je však pravdou. Stredozem pozná buky, les, kamene, slnko či mesiac. Bola tvorená miestami, ktoré Tolkiena inšpirovali a ktoré sa nachádzajú u nás na Zemi.

Pri čítaní Tolkienových kníh navštevujeme s postavami miesta, ktoré sú až neuveriteľne skutočné. Zachytenie atmosféry a ducha je niečo, čo ma pri tomto autorovi vždy fascinovalo a je to aj dôvodom, prečo jeho knihy tak milujem.

Kniha je písaná tak, že sa dá čítať podľa kapitol, alebo aj podľa témy, ktorá vás najviac zaujíma. Prvé kapitoly patria ako inak Anglicku, ktoré bolo veľkou inšpiráciou pre Shire ( Kraj, Grófstvo). Dalej sú tu však kapitoly, ktore sa venujú kultúrnym vplyvom, tvorbe národov, elfom, topografické kapitoly, ale aj kapitoly s miestami pretváranými ľuďmi. Nádherne ilustrácie ku naozaj bohatému textu v tejto knihe nezaostávajú.

Svety Tolkiena je kniha, ktorá nám otvára tajomné dvere do Tolkienovej záhrady. Pomáha nám pochopiť svet, ktorý autor dôverne poznal a ktorý sa pre beh času stáva pokladom žánru fantasy.

[Janika Puolitaival · Rating 5 out of 5]

Upea tietopakkaus vannoutuneille Keski-Maan ystäville sekä uusillekin faneille. Hieno kuvitus, hyvin taustoitettu.

[Marta Melis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un saggio denso e meraviglioso, esaustivo e ricco d'immagini evocative ed esplicative. Soprattutto, con un'ottima bibliografia d'approfondimento, garanzia sul processo di ricerca. Oggettivamente è perfetto, forse non mi sento di dargli 5 stelle piene perché ho letto testi di saggistica con una prosa più intrigante: sottolineo che questo è un mio gusto personale, che predilige una stesura "all'italiana" con qualche fronzolo virtuosistico in più piuttosto che la lapidaria chiarezza dei testi anglosassoni; d'altro canto, per questo genere di libri è oggettivamente più adatta secondo i più, perché più trasparente, comprensibile e forse scorrevole.

[Edward · Rating 5 out of 5]

The valley of Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland, according to John Garth a clear inspiration for Rivendell

The Worlds of J. R. R. Tolkien is John Garth’s latest book about Tolkien. Having read and delighted in his earlier book Tolkien and the Great War, I couldn’t wait to read this new one. And I’m thrilled I did: once again Garth has written a cogent and fascinating study of the creator of Middle-earth.

The book is divided into eleven chapters, each of which addresses an influence, real or literary, on Tolkien’s legendarium. For example, in the chapter entitled ‘Watch and Ward’, Garth discusses the various strongholds of Middle-earth (Minas Tirith, Meduseld and Orthanc to pick just three) and their possible inspiration (the castle in Limbo in Dante’s Divine Comedy, the mead-hall Heorot in Beowulf and Faringdon Folly near Oxford respectively).

I was initially sceptical about some of these influences. But by the end of each section Garth had utterly convinced me. This was because of his clear, logical and well-researched argument. One of my favourite chapters was about Birmingham. Garth refreshingly argues that Birmingham’s influence on Tolkien didn’t only produce Mordor, as suggested in Humphrey Carpenter’s biography, but rather that the city’s artisans and skilled craftsmen were also reimagined in the city of Dale.

Beautifully illustrated throughout, The Worlds of J. R. R. Tolkien provides enough biographical information for the newcomer to Tolkien’s life, without putting off a reader better acquainted with his biography. This makes it a perfect addition to any Tolkien fan’s collection.

I loved this book and I would very highly recommend it to anyone interested in Tolkien. For me, John Garth is fast becoming the foremost Tolkien scholar and I can’t wait to read his next book about Tolkien, whatever that might be.

[Jonasz]

Mam mieszane odczucia. Z jednej strony jest tu wiele szczegółów biograficznych, z którymi nie spotkałem się w innych opracowaniach o Tolkienie. Informacje o jego zainteresowaniach archeologicznych, geograficznych i geologicznych (a także o współczesnych mu nowinkach naukowych z tych dziedzin) nadają nowe tło całemu legendarium.

Z drugiej strony autor, powtarzając co jakiś czas znany wszem i wobec fakt, że Tolkien nie znosił prostych analogii… kreśli analogię za analogią. Niektóre mam za pomysłowe, inne – wymuszone albo wręcz toporne. Dziwi też pewność, z jaką wygłasza się twierdzenia, że za postacią, miejscem czy motywem X z tamtego świata bez wątpienia stoi taki to a taki desygnat Y w naszym świecie. Wolałbym więcej przypisać wyobraźni pisarza.

