The definitive Tolkien companion-an indispensable guide to The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and more, from the author of The Road to Middle-earth. In a clear and accessible style, Shippey offers a new approach to Tolkien, to fantasy, and to the importance of language in literature. He breaks down The Lord of the Rings as a linguistic feast for the senses and as a response to the human instinct for myth. Elsewhere, he examines The Hobbit's counterintuitive...

The epic conclusion to the adventures of Bilbo Baggins. The dragon Smaug rains his fiery wrath down upon the defenseless men, women, and children of Lake-town. Obsessed above all else with his reclaimed treasure, Thorin sacrifices friendship and honor to hoard it as Bilbo attempts to make him see reason.

Profiles the characters and creatures, detailing how each were realized for the film.

"The robust, imaginative works of J.R.R. Tolkien have sparked the imaginations of readers around the world. From World War I soldier to bestselling author, trace the life of the man behind Middle Earth"--

Through the examination of myth, legend, language and history, an exploration of how the imaginary world of Middle-Earth reflects our own.