All entries are clear and concise, and they list the language from which the word comes (if it's not from the Common language) and the page numbers of the specific Tolkien books that reference the word.

Abbreviations are explained near the front of the book... and anyone who doesn't understand that "q.v." (quod vide--"which see" in Latin) is a common publishing abbreviation for "this word is cross-referenced in this very book" can surely figure it out from the context in which it appears.

I highly recommend using this book as a reference while you're reading The Silmarillion, the Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-Earth, or even The Lord of The Rings, although reading it during LotR might indeed ruin some surprises if you haven't read it before. Btw (by the way), it makes the appendices at the end of LotR easier to digest.

Robert Foster has created an excellent book for those that want to know more about Middle-Earth. The information is not only complete and concise, it also includes the book source, the Age, word origin, and translation for many words. This book is so much more than I expected. It has made reading J.R.R Tolkien's works more enjoyable, and has made me better understand the great imagination and depth of work created by Tolkien. Thank You, Robert Foster for creating this fine work so that I can quit leafing through Tolkien's pages for information, and can turn directly to the correct page and information.

This Guide contains the two things most necessary for any serious study of Tolkien's works: clarity and correctness. Foster clearly did a lot of homework when creating this Guide, because it covers all the Ages of Middle-earth and so can be used both by those who have only read 'The Hobbit' as readily as those who, like myself, own and have read almost everything Tolkien has ever written.

When I need to know some fact about Middle-earth and don't feel like hauling out the appropriate book, I turn to Foster's Guide -- you should, too.

"Art of Fellowship of the Ring" seems somehow to be a bad title for this book: It implies that this is about art, but it's actually concept art. To be precise, concept drawings and sketches of costumes, places, and bizarre inhuman creatures all through the stages of their creation.

We're given in-depth studies of places like Rivendell, Lothlorien, Bag End, Bree, and the various sketches of what worked and what didn't (such as a tree-dwelling in Lothlorien that looks like a hatrack with lanterns on it). The costumes: the simplicity of the little hobbit outfits, the Byzantine splendor of Boromir's garb, the ultra-elaborate Elven costumes of Arwen and Elrond, and the spiky armor of Sauron from the beginning of the film. There's a section on weaponry, on the various incarnations of Narsil, Sting, and Legolas's quiver. There are glimpses of the various orcs, how they evolved from almost ratlike creatures to steel-jawed monstrosities to the ugly things in the movie; of the evolving appearance of the Ringwraiths (one of whom looked eerily like Emperor Palpatine); of the Balrog and the tentacled Watcher (who is shown in his various states). And captioning nearly every photograph is an insightful comment from the appropriate person who worked on that, be it costuming, weapons, or CGI.

There are all sorts of goodies for people who liked the visual richness of "Fellowship of the Ring." Concept art is always great to look at, and seeing all sorts of subtle variations on stuff in the movie -- like the floorplan of Bag End -- is absolutely wonderful. Sometimes there are several, even dozens of concept sketches, like the various incarnations of the Watcher (a really gross squidlike thing that looks almost spiderlike at times), weapons, and even dozens of pipes!

Perhaps the main drawback of this book is that the costume part is a little (pardon the pun) sketchy. Each character (with the exception of Arwen and Galadriel) gets a page at best, half a page at worst. There are usually only a couple of sketches of clothing, and we never get to see how, for example, Aragorn's outfit evolved. But this is somewhat made up for by the glimpses of Sauron's various armor types.

"Art" is a fantastic book of concept sketches. Though it sags a little in that one area, it's enormous fun for the Lord of the Rings fans.

What an incredible book! At 192 pages, this fantastic work by Gary Russell is chock-full of pictures, sketches, drawings and paintings from the wonderful film 'The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Rings.' I have purchased all of the movie tie-in books available and this is by far my favorite. If you are into visuals (and I am), I couldn't recommend this book enough. The back of the book says 'contains 500 exclusive paintings and drawings from the spectacular film" and they weren't kidding!

