The People's Guide to J.R.R. Tolkien

Rating:
Summary: This book is completely misnamed!
Review: I bought this book expecting it to be what its title says it is: a GUIDE and introduction to the work of J.R.R. Tolkien. Well, guess again! This is NOT a "People's Guide," nor is it any other kind of "Guide." It is simply a collection of essays in which a group of fans associated with the website http://www.theonering.net spout their personal opinions on various issues connected with the books and movies. This book does NOT provide any sort of "Guide" to Tolkien, nor is it an introductory work by any stretch of the imagination. It actually presupposes a substantial amount of Tolkien knowledge, and those who lack that are not likely to get much out of reading it.

I'm sure this book will be enjoyable for many readers, notably those who are big fans of the website for which its authors write. I found some of the material in it entertaining myself. But I must strenuously object to its has being so misleadingly titled. With the burgeoning popularity of the books bolstered by the release of the Peter Jackson films, I'm concerned that there may be lots of people new to Tolkien looking for something to read that will help them make sense of it all, who will be attracted to this book because of its fallacious title. To anyone who is new to Tolkien's world, I can't emphasize more strongly that this book is NOT going to help you become oriented to the history, geography, mythology, of anything else concerning Middle-earth...or do much of anything else other than confuse you.

Fortunately, the helpful folks who put out the "For Dummies" series have risen to the challenge and provided a REAL guide to Tolkien's work, which I HIGHLY recommend to anyone who is looking for a clear, systematic introduction to Tolkien: The Origins of Tolkien's Middle-earth For Dummies. I would urge bewildered Tolkien newbies to check out that work and stay away from this one for the time being.

Bottom line: this book will be amusing reading for some Tolkien geeks, but I think anyone who is not already pretty well versed in Middle-earth lore would be much better off investing their money in the "For Dummies" book than buying this one. And to the publishers of this book: if you ever put out a second edition, PLEASE give it a less misleading title!

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable for What It Is
Review: I found this book to be fairly enjoyable with some thought provoking ideas. I would not recommend it as the first book to read about Tolkien's works (such as Shippey or Humphrey), but as an adjunct to primary sources. Others have compared it to Harvey's Origins of Tolkien's Middle-Earth for Dummies, but I found that strewn with errors which detracted from the experience. Not so with this book. I did enjoy some of the writers over others, but the mix of ideas kept me reading.

Rating:
Summary: Web Postings about LOTR
Review: I purchased "The People's Guide to J.R.R. Tolkien" thinking I would find interesting facts and information regarding Mr. Tolkien. I was very disappointed and afterward felt that this book's title was very misleading since the book is mostly about LOTR and not Tolkien himself.

It is compilation of comments that are posted on a LOTR web site. As you would expect, there is little information that could be accepted as reliable. The writing style is difficult at times and occasionally very arrogant.

There is very little about Tolkien himself in the book. What it does provide in lieu of information about Tolkien are many opinions about LOTR books and movies. In fact, it spends a great many pages providing reviews of Peter Jackson's recent films.

It appears that little effort is made in the production of this book other than organizing the web postings into categories and adding cartoon illustrations of LOTR characters.

Regardless what the title suggests, this book doesn't provide information about J.R.R. Tolkien.

Rating:
Summary: Mistitled and unneccesary, though not terrible
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this, it is really great. The TORN staff do a great job compiling some of the best stuff from their website for this. I couldn't recommend it higher.

Matt Tinaglia- editor of Parma Endorion and Understanding Middle-earth

Rating:
Summary: People's Guide a must for Tolkien fans
Review: If you are a fan at all of Tolkien's works and those inspired by him, this book is one of the best collections of thoughtful, artistic writers expressing the impact of the Professor's influence I've ever read. Their perspective on Tolkien's world come first-hand from those who were fans long before the films made Middle-earth so popular. It's a bonus that they are closely connected to the filmmakers; which only adds to their insight. Their moving entries span from humorous to emotional. There's something for everyone here. A must for Tolkien-lovers.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent resource for fans
Review: Of the many Tolkien-related books that delve into the world behind the Ring, this is one of the best. For once it is not the pontifications of some philosopher marginally acquainted with the world of Middle-Earth, but the work of intelligent "geeks," well-thought-out and in-depth, and consistently interesting.

The articles are clear-headed and thought-provoking, covering everything from Tolkien himself, to his beliefs, to the movies, to the themes of the books, and even a very nice Q&A at the end.

An added bonus is the sheer accuracy of information presented. I for one have found mistakes in nearly every Tolkien resource I've ever read, but _The People's Guide_ is totally accurate.

Perhaps _The People's Guide_ is a bit more informal than most of the stuff on the shelves, but it is an easy and engaging read, yet by no means shallow. I would recommend this book to anyone seriously interested in the world of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Rating:
Summary: NOT a People's Guide to Tolkien
Review: This book is just a collection of notes made by some web group's members where they tried to express their own personal experiences in life with Tolkien's work. I don't really care what some "theonering.net" web group members have to say about the 3 movies, Tolkien and "Yin and Yang" or judgments about sub-cultures created after "The Lord of the Rings" was written. This book just doesn't match with the title and it is certainly not for beginners like me.

Rating:
Summary: NOT a People's Guide to Tolkien
Review: This book is just a collection of notes made by some web group's members where they tried to express their own personal experiences in life with Tolkien's work. I don't really care what some "theonering.net" web group members have to say about the 3 movies, Tolkien and "Yin and Yang" or judgments about sub-cultures created after "The Lord of the Rings" was written. This book just doesn't match with the title and it is certainly not for beginners like me.

Rating:
Summary: A pretty good website in print
Review: This volume, an essay collection not a "guide" of any sort, is a selection of the offerings at the website TheOneRing.net. Web essays can be entirely different in print. What seems friendly and informal in phosphors can look bumptious on paper. And do we really now need to preserve in book form reviews of Jackson's first film that speculate what the sequels will be like? But despite erratic coverage there's some good stuff here, more of it about Tolkien than about the films, earnestly and engagingly written, often on-target and at worst honestly wrong. All five of the cutely-bylined authors, from "Tehanu" to "Quickbeam", are capable of fine insights, and they know their Tolkien. If you want paper copies of Tolkien web material, this is some of the best.

Rating:
Summary: A pretty good website in print
Review: This volume, an essay collection not a "guide" of any sort, is a selection of the offerings at the website TheOneRing.net. Web essays can be entirely different in print. What seems friendly and informal in phosphors can look bumptious on paper. And do we really now need to preserve in book form reviews of Jackson's first film that speculate what the sequels will be like? But despite erratic coverage there's some good stuff here, more of it about Tolkien than about the films, earnestly and engagingly written, often on-target and at worst honestly wrong. All five of the cutely-bylined authors, from "Tehanu" to "Quickbeam", are capable of fine insights, and they know their Tolkien. If you want paper copies of Tolkien web material, this is some of the best.