I only have one complaint about The Road to Middle-earth and that is that Shippey doesn't concede an inch to Tolkien's non-Anglo-Saxon influences. The only real flaw in the book is the fact that the reader can easily be led to believe that everything Tolkien put into The Lord of the Rings was drawn from something in Anglo-Saxon history or legend.

As long as people keep an open mind, however, The Road to Middle-earth sheds light on some of the most obscure details and references in Tolkien's work. Shippey admits in the foreword he may be stepping across the line, since Tolkien himself warned the author against reading too much into anything. But the ride is fun and in Shippey's whirlwind fashion the reader is treated to a torrent of near-mystical adulation for one of the 20th century's greatest authors.

The writing is straight-forward and well within the reach of most readers. One of the pitfalls of literary scholarship which Shippey avoids is an overdependence upon jargon. He knows his audience wants to read more about Middle-earth and less about what fancy words critics are most apt to use.

And despite Shippey's own tendency to accuse Tolkien of deception, he pounces with delightful vengeance and righteous anger upon many a critic who has sought to lay low the immensity of Tolkien's creation. One needn't agree with everything Shippey writes in order to appreciate the passion he has for Middle-earth, or the intense loyalty the writer feels toward Tolkien himself.

Of all the Tolkien commentators who have ever dared put pen to paper, T. A. Shippey is most probably the best qualified (after Christopher Tolkien) to say anything at all concerning how Tolkien may have viewed his creation, or what Tolkien might have intended to say between the lines.

Tom Shippey's book focuses on the creative process leading to LOTR and the Silmarillion and draws from all of Tolkien's other works as well as a variety of other appropriate works that were familiar to Tolkien. It is dense with interesting information and analysis, and was quite engaging for a work with a rather academic focus. The book is wide-ranging covering topics from the philological origins of Tolkien's names and languages to the various types of literature from romantic to epic to lower modern forms represented by the various characters and passages, to the possibly religious aspects of Tolkien's story and the various compromises he made in the process of finishing his never-finished work (And many other aspects, as noted in previous reviewers' comments). "Much food for thought" is an understatement. Shippey's book is a must-read for any true Tolkien fan.

This is one of the best books I know. Far superior to The History of Middle-Earth (which, though superbly informative, can get very dry, and makes one wonder how many real-world histories and/or mythologies have got this detailed a treatment of their creation).

I got this as a present when I was 13. It was my first introduction to Tolkien's 'scholarly' side, and I found it fascinating and accessible even though I was young, inexperienced with academic writing, and English isn't my mother tongue.

12 years later I am still reading it. Through the years new aspects of the book have opened up; Prof. Shippey's writing is the very best of academia, erudite in a way which makes the layers upon layers of accumulated knowledge open up like the rolling meadows of Rohan (say).

I have even started doing academic work myself on some issues which concerned Tolkien - and Shippey remains my great, solid stepping-stone (whoops, online alliterative reviews?) to understanding Tolkien and Tolkien's sources of inspiration and academic interest.

Christian Mythmakers is a good overview of some of the thoughts and ideas of various Christian fantasy writers. While the chapter on John Bunyan is basically little more than a summary of Pilgrim's Progress, the rest of the book is interesting and thought provoking. The chapter on Charles Williams is a "must read" for anyone interested in or confused by Williams' work.

This book is a fascinating look at ten Christian mythmakers, that is authors who have used the power of myth to convey Christian truths in a new way. The narrative begins with John Bunyan and his seminal Pilgrim's Progress, continues through George Macdonald, G.K. Chesterton, Charles Williams, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and finishes up with Madeleine L'Engle, Walter Wangerin, Robert Siegel, and Hannah Hurnard.

Professor Hein begins with a short biography of the author, and then proceeds to explain the author's work, examining its theology and significance. I found this book to be quite fascinating, with the author giving me a look at these masterpieces of Christian literature in a way that I had never thought of before. If you are a fan of any of the authors above, then I highly recommend that you get this book!

I had the privilege of taking courses under Dr Hein in the early 90's at Wheaton. He is a very knowledgeable teacher and has great affection for the people he is writing about in this book. If you have any interest in these authors, this book is a must read. I wasn't aware that he had written this book when I came across it looking for books on George MacDonald and C.S. Lewis. As an Economics major, I somehow ended up taking four Lit. classes from Dr Hein because he is such a good instructor and passionate about his subject matter.

