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Rating: 
Summary: A difference in interpretations
Review: I enjoyed this book greatly. However, some people may have been dissapointed in that the paintings may not have coincided with the world they pictured in their imagination. Tolkien's masterful use of the English language and powerful descriptions are done justice in many of these paintings. I find that anyone who has read Tolkien's works forms a very distinct picture in their mind. Even though I may not have visualized some of the scenes and landscapes as they have been portrayed, I found seeing other's interpretations to be an interesting experience. I personaly enjoyed the paintings by John Howe, Ted Nasmith, and Alan Lee.
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Summary: A good gift for a Tolkien-lover.
Review: I received this book as a gift from my sister, and I think that the basic idea for the work is a very good one. However, I don't think that the book on its own merits is enough for anyone who is not a serious fan of Tolkien and most especially of Lord of the Rings. The pictures and descriptions are enjoyable to look over for those who have read the trilogy, but I am afraid that I had hoped for more. The stories that Tolkien wrote are breathtaking, and I had wanted to experience that same kind of emotion when looking upon the paintings. But despite the talent of the artists, I found most of the art to be rather repetitive and rather uninspiring, save maybe one or two. I don't think that they come close to doing justice to the sweeping landscapes and noble figures which Tolkien described in his work. However, I have no idea what kinds of art and artists exist from which to choose, or if there are any comparable books on this subject. I don't think this is the book for you if you are seeking paintings based on fantasy worlds - there are much better ones. But if you are looking for a book for someone who likes Tolkien, I think it's a nice companion to the trilogy and a good addition to any bookshelf of a Tolkien-lover.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful Work!
Review: Paintings of Middle-Earth is a good way to introduce yourself to the inner workings of Middle Earth. Very good!
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Summary: A conflicted "World"
Review: Perhaps no fictional world has inspired as much art as J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth. Unfortunately, a lot of it stinks. The good art is excellent, but plenty is mediocre or just awful, rough-looking futuristic stuff that seems utterly alien to Tolkien's work. John Howe's have the vividity and beauty we expect from him, especially his outstanding picture of Gandalf that inspired the Peter Jackson movie's Gandalf; Alan Lee's are more ethereal and colorless, but still beautiful (especially his Luthien painting). Nasmith's are usually quite good; they're not as good as Howe or Lee, but head and shoulders above average. Goldsmith is fairly good, not exceptional. Michael's Hague's are mediocre, lacking in imagination and sparkle but serviceable. Robert Garland's paintings range between the exquisite (his lovely "Smith" picture) and the cartoonish (his eye-popping "Haven" picture); the same is true of Edelfeldt, who is divided between bad and good. Phenix and Galuidi are just awful, garishly colored and totally unrealistic. Galuidi's Saruman looks like a picture for a D&D game, and his Barad-dur looks like a cheap scifi cover. Each painting is accompanied by a relevant quote or piece of verse, usually an excerpt from the book in question (not just "The Hobbit" or "Lord of the Rings," but other books as well). There are some nice bits of artwork in this book, but only buy it if you can't find Nasmith, Lee, Howe or Goldsmith anywhere else.
Rating:
Summary: well... you know
Review: Some of the pictures here are not that good, but some are VERY VERY VERY amazing! My Mom bought for me as a surprise, and it was a nice surprise indeed. Ted Nasmith's Rivendell is the first one, as far I remember! It's so nice! Get this book fast if you're a TOlkien fan. I was completely amazed when I got this!
Rating:
Summary: Two kinds of people will enjoy this book...
Review: The first kind, those already interested in Tolkien's world, already will know that these beautifully detailed renderings of moments or places from J.R.R.'s world would be facinating and endless. The second group, those who are new to Tolkien's world, will find this a wonderful book full of painting and snippets of text that lift the spirit and inspire the imagination. I would prefer that the book be a little larger and I would have been happy to pay more for larger reproductions.
Rating:
Summary: Howe's excellent, the rest are good
Review: There are 60 illustrations, excellent paintings, with the accompanying text that inspired it. The colours are very well down, and each painting is brilliantly done in terms of publication. There are nine artists represented. These are: Inger Edelfeldt: 7 paintings Tony Galuidi: 2 paintings Roger Garland: 10 paintings Robert Goldsmith: 2 paintings Michael Hague: 7 paintings John Howe:10 paintings Alan Lee: 10 paintings Ted Nasmith: 10 paintings Caro Emery Phenix: 2 paintings My personal favorite is John Howe. He brings out a lot of dark imagery. I don't know why, but Hague's stuff just does not appeal to me. I have seen him do Lewis's Pilgrim's Regress, and some other stuff, and I just don't like his style (also saw his illustrations for WIZARD OF OX). His are of THE HOBBIT. Galuidi has almost a computer generated quality, and his work is especially intriguing, although there are only 2 of his paintings in this collection. Lee is good. All in all, this is a fair book, collecting the paintings of artisits brining about their own vision of Tolkien's classic saga. Over all, a four star book (bumped up one star because of Howe's supreme quality).
Rating:
Summary: Good; some of the paintings inspired Peter Jackson's vision
Review: This is a collection of 50+ paintings based on various works by Tolkien, which fans of Tolkien will no doubt enjoy. It may be of speial interest to those who watched the movies (and who hasn't, who read Tolkien...) as you can clearly see how some of these paintings are replicated in Jackson's movies; it takes but a moment to catch it in the film, but if you see the pictures enough you'll recognize it. The quality of the paintings are uneven, and each one has its favorite. Like many people, I find Hague lacking, but also Edelfeldt, who isn't bad but whose style is not unique enough in my opinion. My favorites, on the other hand, are Howe, Garland, Nasmith, Lee and Galuidi. Garland, my favorite, has a unique and glowing, almost 'mystical' style that does the book justice. Howe's pictures are also intriguing and beautiful, and feel true to the book (and thankfully, he seems to dominate the book in terms of the number of contributions). Nasmith has some splendid landscape pictures, though his vision of the characters leave something to be desired (especially of a fat, distorted Boromir!) Galuidi's sci-fi, computerized style may not appeal to some, but I find them interesting. Finally, Lee's soft watercolors are very appealing, and his vision of the characters is near-perfect (especially Galadriel and Gandalf).
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Summary: A Masterpiece! Really good to help visualize the story
Review: This is really a masterpiece. It helped me to visualize the middle-earth as well as the characters. Different painters have their own perception of a character/location. A must have collection.
Rating:
Summary: Something for everyone
Review: While everyone has their own taste and surely will not like the work of every author included, there is something here for everyone that is a Middle Earth fan. Most notably I find the work of Ted Nasmith, John Howe, Alan Lee, and Robert Goldsmith enjoyable. A big bonus as a fan of the History of Middle Earth and the Silmarillion were the images from those times by John Howe and Roger Garland.
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