Pozostaję też sceptyczny wobec „wytropionych” inspiracji etymologicznych: w wielu przypadkach czysty zbieg fonetycznych okoliczności zdaje się dużo bardziej przekonywającym wytłumaczeniem podobieństwa morfemów pomiędzy naszymi a tamtymi językami.

Samo wydanie jest porządne: budząca zaufanie twarda okładka, gruby papier dobrej jakości i wiele ilustracji, nieodzownych przy takiej tematyce. Niestety zdarzają się – nie tak rzadko – literówki.

Koniec końców to wartościowa publikacja, która znajdzie swoje miejsce na półkach bardziej wyrozumiałych tolkienistów.

[jodie louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

In The Worlds of JRR Tolkien, John Garth brings us the most incredible and most stunning images of scenery that inspired Middle Earth.

This is a mind bending beautiful work of art, Garth takes the stunning scenery and wraps us up in the world of Tolkien, it’s w phenomenon of a book and I would highly, highly recommend this to any fans of Tolkien or fans of beautiful places.

If you haven’t seen the films and struggle to picture the scenery from The Hobbit & The Lord Of The Rings this book aids you with an abundance of imagery that once again takes you off to Middle Earth and give you insight into where the locations Tolkien drew his inspiration from.

Highly recommend this book, perfect for people who like to collect material influenced by Tolkien.

[Kelly Furniss · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a real in depth insight in to the fictional locations that inspired Tolkien's work especially Middle Earth. The addition of extra sketches, maps, paintings, photo's and postcards enhanced the detail making it interesting and informative. I spent longer than I would reading a normal book as I dipped in and out of it taking time to really study the imagery.
Certainly a book that would benefit from been a print edition than read on a Kindle as I did to appreciate it in it's full glorious entirety.
A perfect gift for any fan.
My thanks go to the publisher, author and Netgalley in providing this arc in return for a honest review.

[Mary Catelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comparison of Tolkien's life and the geography of his works. Discusses it from the first Books of Lost Tales when he mapped his fantasy lands directly on England to the final works. Divided up by geographical type, such as the countryside he grew up, forests, and the trip to the Alps that influenced his mountains. Carefully gathers the evidence toward elements being possible or certain influences.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

A gorgeous and thoughtful book about Tolkien and his landscapes and impact on his art. The only reason it gets three stars is because I think it was marketed wrong: it’s not just a coffee table with intro level info, it’s a very dense and sometimes meandering academic essay.

[Weinlachgummi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Als großer Fan der Herr der Ringe & Der Hobbit Geschichten war meine Neugier schnell geweckt für dieses Nachschlagewerk über die Erfindung von Mittelerde.

Eins vorweg, dies ist kein Buch, was man eben mal so liest. Durch das Inhaltsverzeichnis und die übersichtliche Gliederung kann man gut je nach Interesse von einem zum anderen Abschnitt springen. Das Buch liefert allerlei Informationen und Hintergrundwissen zu den Orten in Mittelerde. So sind zum Beispiel die Hobbit Höhlen durch Hütten in Island inspiriert.

Obwohl es primär um die Orte geht, lernt man natürlich aber auch etwas über John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. Wie beeindruckt er von den englischen Landschaften war, nachdem er das erste Mal in England war zum Beispiel.

Mit über 100 Illustrationen und Karten von unterschiedlichen Künstler:innen ist das Buch auch optisch top. Die unterschiedlichen Bilder untermalen den Text und helfen beim Visualisieren. Und es ist echt interessant zu sehen, wie ähnlich sich manche Gebäude / Landschaften sehen.

Allgemein ist es eine interessante Lektüre für alle Tolkien Fans, die gerne ein bisschen mehr wissen möchten. Für manch einen mag durch diese Interpretationen und Thesen aber auch der besondere Zauber von Mittelerde verloren gehen. So wollte ein Freund lieber keinen Blick in das Buch werfen. Deswegen meine Empfehlung, es ist ein tolles Geschenk für Fans, aber vielleicht vorher antasten, ob die Person denn auch hinter die Kulissen blicken möchte.

Ich blicke gerne hinter die Kulissen und gerade bei einer so umfangreichen Welt, ist es nochmal interessanter. So hatte ich meine Freude beim Lesen und beim Entdecken.

[Joseph Leake · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a real pleasure -- lots of biographical detail combined with many evocative and beautiful photos and images. (I found the chapter on Tolkien's childhood home in rural Worcestershire -- so important to Tolkien's imagination and outlook -- especially enlightening and enjoyable.) Sometimes Garth makes speculative connections which are too much of a stretch to be plausible (even as he critiques other authors for the same!); but when he's on the ball, the results are thoroughly illuminating and fascinating.