The book is divided into 4 chapters - Locations, Costumes, Armory and Creatures. The LOCATIONS chapter is by far the largest - with extensive coverage of Bag End and Hobbiton, Bree, Weathertop, Ford of Bruinen, Rivendell, Moria, Isengard, Lothlorien, the River Anduin, Mordor and Amon Hen. One of my favorites is the sketch of the Bag End floor plan (with its pantries and cellars that we don't get to see in the film). There are also sketches of the interior of the Green Dragon Inn (which we never saw on the film but which will hopefully make an appearance on the Special Extended Edition VHS/DVD to be released in November). The COSTUMES chapter shows the various design sketches by Ngila Dickson and Sylvana Sacco. All the main characters (from Frodo to Galadriel to Sauron - as well Gandalf's pipes!) are featured. Costume designer Ngila Dickson also gives snippets on the influences of the costumes as well as the reasons why certain design themes were chosen (e.g. Boromir's Gondorian costume is drawn from Byzantine influences and how Legolas' costume was the most difficult to design). The ARMORY section shows all the various swords, daggers, insignias, shields, etc. carried by the characters. Included are Frodo's mithril shirt and the various armor as worn by Elendil, Elrond and GilGalad in the Prologue. The final chapter, and not the least interesting, is the CREATURES section with its sketches, maquettes, paintings and screenshots of Orcs, Urukhai, the Cave Troll, the Ringwraiths, the Watcher of the Water and the spectacular Balrog. One of the most interesting are the various versions of the Balrog (from more human-like to reptilian to the final version with wings).

What's wonderful about this book is that it really gives you the essence of the monumental task of bringing the films to life. So many talented individuals collaborated to breath life into Professor Tolkien's Middle Earth. Mind you, this book isn't all visuals: each picture is accompanied by the description of the picture, the artist and background information on the picture (e.g. how it was used in the film, why it was rejected, Peter Jackson's ideas). For instance, on his sketch of the Balrog, John Howe describes why he chose to give the Balrog wings (and Peter Jackson's response to it). Alan Lee's beautiful paintings and drawings are also showcased in this book.

If you are a fan of the books and/or the film, are interested in art, or enjoy books with lots (and I mean loads) of wonderful visuals, then I couldn't recommend this book highly enough. I'm already looking forward to The Art of The Two Towers and can't wait to see what Gary Russell has in store for us in the next couple of years!

This book is tremendous! Many of the movie-based books out on the market are very dumbed-down and repetitive. For example, The Fellowship and Two Towers Movie Companion books, the Two Towers Creatures book, etc, all show you about the same things. Sure, they may have a few treats but not worth your 10 bucks.

But this -- this is worth every penny. It's long - about 200 pages I believe, hardback, and contains beautiful illustrations and interesting info on every page. It mostly deals with the artists of the movie describing how they made Tolkien's books into reality.

Thankfully, the main focus is on the art. It's divided into 4 sections:

1. Places -- sketches and full color photos of Lothloien, Moria, and more.

2. Costumes -- detailed pictures of not only the costumes, but alternative designs, pictures of the actors wearing them, etc

3. Creatures -- stunning pics of orcs, trolls, etc

4. Weapons -- I'm not much into this, but it has VERY detailed info about swords and such.

Not only is there drawings, but photos from the movie -- some I'd seen before, some were new.

Overall, I'd say this one of the best movie-based LOTR books out there.

BUY IT!

I was disappointed in the level of detail that is presented in this book. The majority of the book covers various editions of the books that JRRT has published, for the most part they do not have pictures for all of the versions. For those that they do, they have a simple "front view" of the cover, with minimal details on the edition itself.

