The Complete Guide to Middle-Earth - Tolkien's World from A to Z

I have had this book for several years now, enough time for its pages to accumulate all sorts of notes and post-its - in other words, it's an incredibly useful book that I consider indispensable (and unparalleled in its exhaustiveness). As it is encyclopedia-like in nature, it is useful for all the books, but especially for the Silmarillion, with its myriad characters, locations, and creatures. Incredibly thorough, it's worth every penny of its extremely reasonable price.

This book is the best for looking up specific people, places or things found in JRRT's 'The Lord of the Rings.' Even the most obscure item is in this book. I personally think it's better than the encyclopedia by David Day. I even used this book for a report in a class comparing Beowulf to LOTR :) It's just a great book!

Reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy with this book next to me was a whole new experience. There are hundreds of incredibly subtle references that you can shed new light on, and a wealth of background information on every character and culture to be found in the guide. The reason it does not get 5 stars is this: This book is abridged from a similar book released in the 1970's. The older version contains more, unofficial information from various other sources. I was able to find that at an antique store by a stroke of luck, and I found that it was even more helpful, it even had maps showing troop movement at the Battle of Pelennor Fields. So if you find the old version, get that, but if you can't this is well worth it!

This book is really awesome. If you are still rereading LotR or Hobbit, or maybe reading other Tolkien books, this book will help you. Many times I have wondered on what that or that is, so I just took the book and looked it up. This book have EVERY single thing in tolkien's world. it seems to be impossible, but it is so, believe me! You gotta buy this!!!

I have a book stand with all LOTR books... Out of all of them.. This ranks the best as a guide.. (Nothing beats the real books).. It has EVERYTHING of ANYTHING in ALL of Middle-Earth! Like if you were ever wondering.. Who brought the shards of Narsil back to Arnor.. But couldn't figure it out.. It's in the book! Ohtar: Dunadan of Arnor, the esquire of Isildur. He was one of the three survivors of the battle of Gladden Fields, and brought the shards of Narsil to Arnor.

So if your itching for info.. And need the right book.. I say.. Buying this book! It's worth every penny.

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.

The book truly deserves praise. The most wanted quality of a reference is its completeness. I assure you: there are NO entries missing. Places, people, topics and events are ALL present. There are many cross-references that help you find more about a specific subject. I've been in Sciences for quite a few years and read intensively. In many books I've read, the index is often weak and incomplete. As an index, the book fulfills my wishes, everything is there. Furthermore all entries receive a complete description and explains relationships with other subjects. This work is apparently a Ph.D., well it certainly deserves the title.

This is an excellent handbook for any Tolkien zealot who seeks to learn more about Middle-earth. Indeed, it's pretty much ALL here from the practical to the useless. It even makes for an entertaining read by itself if you're as huge a fan of the Master of Fantasy as this reader is, and it will reveal to you in full the complexity and vastness of the place Tolkien's mind produced. It's a very nice addition to any pureblood fantasist's bookshelf.

As a Tolkien-Fan, I found this book very useful.

It gives you that kind of systematic knowledge of Tolkien's world, which is helpful if you forget something, or want to rapidly link characters to places and events.

As every A to Z, it must be understood in the frame of its somewhat limited scope.

I have never NOT found what I was looking for in Foster's book. It is an excellent resource for Tolkien lovers (as I am one) to learn more and understand a little better the world that Tolkien left for us to explore.

Foster's book is an excellent classic reference for 'in-world' information about Middle-earth. For those more inclined to Tolkien's background and contexts, pretty much anything by Wayne Hammond and Christina Scull will provide a great supplement to this book.

This is a very well written though guide book for the Middel-earth world. I personally think that it's great for any one who wants to learn more about the world that Tolkien created. It answers a lot of questions that aren't difficult to understand.

I am 14 years old and this is the best book I have ever read. I read the Hobbit, and now am reading the series. I love this book. It is the best book ever written. I have just started the trilogly, and they are adding up just the same to the Hobbit. This is a reader for all ages.

This is a companion for any serious tolkien reader. After I got it, I read "The Hobbit" for the second time and the Guide threw new light on many of the characters, places and events that I found obcure at first. Page references to several common paperback editions of Tolkien's best books are included. It is intended to be a lightweight, handy, quick reference; so if you expect drawings and pictures you'll have to get another book.