[Evan Hays · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have yet to read Tolkien and the Great War, which is Garth’s previous contribution to Tolkien scholarship, so I am not sure exactly what type of book that is. I should say right off the bat about The Worlds of JRR Tolkien: the Places that Inspired Middle Earth that it is not exactly the book I was expecting when I bought it. By that, I mean that I was certainly expecting the highest levels of scholarship, knowing that Garth is one of the most respected Tolkien scholars writing now, but I also mean that I was expecting this book to be a little bit more of a coffee table book than it turned out to be. I think its large size was the main reason I was expecting that, but also the many pages devoted to images, and then even just the title made me expect that the book would be mostly about links between actual places on earth and then places sub-created by Tolkien, with probably a good bit of quoting from Tolkien’s actual description of setting in his various works. This book really wasn’t that, although there is some of that.



My two favorite parts of the book, the Roots of the Mountains section and the Places of War section, were probably the parts of the book that ended up being the most like what I was expecting from this book. It is also not surprising that Garth did such an excellent job with the Places of War section because that is his true area of expertise given his previous book. The Roots of the Mountains section was so good because we do know about Tolkien’s mountaineering holiday in Switzerland and can link it even to exact drawings of his or passages in his writing. That was fascinating, and why I really wanted to get my hands on the book in the first place. And to be fair, Garth certainly could have “forced it” and tried to find more “direct” links from earthly places to places in Middle Earth, but to his major credit he never did that. Tolkien was always careful to avoid any hint of allegory, and wanted people to be able to imagine and live inside his sub-creation for themselves, without him telling them how to do that. Garth very much reinforces that.



So, what was this book if it wasn’t mostly what I thought? Probably the simplest way I can describe it is to say that if you want to read THE book to bring you up to speed on current Tolkien scholarship, you should probably read this book. Yes, it’s not that long, but Garth is in conversation with all of the other major scholars and has also clearly read and re-read all of Tolkien’s original material.



I wouldn’t consider myself to be a Tolkien scholar, but I have read much more than just The Hobbit (too many times to count), the Lord of the Rings (also too many times to count), and the Silmarillion (I think 4 times). I have read some other secondary scholarship, but more so with the lens of The Inklings as a whole. I have also read 2 of the History of Middle Earth series, and then I think 3 other Christopher Tolkien edited works (Sigurd and Gudren, Children of Hurin, Beren and Luthien). So I am in a decent spot to appreciate the mastery of Tolkien scholarship that Garth shows here. I am sure there would be scholars who would argue with some of Garth’s conclusions on the various inspirations for Middle Earth, but I think most would have to agree with his conclusions based on his comprehensive research and arguments. I wasn’t expecting that that would be what I mainly got out of reading this book.



Because, again, it’s really not so much about linking earthly places to places in Middle Earth. It’s really more about anything from earth that can be traced to a certain location on earth, from as specific as one beach in Yorkshire or Cornwall to as general as Northern Europe, that then provided some sort of inspiration for Tolkien’s legendarium. Not always the places in his legendarium, but the fact that he even had the idea to write parts of the legendarium at all.



And that leads me to my next point about the book: it constantly references other parts of the book. At first this kind of annoyed me, to be honest, but then I kind of thought more about it, and realized that I couldn’t really think of any better structure by which to go about writing this book than the one Garth landed on. Everything ties in to everything else, so ultimately, you have to just organize it one way and stick with it. For example, Garth could have chosen to essentially go through Tolkien’s biography chronologically and tie experiences Tolkien had (vacations he is known to have gone on, where he was stationed with the army, etc.) to places he sub-created. But that would have caused at least as many problems as it would have solved, I believe, because Tolkien was constantly writing and re-writing and changing so much in his stories. But if you look at the titles of the chapters, you will see what I mean about the challenge of the way he did choose to organize it. The first one is called England to the Shire and the second is called the Four Winds (which is essentially about the places outside England that inspired parts of the legendarium). Those fit together pretty clearly: they are clear earthly political/cultural geographic locations, and they each inspired Middle Earth in different, often overlapping ways (in many ways Garth is trying to map Tolkien’s memory and mind in this book—quite a task). But then a little later, you start to get chapters on types of physical geography (the sea, mountains, rivers, forests, etc.). Because all of these physical geographic locations are also located inside those same political geographic locations I mentioned above, you start to get overlap, hence the constant references to other parts of the book. It happens a third time, then, when the final 4 chapters switch to kind of themed geographic locations (ancient archaeological places, places of defense, places of war, and places of industry). So, it’s like he switched his organizing principles three times in the book to cover everything he wanted to. As I have already said, I can’t really think of any other way to do it, and if you like me, like reading pretty much anything about Tolkien, then you will still very much enjoy every page of Garth’s writing. To be quite honest, though, I do not think I would recommend this book to a non-Tolkien person, though, because I think this overlapping style might be kind of tiresome to him or her.



