An illustrated A-Z guide to the names, places and events in the fantasy world of J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien's fantasy works "The Hobbit", "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Silmarillion" have delighted millions of readers over the years. Middle-earth, the world in which the stories take place, is as real and complex as our own. Events, geography and names were created with care and loving attention by Tolkien, who wanted every single detail of his books to fit into their total pattern. A belief in perfection, the fun of the sub-creation and the desire to create something totally convincing involved him in map-making, endless charts of dates and events and the development of his many invented languages.

Author Biography

Robert Foster has become well-known through his guide as one of the foremost authorities on the world of J.R.R. Tolkien. He was an Assistant Professor of English at Rutgers College, New Jersey. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he received his MA and PhD in English and Medieval Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. He was a consultant to the Tolkien Society of America and his Guide to Middle-earth, punlished in 1971, resulted from his work of tracing the etymology of names used in JRR Tolkien's books.