In addition, I found the sections on the remainder of the merchandise very lacking, considering I had a number of items not even mentioned, and I am a very entry-level collector. For example, I have numerous pewter figures based on Tolkien's works made by the Tudor Mint, and I was hoping to see a large description and possibly even some pictures about the ones that I do not have, for there are many. However, the only section that even mentioned the Tudor figures was a small paragraph, with no pictures, and only 4 figures were mentioned! I have 10 myself.

Additionally, they included a very large and detailed section on the figures and toys based on the New Line Cinema films of this year, which to me are not considered rare of collectible yet, since they are still available at most toy stores. It seems that these were the easiest things to find information on, since they are new, and therefore they put a good portion of that in there. The book should have focused more on things that are no longer in production, hard to find, and had more pictures of these types of items.

There's more I could mention, but this sums up my opinion of it. This book is a good starting point for knowledge of this sort, but it falls far short of the mark.

Not to bad. The book mainly is a picture guide to Tolkiens published works and audio books. There are some pictures of toys past and present. Although I noticed that there were quite a few things they didn't add too the Tolkien line of merchandise. The picture quality is not that great but if your a tolkien or RINGS fan pick it up. It's a good coffee table book.

This book isn't what I expected. It is much more than that. I saw it online and thought it would be a nice text book about my favorite subject, the Lord of the Rings. Instead when I got back from the store where I purchased it I was shocked to see such highly detailed information. This writer has done his homework and I don't think that he has missed anything. You should see the detail in this book. I have much Lord of the Rings merchandise but now it looks like I am really on the hunt (thanks - I can't tell you how THRILLED my wife is) ... This author's autobiograpy of JRR is terrific and he does as nice job discussing the new movie too. He is careful not to give too much away which is a nice touch. It's advertised as having 500+ pictures and that reviewer isn't kidding. It is FULL of high quality, high gloss pics. This book looks pretty expensive and I think although a softcover it is more like a coffee table book. That is where I am leaving mine, for everyone to see. Good Job Mr. Gillam ... I see he has written another book a year or two ago about Space Science-Fiction toys ... my brother is nuts for that 60's stuff so ... I am on the hunt for that one too. (Imagine how happy HIS wife is going to be)

This book remains, as I noted in my March 15 review (based on an earlier edition), the best available cartographical resource for Tolkien's world available, other than Christopher Tolkien's maps. Unfortunately, this book simply doesn't depict Tolkien's Middle-earth with any appreciable degree of accuracy.

All they did was slap a new cover on a work which is now out-of-date. The practice of reissuing popular Tolkien books and tertiary resources like Fonstad's Atlas of Middle-earth is to be expected, of course, since Peter Jackson's movies are going to drive Tolkien-mania to frenzied heights never before seen.

What is good about this book is the fact that Fonstad makes an effort to chart everything in the stories. You have a quick reference which conveys an idea of who went where, when.

But don't accord this book any real authority. You have to double-check everything Fonstad does in order to see where the errors are. Some of the worst examples are her dual locations for Rhosgobel (the placement south of the Old Forest Road is the correct one, according to "The Ring Goes South" in The Fellowship of the Ring), the placement of Belegost south of the Gulf of Lune (Tolkien said it was at about the same latitude as Lake Nenuial in Unfinished Tales), and her shaving 100 miles off the width of Eriador. The gross error concerning Eriador's width affects all her calculations, including the lengths of journeys for Frodo and Bilbo.

Movements for peoples in the First Age are also inaccurate. The Easterlings entered Beleriand in three waves. The Folk of Ulfang crossed the Ered Luin in the path of the Edain, but the Folk of Bor and later Easterlings passed north around the Ered Luin. This information was published in The War of the Jewels, which Fonstad did not use as a resource. In the Second Age, she ignores Unfinished Tales completely and places Thranduil (the son of Oropher) in northern Greenwood, instead of in the southern part of the forest.

