Tolkien's world is a world of imagined archetypes, but it is also a realm for which he drew inspiration from the world's primary myths and legends - sources as diverse as the Teutonic myths as well as national mythologies and romances from countries such as Norway, Iceland, China and India. This companion to "The Lord of the Rings" inverts Tolkien's process and allows the reader to discover the historic, mythological, linguistic, literary and geographical inspirations and sources from which Tolkien wove his original tales. "Tolkien's World" is a comprehensive guide to uncovering the real-world inspiration behind the Gods and demi-gods, races of men, elves and dwarves, wizards and hobbits, creatures and monsters, cities, geography, battles and major events in the history of Middle-earth.

Author Biography

David Day is the author of A Tolkien Bestiary and Tolkien: The Illustrated Encyclopedia which has sold more than 500,000 copies in nine languages since publication. He has published more than 20 other books in the fields of poetry, ecology, natural history, fantasy and mythology, and a number of award-winning children's books. His lavishly illustrated book on myth and fantasy lore, and castles, includes tales of the castles of Middle-earth. David Day lives in London.