One other little quibble, and this is probably much more so the publisher, I found 3 typos in the book. There were two times that periods were left out, and the first time that Siegfried Sassoon is mention, the f in his first name is left out. I didn’t mark the page for any of the three because I was just reading it for pleasure while my two little kids were falling asleep, but 3 typos is more than I usually notice. And since I am lucky enough to have the first of what will, I hope, be more editions, someday I will be proud to own the original version with Siegried in it.



All that said, I loved this book, and I wouldn’t have taken this long to write a critical review if I didn’t. The layout of the book is absolutely gorgeous. I learned many things about Tolkien that I did not know. I am much more in conversation with the best of Tolkien scholarship now than I was before. Ultimately, if you are serious Tolkien fan, you really must read and own this book.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolutely gorgeous book. Even though Quarto Publishing Group was kind enough to gift an ebook copy through NetGalley, I will definitely be purchasing this as a physical copy in the future. I just don’t think ebook does this book the justice it deserves.

So, this book is all about the places that inspired the fictional locations in Middle-Earth (the fantasy world of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings fame). Obviously, since the great success of the films Hobbiton and Middle Earth has in recent years become synonymous with the landscapes of New Zealand, but what places actually inspired Tolkien himself?

As someone who has only partially read Tolkien’s works, and not a diehard Tolkien fan, this book was a pleasure as I got to learn more about Tolkien’s life from the very first chapter.

If you are at all interested in creative writing or understanding how authors draw from reality to create the fantastic, this will also be an enlightening read. As for me, I found it absolutely fascinating seeing the inspiration behind what has, at this point, become an absolute legend in the fantasy genre.

All in all, this is the perfect coffee table book: gorgeous illustrations and photographs for when you just want to flick through at a glance, while also offering erudite yet extremely readable text to delve deeper into Tolkien’s expansive world. Many illustrations included in the book are by Tolkien himself and are breathtaking. We also get a glimpse into rare archival images, which was a real treat. Amazing for both the overly-informed and the ignorant when it comes to Tolkien, will definitely be returning to this book every now and then.

[Michele Lussu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro piacevolissimo e molto scorrevole nonostante si tratti comunque di un saggio dal sapore quasi filologico. L’autore ci accompagna nei luoghi e negli eventi che hanno segnato la vita di Tolkien, facendoci scoprire quel lato più strettamente autobiografico che spesso resta celato nelle opere del grande Maestro del Fantasy. Riporto qui in basso una citazione del libro che riassume perfettamente il fine che l’opera si propone

“La Terra di Mezzo fu creata per rispecchiare ciò che Tolkien amava e detestava del suo mondo. Il tutto si amalgama in un gran numero di paesaggi e luoghi reali, antichi o moderni, selvaggi, coltivati o dispogliati. A dire la verità, si può affermare che tra le pagine del legendarium sono i paesaggi stessi a trasmettere un messaggio appassionato. È questo il motivo per cui non si tratta di una mitologia soltanto per l'Inghilterra o la Gran Bretagna, ma per un pianeta che ha disperatamente bisogno di ispirazione per salvarsi.”

[Gwynnys Lesezauber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Durch richtig betriebene Recherche lernen wir Tolkiens beispiellosen Einfallsreichtum umso mehr schätzen. Sie hilft uns, beim Verstehen der Welt, wie er sie wahrnahm – und wie sie uns immer fremder wird. Dabei stellen sich seine Werke als Spiegel leidenschaftlich vertretener Ansichten und Vorstellungen heraus. Zudem zeigt sich, auf welch vielfältige Weise er die Realität für seine kreativen Zwecke umwandelte.
Aus Die Erfindung von Mittelerde – Was Tolkien zu Mordor, Bruchtal und Hobbingen inspirierte von John Garth

FAKTEN
Das Werk Die Erfindung von Mittelerde – Was Tolkien zu Mordor, Bruchtal und Hobbingen inspirierte von John Garth ist im Februar 2021 im wbg Theiss Verlag erschienen und als Hardcover erhältlich.

Auf den Spuren von Tolkiens Inspiration - Für alle, die wissen wollen, was den Autor zu seiner Geschichte bewogen hat.