Her depiction of Dale's borders in the Third Age is grossly inaccurate, and Druwaith Iaur is placed to the north of where Christopher Tolkien indicates it should be on his map. Many of these errors, by themselves, are small things. But nearly every map has one or more problems with it. In some cases it's obvious Fonstad's research was superceded by later books she didn't have access to. But some of the gaffes are simply inexplicable. It was my sincere hope the errors would be corrected in this edition. But apparently the publisher just felt a new cover would hide the problems.

Is the book worth buying? Sure. Anyone who wants a quick visual reference to Middle-earth will find this volume invaluable. But if you're planning to use it to win trivia contests or argue with your friends over Tolkien minutiae, pray the other people don't refer to the original books.

Tolkien readers need a new cartographical reference. Hopefully, one will come along some day that doesn't look this bad.

Although it's been a few years since I read this book, I've become a great fan of Ms. Fonstad's work. Anyone interested in either fantasy or maps of the worlds they inhabit should check out any title by this author. Ms Fonstad has done her homework, not only in the text of this story but in the layout of the land. This book (and others like it by this author) are highly recommended for those whose fantasy tastes are not fulfilled by the mere description of the land. Ms Fonstad goes into great detail and painstakingly recreates the paths of Frodo and the Fellowship, and also includes detailed maps of the Shire and Battle maps from the First and Second Ages and the battles of Sauron.

The last time I re-read LORD OF THE RINGS I kept this book beside me. Every time Frodo's or Aragorn's journey changed I referred to the maps in Fonstad's book. I understood Tolkien's geography so much better that way. And I got a better understanding of distances and travel time (how far *is* Isengard from Rohan??). The maps are detailed, yet easy to read. Fonstad's text is enlightening as well. Not only are geographical maps included, but also architectural maps: Bag End, Rivendell, and more! For the Tolkien aficionado, Fonstad has mapped the Silmarillion and for the Tolkien neophyte she's included maps that accompany The Hobbit. A timeline of RINGS is included as well - very helpful since Tolkien, unlike Peter Jackson's movie, does not "intercut" between Frodo and Aragorn's stories, but instead spends many chapters with each.

Why is this book better than the maps that Tolkien drew himself for the books? Because Fonstad traces the complete journey in several maps that show topography and routes taken.

I highly recommend trying to read Tolkien's books with Fonstad's maps close by for reference.

This book is a wonderful companion for anyone who enjoyed (or is looking forward to seeing) the movie and would like to know more about how the film came about. The book includes a small biography about Peter Jackson and how he came to direct the all-time most vast filming in movie history. A great deal of information from the pre-pre-production aspects of filming to the 14 months of filming itself to the post-production is detailed. There are lots of pictures and many interviews with the cast and crew. The undertaking of the film was huge and for those unfamiliar with the movie making process, this book will help explain just how monumental of a task THE LORD OF THE RINGS movies were. By only complaint about the book is that it is titled THE LORD OF THE RINGS Movie Guide when in reality it is THE LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING movie guide. There are no pictures and very little information concerning the two yet-to-be-released films that complete THE LORD OF THE RINGS. It doesn't bother me that the information isn't there, but the book should be labeled as such then.

"The Lord of the Rings Official Movie Guide" is a book that covers the making of the motion picture trilogy based on the wonderful books by J.R.R. Tolkien from A to Z. This is the first book of this kind that I have read from cover to cover an I found this work to be thouroughly enjoyable. Brian Sibley, the author of this great guide, did a great job of finding and researching all of this information and did an even greater job by writing it all up in fun, easy to read articles next to gorgeous photographs.

The articles presented in this work cover everything from a biography of Peter Jackson, the director of the trilogy, and how he was inspired as a young boy to one day be a moviemaker. There is also a biography of J.R.R. Tolkien. The book then delves into information about the sets chosen for these films and why and how New Zealand was such a great choice to do the filming of the pictures at. Then there are biographies of each actor that had a main part in "The Lord of the Rings" motion picture trilogy. Then we learn about costumes, make-up, prosthetics, swords, props, and many more things that made up his film. Within all of this information there are great quotes from the actors that were received from interviews by Brian Sibley. The photographs in this book are gorgeous and Brian Sibley was also able to get some original drawings of Middle Earth from artists like John Howe and Alan Lee put into the book.

