John Kenneth Galbraith certainly deserves inclusion in a series on the great economists of modernity. Unfortunately, the writer is a huge fan of Galbraith (and doesn't hide the fact). As a result, his criticism is almost nonexistant whereas he seems to enjoy praising Galbraith to kingdom come (and Veblen as well). A whole book on Galbraith without a mention of a major critic, Milton Friedman? Hardly worth 15 dollars, let alone 60, there undoubtebly will be greater biographies of Galbraith in coming years.

I'm afraid I found this literary study of the Silmarillion rather slight. It seemed focused on shoehorning the Bible into every aspect of the work, while mentioning only in passing or not at all influences such as Volsungssaga/Nibelungenlied, Voluspa, and classical myth.

The most interesting aspect of the story for me, the tragedy of Feanor and his sons, is not the aspect which most interests Helms--very well. But an exegesis that offers no analysis of the Quenta's conclusion, the fates of Maedhros and Maglor, seems strange.

Suffice to say I didn't get much out of this.

Tolkien was an outsider. Chance mischaracterizes him as a soap box, Land of Hope and Glory, Rule Britannia jingoist. His basic artistic credo is found in Leaf by Niggle which expresses an artists disaffection with his society, England. Chance's agenda is reductive and banal, and in fact Tolkien explicitly repudiated this simplistic interpretation. Tolkien wrote fantasy literature not propaganda. He was an artist not a politician.

This is a 23 year old book, reprinted with updates, and, apart from Verlyn Flieger's =A Question of Time= (a much superior, but specialized, work), this and Chance's =Lord of the Rings: The Mythology of Power= are currently the most easily available academic studies of Tolkien. This is unfortunate: Chance's work has some merit, but she is a dull, foggy writer, with a bent towards political and Freudian analysis alien to Tolkien's thought. Both books are analyses, not introductions. This one is a general survey of Tolkien's fiction published through =The Silmarillion=. It's been updated with many new references to later scholarship (not always summarized correctly), but there's very little on "The History of Middle-earth" or any other of Tolkien's more recently published fiction. =Tolkien's Art= remains a book from 1979, with none of the change of context its subject demands: to discuss "Imram" today without tucking in a single reference to =The Notion Club Papers=, from which it's excerpted, is inexcusable. I cannot recommend either of these very highly.

As numerous people have mentioned, Tolkien was a Catholic, but I don't think that would have anything to do with why he wouldn't like this deck, as the Tarot was invented and primarily used by the Catholic culture of medieval and Rennaisance Europe. As a historian, he would have appreciated that. This deck makes a mockery both of the ancient symbolism and complex history of the Tarot, as well as the beauty and mythic scope of Tolkien's works. The symbolism is all wrong, the artwork is mediocre at best, and all of the meanings of both Tolkien's works and the Tarot cards are completely twisted and taken out of context. If you are a serious Tarot reader or collector, or have any respect for the venerated author, don't buy this deck.

Okay, I completely agree with the other reviews on this book in that it is completely garbage. I wouldn't buy it if you gave me $100. It's just totally out of the question! I don't see how anyone could publish this(word that I won't write). Just because Tolkien isn't living anymore, doesn't mean people can take advantage of his woks! Pathetic. Thats all I have to say. Pathetic.

Those who have read biographies about Professor J.R.R. Tolkien would know that if he were living he would be absolutley abhorrent of this book. Tolkien was a very religious person, and his religion was Catholic, which is completely against tarot cards. This is the kind of thing that would make him turn-over in his grave. I'm sure that a lot of Tolkien fans would agree with me in saying that Tolkien Enterprises has stooped pretty low in using Tolkien tarrot cards. If Tolkein were alive and knew about this he would be greatly angered. So, please, to all you fans of Tolkien out there, and those who respect his ideas, DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK! IT IS COMPLETELY AGAINST WHAT TOLKIEN STOOD FOR! There are many other good Tolkien books so go check it out for yourself.

A weak and unsustained argument flaws this unimportant wor

This snorefest of a book is chock full of redieration from every other political based textbook I have ever read. This complete waste of a tree, is a pointless exercise in jargon and double speak. Spare yourself hours of trance-like boredom and buy something else.