INHALT DES WERKES
Orte, Mythen und Sprachen: Tolkiens Grundlagen für „Herr der Ringe“ & „Der Hobbit“
Was sind die realen Vorbilder für die Schauplätze von Tolkiens Romanen? Inspiration fand der Schriftsteller in den Landschaften, Bergen und Wäldern Großbritanniens, aber auch in seiner südafrikanischen Heimat und auf den Schlachtfeldern des Ersten Weltkriegs. Gestützt auf sein profundes Wissen über Leben und Werk Tolkiens identifiziert der mehrfach preisgekrönte Autor John Garth die Orte, die dem Schöpfer von Mittelerde als Anregung für das Auenland, Bruchtal oder die Höhlen von Helms Klamm dienten.
Zum Schmökern und Nachschlagen: das perfekte Geschenk für Tolkien-Liebhaber
Insider-Wissen für Fans: detaillierte Karten lassen den Leser auf Tolkiens Spuren wandeln
Außergewöhnlicher Text-Bildband mit mehr als 100 Illustrationen von Tolkien und anderen Künstlern
Unbekanntes Archivmaterial und spektakuläre Neuaufnahmen, die Mittelerde-Fans begeistern
Hintergrund-Infos zu Tolkiens Werk: detaillierte biografische, historische, geographische und sprachliche Analysen

Auf Tolkiens Spuren: eindrucksvolle Entdeckungsreise durch eine fantastische Welt
John Garths umfassende Recherchen laden in 11 Kapiteln dazu ein, Tolkiens beispiellosem Einfallsreichtum zu folgen, und zeigen, auf welch vielfältige Weise der Kult-Autor die Realität für seine kreativen Zwecke umwandelte. „Die Erfindung von Mittelerde - Was Tolkien zu Mordor, Bruchtal und Hobbingen inspirierte“ macht Lust darauf, noch Unbekanntes in Mittelerde zu entdecken und weite Reisen in die Welt von Tolkiens Fantasie zu unternehmen!

DAS WERK ALS GANZES BETRACHTET
Wer verstehen möchte, was hinter so mancher Literatur, hinter den viel gelesenen Klassikern steckt, der ist auch mit diesem Buch sehr gut beraten. Der Autor John Garth beleuchtet hier von allen Seiten, woher Tolkien seine Ideen hat.
Für mich ist das spannend! Es macht mir nicht den Zauber der Geschichte kaputt – für mich ist als Lektorin klar, dass hinter jedem geschriebenen Buch ein Mensch steckt. Was also hat diesen Menschen angetrieben, woher hat er seine Einfälle, warum entstand seine so umfassende Welt, die bis heute die Generationen unterhält und fasziniert?
Wusstet Ihr, dass Mittelerde kein eigenes Universum, ja nicht mal ein anderer Planet ist? Seine ganze Welt beruht auf unserer Erde. Schon allein das vermochte es, mir eine gehörige Gänsehaut zu verschaffen – und da habe ich gerade mal die Einleitung gelesen …
Dabei könnte es sich ebenso gut um eine Dystopie handeln wie eine alternative Realität, wenn ich ein wenig darüber nachdenke. Das macht diese Geschichte für mich noch einmal greifbarer. Man betrachtet die Personen- und Ortsbeschreibungen ganz anders. Ich stelle mir beim Lesen die Frage, welches Fleckchen auf unserer Erde Tolkien da gerade eingeflochten haben könnte.
Hier werden unter anderem anhand von Kartenmaterial und zu Personen – die es wirklich gab – gezogene Vergleiche Parallelen und Inspirationsquellen dargelegt. Der Autor versucht auch Streitpunkte zu beleuchten und zu klären, die schon so manch heiße Diskussion unter Kennern und Lesern ausgelöst haben.
Wir werden auf eine Reise mitgenommen, die erklärt, aufklärt und berichtigt. Dabei kann man dieses Buch durchlesen oder wie ein Nachschlagewerk verwenden. Ein umfassender Index lässt sehr genau das finden, was mich als Leserin gerade beschäftig. Die Quellenangaben laden dazu ein, selbst ein wenig Forschung zu betreiben.
Eine übersichtliche Gliederung und Textfelder mit auf den Punkt gebrachten Informationen lassen recht schnell Wissen aufnehmen. Es gibt immer wieder Bilder, Karten und Zeichnungen, die, thematisch passend, das Lesen und verarbeiten ebendieses Wissens unterstützen.
Ein faszinierendes Buch voller Erkenntnisse, eine sehr gelungene Lektüre hinter der Lektüre. Es liest sich wie ein Geschichtsbuch, dass ich allein um Tolkiens Mittelerde-Erbe dreht. Es ist anspruchsvoll geschrieben und sicher kein Buch, das man sich „zwischen Tür und Angel“ durchlesen kann. Wer jedoch echtes Interesse an Hintergründen hat, wird hier dennoch richtige Freude verspüren, während er auf den Spuren Tolkiens wandelt.

MEINE BEWERTUNG
5 von 5 Zahnrädchen.
©Teja Ciolczyk, 21.03.2021
*Rezensionsexemplar

[Anja von "books and phobia" · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bin ich ein riesengroßer Mittelerde-Fan? Ehrlich gesagt nicht. Dabei beziehe ich mich allerdings nur auf die Reise von Frodo, denn die Welt an sich fand ich einfach nur wunderschön und sehr Facettenreich. Da kam dieses Buch gerade rechtzeitig! Denn ich fand es schon sehr interessant woher Tolkien seine Ideen nahm, welche Landstriche ihn zu bestimmten Szenen Inspirierten oder wo sogar erst Ideen entstanden.