"The Lord of the Rings Official Movie Guide" is great for a lover of "The Lord of the Rings" movies or books. With great writing and pictures this is fun to look at and read. This book can be read very quickly and easily while being enjoyed. All in all, this is a great book that a fan of the movie or books would enjoy. Purchase this book and you'll experience the motion picture trilogy that you have seen and loved.

Happy Reading!

As a long time fan of Tolkien's magnificent novel and as one highly anticipating the upcoming Peter Jackson trilogy, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book. And, I would have to say, I was not disappointed! This amazing book offers an extensive and informative background to the making of the trilogy - with specific emphasis on the first film, "The Fellowship of the Ring."

Brian Sibley's book has 120 glossy pages and includes beautiful colored pictures that gives us behind-the-scenes glimpses as well as shots from the film itself. The many topics covered include: "From Book to Script" which covers the process of adapting the complex novel into a series of 3 films; "Speaking the Languages of Middle Earth" - incorporating Tolkien's different languages in the film; "From the Director's Chair" - Peter Jackson's perspective; "The One Ring" and "Of Wizard Beards and Elf Ears" - a look at the props and costumes; "A Workshop of the Fantastic" - WETA's special effects role; "Seeing Tolkien's World" and "Fantasy to Reality" - artists Alan Lee and John Howe's significant contributions to the film visuals, characters and sets as well as the role of the art department; and, most significantly, "The Fellowship, Friends and Foes" - casting info and an introduction to the principal actors of the first film.

I do have to point out that Tolkien's notable creatures - such as the Balrog and Gollum - are not shown anywhere in the book. I'm sure they were purposely (understandably) omitted to preserve the element of surprise for the first film. It also appears that this book may just be the first of a series by Brian Sibley, primarily since it only covers topics relevant to the first film (for instance, pictures of Bernard Hill who plays "Theoden," Miranda Otto who plays "Eowyn" and other actors and locations from the 2nd and 3rd books are absent in this book). Though it is not explicitly mentioned, I would have to assume that there will be similar movie guides released in 2002 and 2003.

These points noted, I have to stress that this is a thoroughly enjoyable and informative book and I could not recommend it highly enough. This is a book that any Lord of the Rings or film fan should be without!

'The Fellowship of the Ring Visual Companion' is obviously a very beautiful, well concieved and put-together companion to Peter Jackson's adaptation of the books, and would work best with either people who have not seen the movie and have limited knowledge of the plot, or those who have seen the movie and want to find some little extra details on the characters and locations. Apart from adding it to their collection, I can't see any seasoned Tolkien-fans finding any new information in his book, especially if they've been tracking the progress of the movies on television documentaries or in magazines.

The book is divided into sections, starting with a brief history of the One Ring and the Last Alliance, and continuing with the species of Middle Earth, followed by characters of this particular race and the places in which they live. For example, Chapter Three begins with a brief introduction to Elves, then follows with biographies of Elrond, Arwen, Legolas and Galadriel, with Lothlorien added in. The last segment is dedicated to 'The Dark Powers', in particular the Ringwraiths and the various types of orcs.

Jude Fisher obviously knows her stuff, and somehow manages to stay true to both the movie and the books without contradicting one or the other. She adds in small details and features of the places and characters that were not (and presumably will never) be mentioned in the movies, such as Sam's father's name, the nature of the Istari, Elrond's ancestry and the symbolic nature of the Evenstar, and how it is also Arwen's second alias. There are also many insights into the character's personalities that may not have been entirely obvious to the average movie-goer, such as Elrond being Arwen's father (believe it or not their relationship was never specified fully in the movie - though Arwen mentions 'my father', she does not name him) and Pippen's innocent nature as the youngest of the hobbits. Also, weapons of each characters and their different attributes and strengths lent to the quest are described.
Furthermore, there are several quotes scattered throughout the book in italics, some directly from the movie and some from the books (although these ones may have come from deleted scenes).