LIVING WITH THE HOBBIT The Hobbit by J.R Tolkien is a very enjoyable fantasy novel. For a reader that loves to get in to a new world, it is a dream. Set in a land far beneath the earths crust, but mostly resembling the world we know on its surface. Thick unexplored forests, tall snow covered mountains, vanishing valleys, rapid rivers and of course unforgettable characters. This world is not lived in by humans, but dwarves, trolls, hobbits, wizards, humans that change to animals, goblins, fairies, elves, dragons, and wargs (vicious wolves). The story begins in our main characters hobbit hole, the hobbit himself. One night a wizard and thirteen dwarves arrive at his hole , and persuade him in to going on a treasure hunt to conquer the dragon of lonely mountain and restore one of the dwarves, family gold. The hobbit feeling adventurous agrees to go on this exciting journey. He soon finds himself sitting upon a mountain pony traveling though mysterious, and vicious lands. The hobbit proves himself a useful "burglar " when he steals from trolls, but soon he becomes more to the dwarves; a guardian. Proving himself brave, when stuck in mountain goblins tunnels alone, fighting forest elves and protecting the dwarves from the dragon, and bringing honor to his party even if it means losing there trust for a period. I believe this is a classic example of a good fantasy novel. The novel includes a driving action plot, taking place in a place that doesn't exist in the real world. The characters are all made believe but they have human qualities. Most fantasys novels I have read include a journey of some kind, emotional or physical. The story includes themes for the purpose of morals and lessons to teach. I think J.R Tolkien is showing us a true moral fiber with this creative story. In the beginning the hobbit is very ashamed of his adventurous spirit, because all his fellow "respectable" hobbit do not share this quality. The hobbit follows what he feels is the right choice and goes on this adventure anyway, even though he faces losing his inherited respectability. After the adventure he returns home, feeling at ease with what he has done and twice as respectable because he earned himself therefore he felt good about himself, less consciences. I think this theme of staying true to yourself even if what it is you possess is not what everyone else has and may not be considered "respectable" is a lesson everyone must learn, old or young. Tolkien also explores the theme of a personal development, with his self-conscience hobbit character. The hobbit worries himself with the way people see him, this makes him a nervous character in the beginning. As the novel continues he is not worried about what his journey mates think of him so he goes through personal development on the journey in the form of battling foreign creatures after each battle he shows a new step in that development . When the hobbit goes home he doesn't worry himself any more. I personally loved this story, and think it is a classic form of the genre fantasy. It is a thrilling tale for a starved imagination. It has many lessons to teach the young or old readers, plus loveable characters!

This is the BEST Guide to the world of Middle-Earth. I'm always looking up names and places, and different things in this book: I always keep it handy. Seriously this is one of the BEST companion LOTR books you can buy! I LOVE IT!

I give kudos for this book. I truly enjoy it. The only complaint I have is I feel it is incomplete. There are characters I'd care to know more about from Simarillion that aren't included. It is a great resource otherwise.

If you read Tolkein, and like to get into the details (or are simply lost in all of the minutia), this book is an excellent guide. It is set up as an encylopedia with page references and helpful explanations. Although it can be a bit obscure at times (like the master himself), it adds another level to reading his works.

This book is perfect if you are abso;uetly obsessed with Tolkien's world, The Lord of the Rings. Gives names of characters mentioned in the books, and characters that arent mentioned. It's the perfect size, and very well written. It may be an encyclopedia, but you can read it like a book and take it all in...

When I bought this book my focus was not on the history (which there was much of), but the elves and their languages. This book contains lots of their words and helpful comments on the origins and developments, but no distinction between the words as to which languages they fit into. Overall helpful as far as history (and very extensive character explanations).

This book is very useful when reading any of Tolkien's books. Whenever I come to a passage where I want to learn more about a certain character, I just look it up in this book. It's a great reference tool for any Tolkien fan!

Great reference source for names, places, and events in Middle Earth. This book is useful for quickly looking up information and getting the facts so you can get back to reading one of Tolkiens works.

Somehow, I was always of the opinion that an explanation was supposed to make things EASIER to understand. Many of Foster's explanations only seem to make things murkier. Witness the first sentence of his description of Sauron: "Ainu, one of the Maiar of Aule." Now, if that explanation means anything to you, you probably don't need the Complete Guide. For the rest of us people who get out sometimes, this explanation is useless. Admittedly, the explanation picks up after a bit, but why force me to wade through a paragraph of gibberish to find out what I need to know. Why not just tell me that Sauron is some really bad guy or something, you know, English. But then again, if he wrote that way, Foster couldn't impress you with his Tolkien Fluency.
Don't impress me. Just tell me what I need to know.
Otherwise, a somewhat useful book.

I haven't read this book, but judging from the idiotic cover picture, and from what people say, I would think this is nothing more than a dictionary to middle earth. Does it include how to speak and translate the Elvish (or the Tengwar-the Elvish form of writing-, or the Cirth-used by most-, etc) language? NO! Does it include J R R Tolkien's amazingly detailed maps? NO! You could merely find out about characters in the MIDDLE EARTH BOOKS!
And what baboon would forget what an Ent is? I would hope that some of you would suggest books with J R R Tolkien's maps, and how to learn Elvish (mwahahaha... think of the possabilities), because that's what I want. I am being critical and calling people baboons of my own free will to insult. I wish the guy made a book like that before he died :'(, cuz I don't want some amatuer writing _HIS_ Middle Earth books, morfing Middle Earth, and trying to draw _HIS_ maps! I definitely don't want middle earth morfed, like how some authors added on to Star Wars, probably changing the attitudes, making up hub-bub and calling it "Tatooin" language.