Also ab ins Abenteuer, welches erst einmal mit einem sehr ernsten, aber auch sehr ehrlichen Vorwort punkten konnte. Der Autor gab hier nämlich ehrlich zu, dass dies nur seine Ansicht von Tolkiens Welt war und nicht die von allen. Dies nahm ich ehrlich gesagt sehr positiv auf, da er ja auch hätte sagen können, da nur seine Theorie und Nachweise die einzig Wahren seien.

Somit war ich nur noch gespannter, denn ich hatte bisher kein weiteres Buch über Tolkiens Ideensuche gelesen und war somit gespannt, wo man mich überall hinführen würde. Kurz gesagt zu sehr vielen Orten. Besonders schön empfand ich dabei die Abschnitte über die Meere und Küsten, und über die Wasserwelten Mittelerdes denn die hätte man auch ja auch außer Acht lassen können. Doch nicht hier! Ich mochte diese Abschnitte sehr, denn ich selbst, hätte diese Aspekte wohl nicht beachtet. Zu einem mittlerweile gutem Sachbuch gehören natürlich auch Illustrationen. Und die hatte das Buch zu Genüge. Egal ob alte Karten oder Fotografien von Landstrichen, hier gab es wirklich eine Menge zu sehen. Zum Glück, denn der Autor richtete sich wirklich eher an Hardcore-Fans, als an Neuentdecker dieser Welt. Dies zeigte sich nicht nur in den unglaublich vielen Verweisen, sondern auch an den Texten selbst, welche wirklich sehr sachlich waren und somit auch eine ganz schöne Länge hatten. Man hatte es hier wirklich mit einem Sachbuch der alten Schule zutun, das möglichst viel Material unterbringen möchte.

Ich hätte mich über eine lockere Erzählung eher gefreut, wo eben auch mal Fakten kurz und knapp zusammengetragen werden. So hätte man vielleicht Liebhaber der Filme eher dazu bekommen, vielleicht auch zu den Büchern zu greifen. So hatte ich aber ein wirkliches sehr steifes Buch vor mir, das zwar mit der inhaltlichen Vielfalt glänzen konnte, aber Leute wie mich, die die Filme nur gesehen haben, völlig überforderte.

Dieses Buch richtete sich wirklich eher an die Fans der Bücher, als an die der Filme. Wer einfach nur einmal sehen möchte, wo z.B. Hobbingen seine Wurzeln hat, der kämpft sich hier durch sehr sachliche Texte, die auch eine enorme Länge haben. Zum einfach mal reinschnuppern, also eher weniger geeignet. Fans der Bücher dürften hier allerdings voll auf ihre Kosten kommen, da wirklich alle Aspekte der Mittelerdes berücksichtigt werden, welche dann auch noch mit verschiedensten Illustrationen untermauert werden.

[Alex Sarll]

A look at the real-world locations which inspired those in Tolkien's work, the main focus obviously being on Middle-Earth – where on one level it really shouldn't be surprising, but it still feels jarring that none of those New Zealand vistas which looked so right get a mention. I suspect that to the real hardcore fans who've read a full biography, let alone the mammoth History Of Middle Earth, a lot of this might be familiar material seen again from a slightly different angle - the idyllic Shire-like Sarehole of Tolkien's childhood, the Dead Marshes of the Somme, the walking tour in the Alps which inspired the Misty Mountains. Elsewhere, Garth moves further from consensus, for instance in suggesting that while Birmingham's industry and spread might have been transmuted into Mordor and Isengard, that doesn't preclude its craftsmen from also inspiring the toymakers of Dale. Along the way are little oddments of information which interest even beyond their relevance or otherwise to one 20th century writer: isn't it perfectly perverse that the man who brought the mass manufacture of automobiles to Oxford should have been another, entirely different William Morris? At times, as when rotating or expanding maps to see how closely one could map the Shire to the Britain it recalls and would become, or picking line by line through texual variants, the exercise can resemble the most entirely pointless recesses of theology – albeit obviously with oceans less blood on its hands, and directed at a considerably more deserving text. Besides, it does my vengeful heart good to see this kind of hardcore, footnoted scholarship being applied to a fantasy epic, when once the glossy mainstream publication of such a thing would have been considered the exclusive province of more 'literary' work. And it is, at least in so far as one can tell from a Netgalley ARC, a beautiful book. Part of the appeal was simply that, locked down as we all are, I wanted to be able to look at some gorgeous landscapes, and on that count it definitely delivers. Though even more than any of the sweeping views, I think the loveliest to see wasn't the grand mountains or castles, but the little glade where Edith Tolkien danced for JRR when he returned, damaged, from the War, and their transfiguration into Beren and Lúthien was sealed.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came to this thinking I'd get a gazzetteer – a mapping of Middle-earth over our world, or vice versa, that showed where each point Tolkien borrowed ended up, and where we might travel to today to see a scene from his sagas. But no. This volume, also shooting down the fact I still associate the imprint with junior non-fiction, is much more of an academic essay, which you can tell from how the introduction tells us what it'll be doing next. What comes next begins with a general survey of how Tolkien's different life experiences and habitats might have shown him where d' Hobbits at. We then receive the birthing of his mythology, of course in the northern countries of Scandinavia, old Germany and so on, but also elsewhere, and all this is fine and dandy but at an academic level the high picture content of this volume did not lead me to expect. This was an author, of course, who was remixing Finnish as a teenager to make it a language with some of the same beats and instrumentation, and scholars like our author have been chasing his coattails since.