The real reason for getting this book however, is for the photographs. Most (not all) are entirely crisp, clear beautiful movie stills or publicity shots of the characters and locations that cover either a whole page, are spread over two pages, or are clips added within the text. Features such as make-up, set design and costuming become even more awe-inspiring when seen up close. However, some are a little fuzzy - mostly the screen shots that cover two pages, and the one of Lothlorien (in my edition at least) has a strange violet print in the lower right hand corner. It doesn't effect any important details, but it still shouldn't be there.

Finally, there is a fold out map in the centre of the book, which is a little difficult to fold back into the book since the edges of the map must be carefully slipped into the spine lest the pages fold. However, the map is useful and the pictures lovely.

Just for interest's sake, owners of this book might want to turn to page 29 and the picture of Boromir. He is clearly wearing a different outfit from the one he wore throughout the entire 'Fellowship' movie - is this perhaps a picture from the Two Towers when he features in a flashback? There are many other pictures within the book that also might either belong to deleted scenes or the next two installments of the trilogy, such as Arwen standing in Rivendell on pages 40-41 and the Fellowship readying the boats in Lothlorien on pages 44-45.

Over all,I think this is
a very great book. It is telling details that I did not even knew afte reading the books,about the characters - what`s their real names (if they`re called something else),their personality,their origin,etc.
It is also a great information resource on the different cultures of Tolkien`s Middle Earth (the hobbits,the elves,the dwarfs,etc),and what makes them different from each other.
With lots of good photographs from the film,as well as citations that describes the characters,it becomes an interesting and entertaining read.
But is it complete?
The answer is NO!
Where are Gollum,Balrog,King Celeborn,the Misty Mountains,and the mines of Moria?
They`re not here,anyway!At least not much info about them. The two first guys are not included at all. And more info about them would have been very nice.
Let`s hope Gollum is included in the companion volume of "The Two Towers". Balrog is still left forever. A pity!
Therefore,my rate on this book is four stars and not more. Still,it is the best visual guide to Peter Jackson`s film available.

This book is full of great pictures, and that's the obvious reason to buy it. For the fan of the movie, this is a must-have. For a fan of Tolkien in general, this is a must-have. Our house has two whole shelves dedicate to books by, about, or inspired by, Tolkien.

Purists will note that where the movie departs from the book, this visual guide follows the movie (ie the visual guide furthers the myth that Saruman creates the Uruk-hai, names Arwen's jewel the Evenstar instead of Arwen herself, etc). Purists will also note that there appears to be a great deal of dialogue here that was cut from the theatre release (including Boromir's Dream & Galadriel's presenting of the gifts)--one can only hope they will be reinserted for the Director's Cut version on a DVD!

The book is divided into sections: History, The Free Peoples of Middle-Earth (Hobbits, Men, Elves, Dwarves) The Istari, and The Dark Powers. All in all, a wonderful visual companion for a visually stunning movie!

Tolkien describes the Lord of the Rings as "a tale that grew in the telling", and this is the volume that most clearly illuminates that process. If you are one of us who repeatedly immerse ourselves in Middle Earth, you will find this volume occasionally amazing, occasionally hilarious, and always fascinating. Much of the dialogue in LotR remained unchanged from its earliest drafts, but the characters speaking the words changed dramatically. For example, in his original incarnation, Strider was a road-worn, dark and dangerous hobbit! The meeting at Bree alone is worth the price of the book.