I read this book a long time ago - in the early 80s - but still remember and recommend it to anyone interested in personality theorists, such as C.G. Jung. Rather than critique its strengths , weaknessed, accuracies, and inaccuracies, I'll describe its impact on me. Prior to it reading, I'd spent a hour or 2 reading about Jung by way of a undergraduate Psych Class. The summer after I read it, I worked my way independantly through the index to and about a third of the text of Jung's collected works, and all of the popular Jung ("Man & his Symbols", etc) I could find. It drew from love of Middle Earth, introducing me to a larger, equally numinous world.

Study of the correlation between Carl Jung's theory of the collective unconscious and J.R.R. Tolkien's mythology for Middle-earth. The author was Professor of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership at the United States Military Academy

I am currently reading this, borrowed from the library, and looking to buy a copy for myself (that's why I'm at this site).

This is a remarkably intelligent book, yet written in a light and friendly way. Can't urge you enough to read it, but if you don't you're missing out!

A full review to follow soon . . .

Published in 1975, this is a good collection of essays about Tolkien's fiction given that the essays are ostensibly written by "fans" rather than scholars. A few of the essays are, it must be conceded, naive in style and scope-- like the one which makes the rather obvious claim that the main theme of the Lord of the Rings is that "power corrupts". Quite a few others, however, are quite insightful, particular Charles Huttar's article on "Hell and the City", Robert Plink's analysis of the "Scouring of the Shire" chapter, and Richard West's analysis of the 'interlace' structure of The Lord of the Rings. Also Bonniejean Christiansen's article on the characterological differences between Gollum that were produced by the *major* revisions of the "Riddles in the Dark" chapter of the Hobbit is extremely valuable-- both for what she has to say about Gollum and for the fact that she offers side-by-side quotations from both the first and second editions of that chapter so the reader can see what has changed from one to the other.

Quite surprisingly, these essays aren't nearly as dated as a lot of other Tolkien criticism that came out at the same time or earlier. (The publication of Carpenter's biography of Tolkien in 1977, as well as the posthumous publication of the _Silmarillion_ and then later of Tolkien's letters has rendered a lot of older Tolkien criticism out-of-date or irrelevant). In fact, these essays are just as good and insightful as a lot of Tolkien criticism being written now (in fact, they're better than a lot of it!). The main reason for their continued relevance, I think, is tha they are clearly focused on Tolkien's fictional *texts* as texts that can be analyzed on their own terms. Rather than delving into lots of biographical details, into questions of authorial intention, trying to place The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings in the context of _The Silmarillion_, or connecting them to Tolkien's alleged goal of creating a 'mythology for England', these articles focus on specific chapters, images, themes, and structures from The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, this gives them a kind of 'permanence' that other earlier Tolkien criticism has lacked. (Also, I think the emphasis upon Tolkien's texts themselves leads to more insightful analysis than the biographically-oriented authorial-intention-minded criticism that's still dominant among Tolkien criticism). It's a real shame this has gone out of print...

. . .including the first version of Bilbo's finding of the Ring!

By now, all hobbits know that the original story which Bilbo told his friends (and set down in the Red Book) about the finding of the One Ring was, shall we say, a unusual departure from the truth on the part of a very honest hobbit. What most hobbits probably don't realize, however, is that Bilbo's original story is once again available. Bonniejean Christenson presents an excellent essay detailing the original story of the Riddle Game -- and the subsequent changes over the years.

This essay is one of several in this worthy volume, written by lovers of Middle Earth and compiled by Professor Jared Lobdel. Of further note is an excellent guide to names from "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings". Considering the hobbitish interest in geneaologies, nomenclature and familiy trees, this index is indispensible.

This hobbit highly endorses this book.

Professor Jared Lobdell has, in this volume, collected a number of excellent critical essays relating to the writing of JRR Tolkien, one of the most interesting being Bonniejean Christenson's excellent work "Gollum's Character Transformation in 'The Hobbit'" (Note: not every essay is necessarily worthy of 5 stars!).

Professor Lobdell has also provided an informative introduction, and a Guide to Names which will prove helpful to Tolkien scholars.

