The Origins of Tolkien's Middle-earth for Dummies

J.R.R. Tolkien s novels of Middle-earth - TheHobbit, The Lord of the Rings trilogy , and TheSilmarillian - have become some of the mostfamous, and most beloved, literary works of the twentieth century.And the Lord of the Rings films by director Peter Jacksonhave re-ignited interest in Tolkien and his works, as well asintroduced his stories to a new generation of fans.
Even if you ve never read the novels and have only seen thefilms, you know that the world of Middle-earth is a complicatedone. Tolkien took great care in representing this world, fromcreating new languages to including very particular culturaldetails that add to the richness of the world s fabric. Many otherbooks have been written about Tolkien and his works, but none havecome close to providing the kind of reference needed to comprehendthe world of Middle-earth. That s what veteran Dummies author and unabashed Tolkien fan Greg Harvey attempts to do in The Origins of Tolkien s Middle-earth For Dummies .

As the author says in his introduction to the book, this is notan encyclopedia or quick guide to all the diverse beings,languages, and history that make up Tolkien s Middle-earth. Nor isit a set of plot outlines for the novels. Rather, what you ll findin The Origins of Tolkien s Middle-earth For Dummies is abasic guide to some of the possible linguistic and mythologicalorigins of Middle-earth, plus a rudimentary analysis of its manythemes and lessons for our world. This book can help enrich yourreading (or re-reading) of Tolkien s novels, and it will challengeyou to think about the themes inherent in Tolkien s Middle-earthand their implications in your own life.

Here s just a sampling of the topics you ll find covered in The Origins of Tolkien s Middle-earth For Dummies :

Exploring the main themes in Tolkien s works, includingimmortality and death; the heroic quest; love; fate and free will;and faith and redemption
Investigating the diverse lands ofMiddle-earth - including the Shire, Gondor,