In the sixth volume of The History of Middle Earth, Christopher Tolkien begins to show us the developement of The Lord of the Rings. This volume reaches the point where Tolkien himself stopped his writing for a long time--the Mines of Moria. Although most of the basic themes remain the same throughout Tolkien's creation, one difference in the early version certainly stands out. Not only is there no mention of the Dunedain, but Aragorn himself is now a hobbit called Trotter whose real name is none other than Peregrin. Also, many of the hobbit names were different and continued to shift back and forth until the present names were finally accepted. I recommend this book to all Tolkien fans, but especially for those who loved LOTR.

. . .for anyone who wants to understand the thought processes behind the greatest exercise in fantasy fiction of all time.

In preparing this volume (and the others in the series) Christopher Tolkien has permitted us access to the inner workings of his father's thought, as the story which ultimately became "The Lord of the Rings" gradually evolved and took shape.

Any aficionado of "The Lord of the Rings" will delight at the early character portrayls of characters like Farmer Maggot and Treebeard (and not the least, Trotter the hobbit whose character ultimately morphs into that of Aragorn).

This book is also highly recommend for any student of language and literature and any budding novelist.

Thank you, Christopher, for your labor of love on behalf of your father.

It is not surprising the creator of Middle Earth, and the father of the fantasy genre, would create such an elaborate, creative collection of Christmas stories for his children. This book is a nice addition to my library, as it contains the text of the letters, as well as Tolkien's hand-drawn illustrations and North Pole post markings.

While this book does not relate to his Middle Earth universe, it is easy to recognize the origin of some of its characters. The goblin attack on Santa's cellar presages the Goblin-Elf wars in Lord of the Rings. Santa's elf-secretary Ilbereth is the obvious progenitor of the ancient elf-queen Elbereth. We even get a glimpse of elvish writing and the goblin alphabet!

If you have the chance, buy the new revised version of this book. I have the 1991 reissue edition. It is only 48 pages long, and omits the letters from 1920 - 1924 and from 1939-1942 . The new edition is one hundred pages longer and contains previously unpublished material.

This is a really lovely little book with Professor Tolkien's characteristically magical water color and ink illustrations and his sweet-natured, witty commentaries about life at the North Pole. Meet Father Christmas on his home turf and get to know his friend Great Polar Bear. Through a series of letters that Father Christmas sent to the Tolkien children we are treated to an insider's look at all the magical preparations for Christmas as well as a glimpse of what life is like for Father Christmas during the rest of the year. This book is a fun, hands on treat for the imagination with its realistic envelopes and letters that you can actually remove and read for yourself. These enchanting letters were, of course, delivered by Elf Messenger and if you are lucky perhaps you will have a copy of this book delivered to you or someone you love.

The beloved J. R. R. Tolkien, author of "Lord of the Rings", wrote and illustrated them a variety of letters to friends and relatives in honor of Christmas season which is now Christmas past. His ornate and fanciful handwritings are works of art in themselves and add to the whimsy of his handcrafted tales and fables. At this point there are four or five editions of the Father Christmas letters in print. From the miniature which weighs three ounces to this one which is a full by nine inches by twelve inches. This Houghton Mifflin revised 1999 edition is a tall book filled with full-page glossy reproductions with previously unpublished material. One young woman who was about to have her first child last year asked me about J.R.R. Tolkien's relationship with his family, in a way this is one the best ways to find out as you see the love and care that he put in to the production of these items, which he wrote only to amuse his family and not for publication. Humphery Carpenter in his 1977 authorized biography of J, R.R. In a way Tolkien's early work sort makes me think of Beatrix Potter though it looks nothing like her work, but then again they were both world builders of sorts Tolkien includes a wonder description of Tolkien not having enough money to take his children on a train ride instead taking the down to the train station to wistfully watch the trains come and go. Though I am not the worlds greatest collector I have to say it is wonderful feeling to have all of the editions to sort of play with. Lucky 157 Pages, Color Drawings

Bilbo Baggins Goes to College - well, sort of. How about, Ralph Phillips goes to Wizard's College? A fun romp.