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Title: Tolkien's Ring by David Day, Alan Lee ISBN: 1-58663-527-1 Publisher: Friedman/Fairfax Publishing Pub. Date: 01 February, 2002 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.98 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.29 (7 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Handy Addition For Your Tolkien Library
Comment: I thought this was a really nice little book, easy to read, and full of information on various mythologies and how they may have influenced Tolkien. Tolkien once said that he wanted to develop a mythology for Britain, and his background work in northern European mythology was well-suited. Readers looking for exact, specific references may be disappointed. Christians who want to lay claim to Tolkien's work as a "Christian influenced" work may be disappointed also; there is little of the Bible here since it's influence on the trilogy was minimal.
Rating: 2
Summary: Writing Not Suited to the Art
Comment: David Day, in writing Tolkien's Ring, has seemingly changed Tolkien's written word to suit his purpose. Not only does he make many factual errors about the books by the author of the title, but fabricates evidence and deforms Tolkien.
"Sauron of the Evil Eye," says Day, is comparable to "Balor of the Evil Eye," and so forth. Unfortunately, for Day, nowhere in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is Sauron called such, thus making the comparison useless. And so on. There are too many such twistings of the original text to cite, too many of Day's own extrapolations quoted as the truth in The Lord of the Rings, for my comfort.
On the plus side, he presents an intriguing collection of stories. Yet knowing how he meddled with Tolkien, I cannot help but wonder if the tales I am reading therein are true to the originals.
The main good thing about this book is Alan Lee's fantastic imagery, which once again shows him to be undeniably the greatest Tolkien artist around. Having portrayed everything from hobbits to bigfeet without ever losing the mythic and ageless qualities inherent in his works, he brings a brilliant touch to the images in this book.
If only the same could be said of Mr. Day's text.
Rating: 3
Summary: interesting, but not particularly well written
Comment: as other reviewers have suggested, the book is attractive because Tolkien fans are ravenous for more materials and this book has Tolkien's name on it in big gold letters. However, I must stress that this is not sufficient reason to buy it:
Pros: comprehensive discussion of the history of the ring as a symbol in lore and of its use in Tolkien. Also fascinating illustrations by incomparable Tolkien illustrator Alan Lee.
Cons: First, to be called Tolkien's Ring, it ought to have more analysis of Tolkien's Ring. On the contrary, it only spends a chapter on that. The title is almost false, so called to attract Tolkien fans. Also, to put it bluntly, Day is boring to read and although the subject matter is interesting, his style is not engaging.
It was a decent read, and i recommend it to anyone interested in the history of the use of rings in lore. But Tolkien fans will not learn anything new or interesting about Tolkien or his work.
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Title: Myth and Magic: The Art of John Howe by John Howe, Peter Jackson, Alan Lee ISBN: 0007107951 Publisher: Harper Collins - UK Pub. Date: March, 2003 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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Title: Nordic Gods and Heroes by Padraic Colum ISBN: 0486289125 Publisher: Dover Pubns Pub. Date: 18 January, 1996 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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Title: The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, Alan Lee ISBN: 0618260587 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co Pub. Date: November, 2002 List Price(USD): $80.00 |
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Title: Bulfinch's Mythology by Thomas Bulfinch ISBN: 0375751475 Publisher: Modern Library Pub. Date: 11 August, 1998 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: The World of the Dark Crystal: The Collector's Edition by Brian Froud ISBN: 0810945797 Publisher: Harry N Abrams Pub. Date: 01 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $30.00 |
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