The third chapter, regarding Tolkien's life and works in relation to the sea, shows just how the scope of this book leaves The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings far behind, for obscure poems and suchlike – but it was quite eye-opening to see connections laid out between the polar explorers of the 1910s and Tolkien's early works. We then see other sections, gathered together by geographical type (waterways, arboreal areas, etc), and the whole is a picture of how (a) Tolkien's mythos provided for the ultimate 'deep cuts' in obscure yet telling cross-references and in-jokes, and (b) how this author has provided a grasp on the whole shebang others would not have thought possible.

In the end the book doesn't quite get to the 'here's how to look down on Tolkien's invented world and what bus to take in order to do so', but in showing so many iterations of our world at play in his imagination and early, formative works, it is the next best thing, and is actually a lot more erudite and scholarly in being so.

[Full_bookshelves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meinung: Endlich wieder ein Buch über Mittelerde! Ich gebs zu, ich bekomm nie genug. Die Filme, die Bücher – absolute all time favourites. Da ich die von Tolkien erschaffenen Schauplätze absolut liebe, musste ich dieses Buch einfach haben. Und es hat sich gelohnt.
Ich habe schon einiges über Mittelerde und die Hintergründe dazu gelesen, doch in diesem Buch gab es auch für mich noch einiges neues zu entdecken. Zum Beispiel haben ihn auch einige klassische Werke der Literatur inspiriert.
Aber erst einmal zur Aufmachung: Wie schön können Bücher sein? Und wie gut können sie riechen? Als das Buch bei mir angekommen ist, bin ich erst einmal zehn Minuten schnüffelnd auf meiner Couch gesessen. Aber auch Nicht-Buch-Schnüffler haben sicher ihre Freude mit dem Buch denn es ist wirklich wunderschön gestaltet. Es gibt zwar sehr viel Text aber auch jede Menge Bilder (Fotografien, Zeichnungen, Karten…).
Doch auch ohne Bilder der Orte könnte man sich genau vorstellen, was er für Vorlagen im Kopf hatte, denn es wird wundervoll und sehr detailliert beschrieben. Definitiv geht das Buch in Richtung Sachbuch, der Stil ist also eher analytisch und trocken. Dem sollte man sich Bewusst sein. Es ist kein Buch, das man mal eben schnell liest. Man braucht definitiv Zeit und Konzentration.

Fazit: Eine ganz tolle Informationsquelle für alle Fans von Mittelerde. Ich habe viel Neues erfahren und bereits Bekanntes noch genauer nachlesen können. Ich kann das Buch auf jeden Fall empfehlen.

[Shrike58 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been meaning to read John Garth's "Tolkien and the Great War" for ages now, but have never gotten around to it, so I picked up this work sort of as a way to ease in to that endeavor. As for this book, it's basically a gazetteer of all the places in real life, and literature, that Tolkien mentally assimilated in his effort to create a mythology that he considered worthy of England, and it's a very cool book; if only for all of Tolkien's own art that went into it. In the end, Garth concludes that Tolkien did better than create a mythos for one land, he created a mythos for all those who would wish to preserve the land, and a certain sort of basic humanity, from the depredations of modernity at its most corrosive.

[Raül · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un viatge per l'obra i la vida de Tolkien a través de la geografia que el va inspirar. Com reflecteix al seu univers creatiu els llocs idealitzats de la infantesa, el drama de la guerra, o els indrets on va viatjar que el van impressionar especialment. Un llibre exhaustiu, molt documentat, ben contextualitzat i profusament il·lustrat. Llàstima que la tipografia sigui tan petita! Un volum per a amants de Tolkien que vulguin aprendre una mica més. Jo m'he fet una llista de llocs que vull veure, especialment a Anglaterra. John Garth ha publicat també "Tolkien y la Gran Guerra".

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful mix of illustrations, pictures, anecdotes and facts. A truly lovely read.