It's a shame that this volume is out of print. Serious Tolkien scholars will wish to find a used copy.

We had this as a reference book for a course in Microwave engineering and was used in a design problem. This is not your leisure book that you can just browse! You have to have advanced calculus/electromagnetism background to understand the concepts.

The book covers all the basic antennae theory and types to topics ranging to radar design.

This is a must have for any RF design engineer.

Since most of the RF jobs in US are with defense and companies like Lockheed Martin and you have to be US citizen to get such jobs, I had to opt for computer networks for graduate studies in US, otherwise I'd have ended up as a RF designer myself.

I would normally rate such a book as five stars, but I've given it four stars to draw some attention that this book is not so easily comprehended as two preceding reviewers suggest. Indeed, the book is well written and organized. However, I think the level of mathematics used is that of advanced calculus. I believe this book is intended for a senior EE or EE graduate student. However, it is not all mathematics and there is still much to be learned about antennas from the book without having had exposure to some of the mathematics used. If you are in doubt, you might consider an alternative before purchasing this book, or at least purchase it with the thought of returning it within a 30 day inspection period.

I found this book to be very helpful and to the point on mostof the material. I thought the math, when given, was quitestraightforward, and the author was sure to explain the actual meaning of the math in quick to understand terms. I have only had this book for two days, and have already been able to walk away with a good bit of knowledge END

I recommend this book for any Tolkien fan!

This Book is worthy of every reading award the is, this book is pure exlence

"The War of the Ring" is the third installment of Christopher Tolkien's "The History of The Lord of the Rings" series, and the eighth volume of his massive "The History of Middle Earth".

Like the two volumes before it, Christopher Tolkien takes the reader on a detailed journey of the creative processes through which "The Lord of the Rings" came to be. Of particular interest in this book:

The development of the "Paths of the Dead" story.

The development of the character of Denethor, Steward of Gondor.

The development of "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields".

The development of the story of Shelob and Frodo's capture.

It's unfortunate that Christopher Tolkien was unable to finish "The History of The Lord of the Rings" in three volumes, so the reader is left with the story still unfinished. It is also worth noting that these books, especially as they proceed to the end of the story, do not simply rehash the final work. If sections of a chapter underwent little or no evolutionary development, they are treated briefly. The greatest attention is paid to those episodes which were written and re-written, often in very different ways.

I was somewhat disappointed that the theme of Gollum's "near repentance" was not treated in detail, as JRR Tolkien felt that this was a key turning-point in the story. But again, if an episode underwent little development, Christopher did not spend much time on it.

Five stars -- and another "Thank-you" to Christopher for this labor of love on his late father's behalf.

I felt that the first three writers were the strongest. Mintzberg promotes an idea that leader is just a role in his advocated all mighty manager. Zaleznik brings this down with his idea that managers and leaders are different kind of people and talk about managerial mystique. But maybe best advice how to solve present leadership dilemma comes from Kotter, who says that companies should pick up talented individuals and then put them to grow into leaders through tough challenges.

Gives an insightful view of a manager's job. It enunciates traits and behaviors of leaders and managers very well, and explains how it is important for a manager to have both traits. The material triggers a manager to look within to understand one's leadership and managerial styles. If one wishes to change or develop leadership and managerial skills this material is a great beginning.
It also points out that organizations and academic institutions are good at developing organizational specialists but not at training managers. The author thinks that these institutions should provide management programs that also focus on developing leadership and managerial skills. But to do that it's important to understand what managers and leaders really do.
Overall a very good read for a traditional manager to be introspective and effective.

Excellent book with eight fantastically different views on Leadership. Describes fundamental differences between leadership and Management and brings forth thought process which can help professionals in all fields. Contents are 1) The managers Job (folclore and fact), 2) What leaders really do, 3)managers and leaders (are they different), 4) The discipline of building Character, 5) the ways CEO's lead (5 different ways gathered from study of 160 CEO's),6)The human side of management, 7) the work of leadership, 8) whatever happened to the take-charge manager, also contains brief background about the contributors. Each chapter is from a different contributor

Patrick Curry has given Tolkien readers (both admirers and critics alike) something to celebrate and much to chew over in writing this book. The book, though short, is actually an outgrowth of a paper he wrote for a Centenary Conference on Tolkien in 1992. This tome is a fairly complex read and is rather ambitious in its scope. Curry aims to answer bedeviling questions such as why is Tolkien such a modern day success when his books have nothing to do with modern day preoccupations such as sex, murders, money,or lawyers? More to the point, in Curry's own words he asks us,"What are millions of readers from all over the world getting out of reading these books?" I have to hand it to you, Mr. Curry, this is a very interesting question to ask.

