Description: The definitive critical study of Tolkien's greatest works and a timely companion to the world of Middle-earth. The core of the book examines Tolkien's novels as linguistic maps with meaning and myth, and products of Tolkien's experiences as a combat veteran and artist.
Brief description:
Tom Shippey taught at Oxford University at the same time as J.R.R. Tolkien and with the same syllabus, which gives him an intimate familiarity with the works that fueled Tolkien's imagination. He subsequently held the chair of English language and medieval literature at Leeds University that Tolkien had previously held.
Review Quotes:
"He is of all writers on Tolkien the one most worth reading" -- David Bratman, Mythprint
"Professor Shippey's commentary is the best so far in elucidating Tolkien's lovely myth." Harper's Magazine
"Authoritative and timely." Boston Globe
"Wonderfully readable...Shippey makes an impressive case for why the creator of Middle-earth is deserving of acclaim." Publishers Weekly
"Shippey is a rarity, a scholar well-schooled in critical analysis whose writing is beautifully clear." Minneapolis Star-Tribune
"Delightful exploration of the relationship between Tolkien's fiction...scholarly work and the mythical, linguistic and philosiphical history underlying both." Salon
"[Tolkien] deserves his full due, and Shippey's appreciative assessment of his unique achievement provides it in full and satisfying measure." Philadelphia Inquirer
"Shippey presents a remarkably insightful account of the origins of Tolkien's use of language and myth." The Chicago Tribune
"Full of things-we-hadn't-known...As scholarship, it's one of the more enjoyable works I've run across." The San Diego Union-Tribune
"[Shippey] deepens your understanding of the work without making you forget your initial, purely instinctive response to Middle-earth and hobbits." The Houston Chronicle
"An invaluable study...It illuminates the text and enables the reader to better appreciate the works under discussion." The Washington Times