Personal note: am only gonna be reading Tolkien related content in the future because it brings me so much pleasure

[Gealach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnificent volume, a veritable treasure trove.

[Vippi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written and full of impressive pictures of scenery that inspired Middle Earth, this book is a must-have for any Tolkien fan!

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very detailed book about Tolkien's work and life put into perspective by John Garth. A must-read for fellow Tolkien fans.

[Lenka Srolová · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chcete se dozvědět, co inspirovalo jednoho z nejoblíbenějších světových autorů k vytvoření Hobitína, Roklinky, Helmova žlebu? Kde se vzala všechna ta místa, na která nikdy nezapomeneme?

Světy J. R. R. Tolkiena není kniha na jeden večer, vlastně ani na jeden týden. Já do ní nahlížela půl roku, než jsem dospěla ke konci. Kdybych v knihovně neměla další zajímavé tituly, hned bych ji zase otevřela na první straně a četla od začátku. A vsadím se, že bych se dozvěděla další nové informace. A dojala bych se u toho snad ještě víc.

John Garth dal dohromady působivého průvodce, ve kterém nechybí ilustrace, mapy, fotografie a vlastní Tolkienovy kresby. To vše je doprovázené textem, který vás v žádném případě nemůže nudit, protože si připadáte ke Středozemi mnohem blíž, než jste se doposud byli.

[Marko Vasić · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book anchored sir John Garth as the second to none among Tolkien’s biographers. His previous book Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle-earth left me with sheer zestfulness, regarding the content that was quite complex and difficult to present, but sir Garth managed successfully. Meticulous, surgically precise and dense – those are the proper attributes to describe how deep and immense Garth’s knowledge about Tolkien’s life and literary work is. I couldn’t be happier if I even achieve, at least, an atom of his knowledge on account of this matter which occupies and gratifies me much. I assumed that this book would be somewhat similar to Companion Tales To The Mabinogi Legend And Landscape Of Wales by John K. Bollard, but I was wrong, and I’m glad. For, this book is far beyond the mentioned. “The Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien” isn’t a book to be remarkable to all the readers. Isn’t, as well, quite suitable for those who are utterly uninformed regarding Tolkien’s life, his childhood, perpetual moving, literary inspirations, professional life and his viewpoints. Those will, probably, consider it quite tedious, and unfathomable, for Garth presented and cited the abundance of information, scattered amid the twelve parts of The History of Middle-Earth, numerous books regarding Tolkien’s professional work (The Story of Kullervo, The Fall of Arthur, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo, The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays etc.) and his biography (J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography, The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien, The Road to Middle-Earth: How J.R.R. Tolkien Created A New Mythology). On the other hand, this book may arouse the curiosity to those who would like to scrutinise better that field. Throughout eleven large chapters, Garth revised and explained almost every detail regarding well or less known parts of Middle-Earth, validating the verbal descriptions by multitude of authentic photographs of those locations which inspired Tolkien, and citing the parts from Tolkien’s writings as a confirmation. The first chapter takes the reader back to the very beginning – to the earliest period of Tolkien’s childhood in Sarehole, Birmingham. The next one (my favourite) acquaints the reader with Tolkien’s various and numerous mythological literary inspirations from all four parts of the Globe (The Saga of the Volsungs, The Kalevala, Beowulf, Arthurian legends, The Mabinogion, Irish mythology etc.). Afterwards, in the following chapters, Garth emphasised of how great importance were rivers, mountains, flora and antique ramparts for Tolkien, and how professor’s life was in accordance with natural forces which were insatiable fount of his infatuation and creativity. The reader will thither learn about the nascent idea for the lonely isle Tol Eressëa – Tolkien’s Avallónë and Ælfwine the seafarer, and find the references if it is interested to read more about that primordial and marvellous version of The Silmarillion, published in the first and the fifth part of “The History of the Middle-Earth” – The Book of Lost Tales, Part One and The Lost Road and Other Writings. Furthermore, it will learn inasmuch the volcanic mounds were interesting to Tolkien (Iceland’s Hekla for example), as well as the grottos, river flows, bogs and ancient turrets, and how he employed that in his work. At length, Tolkien’s engagement in the Great War and all the horrors which it provided, left the imperishable stamp and impact on his further life. I daresay that John Garth is an approved professional in that domain. The war reminiscences provided the uttermost eerie parts of the Middle-Earth – Dead marches and barrow downs, and in former Beleriand the most bereaved of all the bereavements – the fall of Gondolin. All those places Garth enclosed and explained in this book. Tolkien’s firm attitude to dwell and produce far away from modern, industrial epoch, made his work everlastingly fresh and authentic. I am quite glad that “The Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien” is published, for it is unfailing spring of genuine information for all those who would like to learn and scrutinise the interesting life, work and and inspirations of J.R.R. Tolkien, and my cordial recommendation.