The Art of the Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Product Information

Printed on high-quality art paper, this lavish book is ideal for Tolkien collectors, film enthusiasts and art students and finally allows the massive undertaking of making The Lord of the Rings trilogy to be fully appreciated. A Numenorean tile, such as might have been saved from the wreck of Númenor by Elendil, and taken in his ships to Middle-earth. Both his parents died when Tolkien was young and he and his brother lived with a relative and later on, in boarding houses. I instinctively relate to the whole phenomenon that is Tolkien’s Middle-earth, for surely his work bears comparison with the most intricately plotted, most imaginative literature ever written.

He wrote to Unwin that while he was drawing it in black ink "it should of course properly appear in white line on a black background, since it represents a silver line in the darkness. There are a few of his finished paintings, which are gorgeous, but I was hoping to see more of those tbqh. In 1979, Tolkien's son Christopher began the process of bringing his father's artwork to the world's attention, beyond the images already published at that time on calendars, by editing Pictures by J. Alan Lee and John Howe, amongst others, are represented here and provide great insight into the inner workings of both the art and its use within the production. Hammond and Christina Scull, two of the world's leading Tolkien scholars, have edited the book and provide an expert introduction and comments.Turning off the personalised advertising setting won’t stop you from seeing Etsy ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive. Having previously read Gary Russell's the Art of the Fellowship of the Ring and knowing that there are two companion volumes which focus on the second and third films in the trilogy I expected this fourth art of volume to be a sort of mashup of all three books and to contain much of the same content.

My main concern is to try to avoid providing an interpretation of the story which interferes with the pictures that the author is creating; with such rich material there is a temptation to overelaborate and over-design, so it is important to continually check the text—and those vital maps. While this is not a book that would appeal to a casual fan of the work-as the illustrations are mostly sketches and the information is fascinating to those who are huge fans of the work. His images – a total of seven full-page images and 57 head-pieces – are based on original designs by Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. The artwork (and mostly sketches) were produced in high quality here so that is also a bonus because you can really see almost all the details. Clearly, Tolkien's artwork for the Lord of the Rings was never meant to be included in any sort of publication (besides the map), since they aren't more than prepatory sketches.The strength of Tolkien’s work is in its fidelity to its roots, which lie in the legends of the Nordic world. In his lifetime, some of his artworks were included in his novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings; others were used on the covers of different editions of these books. There are more than 150 illustrations throughout the book along with 20 full color plates and many examples of his conceptual art for the films. The American edition replaced the frontispiece with Tolkien's full-colour watercolour painting of the same scene; this was then used in later impressions in England also.

The first great English detective novel, Wilkie Collins’ The Moonstone is presented in a Folio Society limited edition of 750 numbered copies. Also, because my favorite boxed set of LOTR features the dustjackets Tolkien designed, I loved seeing the thought that went into those designs—much more care than I would have imagined! This meant that I could concentrate more on scene setting and atmosphere building, and creating some quieter moments.

If this sounds interesting then you will appreciate this oversized volume that looks into the mind of Tolkein and his notes on developing the greatest work of modern fantasy around.

Even then, the description of various places, like Orthanc, Minas Tirith, the Paths of the Dead, etc. Steeped in unrivalled magic and otherworldliness, its sweeping fantasy has touched the hearts of young and old alike. Given the visual was a key way Tolkien conceived and played out his mythology (sometimes using the visual to work out ideas) this volume is an important part of Tolkien scholarship and one that I will be referring to again and again (I am currently working through the three versions of The King's Letter Hammond and Scull provide in Tengwar). I enjoyed learning about the process-- how Jackson would say, you're all doing the same thing, go wild-- and they would make all these crazy designs like having the Watcher in the Water being a giant seal-- and then they would go back to almost what they started with, but pulling in a few of their favorite details from the wild designs.R. Tolkien, the reclusive, pipe-smoking Oxford don, was in the vanguard, and so great was his achievement that his name became virtually synonymous with the literature of fantasy. However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, are the many scribbles and hurried drawings often found in the margins of the manuscript. Original sketches by Tolkien interleaved with thoughts and quotes describing how Tolkien came up with his creations in Middle Earth. Large format pictorial hardback (black lettering to the spine) in fine condition, no Dj cover as issued, with an illustrated slipcase.