Curry's book is divided into a lengthy introduction, four chapters,and a modest ending of roughly 15 pages. The focus of Curry's analysis on Tolkien's popularity centers on Lord of the Rings, since both LOTR and The Hobbit are the two stories that the world has responded to best.

Early on in his introduction, Curry confronts academic / literary snobbery towards Tolkien head on. Most of this criticism is based on the attitude that Tolkien's work is irrelevant in our world because it is seen as nothing more than juvenile escapism that does not deal with any of the problems that plague (or have plagued) our modern day world. Meanwhile Curry tells readers that he intends to look for help in explaining Tolkien's popularity through post-modernist ideas which may in fact refute the very criticisms made by the intelligentsia. He also tackles other criticisms of Tolkien, such as alleged racism,class,oversimplification of good verses evil, etc. An incomplete laundry list of other topics that Curry covers in the book includes: reviewing Middle Earth (especially LOTR)as potentially great literature, exploring LOTR's Christian and Pagan aspects,its spirituality,nature and ecology,comparing magic verses enchantment in Middle Earth,social aspects of The Shire,the idea of wonder and how to invoke more of it in our world,and looking at Tolkien's hope to make a mythology for England.

Since the part title of the book announces that Curry wants to deal with the subject of Tolkien and "Modernity", it would help to give potential readers who may not be familiar with the idea of Modernism a brief synopsis of what Modernism actually is. Actually Curry's definition, that Modernism is

"a world - view that began in late seventeenth-century Europe,became self-conscious in the eighteenth-century Enlightenment, and was exported all over the world with supreme self-confidence, in the nineteenth (century).It (Modernism) culminated in the massive attempts at material and social engineering of our own day. Modernity is thus characterized by the combination of modern science, a global capitalist economy, and the political power of the nation-state."

provides a sufficient explanation, although his idea neglects the notion that various interests in the world may not always be so neatly aligned. However, potential readers do need to understand this idea in order to judge whether they should bother reading this book.

Making my own "world-view" judgment, I do not agree with Curry's pessimism regarding what Modernism has brought us or what it will bring us in the future. However,his use of modernist / post-modernist arguments in trying to explain Tolkien's popularity are both thoughtful and keen.Readers may argue on how solid Curry's arguments are, but I would recommend reading them anyway.

Curry ends his work by speaking of Tolkien's offer of hope without guarantees. Curry invites that reader to think that this statement means that Modernity should be fought by those who are disillusioned with it. But Curry clearly states that Middle Earth offers a vision of peace between peoples, with nature, and with the unknown. Is this book a polemic on behalf of post - modernist leftism? Good question.But ah Mr. Curry, does not the Road ever go on?

At first I thought this book was going to be one of thosecorny, ( ) informative type books. NOT SO! I found it nice, neat, andconsise, with more info than I thought I would find. I highly recomind it to any intrested in Tolkien, for even an old fan like me discoverd things I did not know. Have fun.

The book gives a comprehensive review of the research that has been done about dividends. A great place to start your own research.

This book takes a very in depth view from an analytic standpoint as well as a practical standpoint. The conditions of a Perfect Capital Market are explored and then the realities of today's markets are evaluated with regard to dividend policy. It turns out dividend policy does matter - perhaps that doesn't surprise you but now there is better evidence to support the claims.

I've had this book for years, and I am constantly returning to it. Not only does it have a sound foundation of classic techniques, but it covers all aspects of dining, from how to plan a menu, to preparation of all kinds of ingredients, to setting the table, to basic sanitation and kitchen organization. It really is like a "Joy of Cooking" of cooking techniques.

Outstanding reference for beginners or experienced cooks. Covers everything about basic cooking techniques, sanitation and planning. Takes very basic "core" type recipes and offers suggestions for hundreds of variations. Out of print and hard to find, but well worth the effort. I recommend it highly.