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Summary: The best companion available!!!!!
Review: This is without a doubt the best companion that you can buy to Professor Tolkien's writings. Everything is referenced and professionally cited. Steer clear of JE Taylors guide books. They have lots of unverifiable made-up information with horrible references that are located at the back of the book which makes it even harder to verify the "fiction" he mixes with Tolkien "fact".I also recommend Christopher Tolkien's "Index to the History of Middle Earth". You can use this to cross-reference all 12 volumes of the History of Middle Earth. This can be purchased through Amazon UK.
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Summary: The Best guide to understanding
Review: Wonderful.....It explains Tolkien perfectly. A big help from The Silmarillion To The Return Of The King !!!! Worth the money.
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Summary: Best "Glossary" Written
Review: This book has been THE reference book to use for years. I used to consult Foster's earlier edition (before the Silmarillion was published), then replaced that edition with this one. It remains the only book you'll need (in addition to Tolkien's works, of course.) Only minor detail I have ever found is that Foster says that "half orc" isn't used in LOTR's. It is. I'll let you close readers find it for yourself.
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Summary: The Best Tolkien Guide
Review: This is the best guide to Tolkien's world published in encyclopedia format. It has even been cited by Christopher Tolkien as an excellent resource. It has detailed explanations of every character, place, etc from the Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit, and the Silmarillion. If you are constantly forgetting who Gamling is, or what year Odo and Primula Baggins died in the boating accident, this is the book for you. The best feature is the page references in each entry. These help in checking the facts for yourself and finding pesky quotes. Although it has not been updated to take into account the material published in Unfinished Tales or the History of Middle-earth series, it is your best buy for Tolkien reference materiel. Most of what you need will be at your finger tips.
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Summary: You need to be a tolkien head to understand the explanations
Review: Somehow, I was always of the opinion that an explanation was supposed to make things EASIER to understand. Many of Foster's explanations only seem to make things murkier. Witness the first sentence of his description of Sauron: "Ainu, one of the Maiar of Aule." Now, if that explanation means anything to you, you probably don't need the Complete Guide. For the rest of us people who get out sometimes, this explanation is useless. Admittedly, the explanation picks up after a bit, but why force me to wade through a paragraph of gibberish to find out what I need to know. Why not just tell me that Sauron is some really bad guy or something, you know, English. But then again, if he wrote that way, Foster couldn't impress you with his Tolkien Fluency. Don't impress me. Just tell me what I need to know. Otherwise, a somewhat useful book.
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Summary: A Must Have
Review: Once you get past the initial reading of the Hobbit and LOtR and you're ready to go further into the world of Tolkein, this book is a necessity. I couldn't have gotten through the Silmarillion without it. Very in-depth and easy to read, there wasn't a name or place I was confused about that wasn't listed. Very helpful--I recommend it to all those who think that they might have a hard time keeping names or places straight or who are just interested in the more in-depth stories of characters or events.
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Summary: A must-have!
Review: For any serious Tolkien fan, this book is a must-have. Robert Foster provides concise, accurate descriptions of almost everything having to do with Middle Earth. The guide is very easy to use and includes page references and helpful appendices.
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Summary: Invaluable
Review: Author J.R.R. Tolkien worked on his incredibly complex, vivid invented world his entire life. Now, with the epic movie trilogy hitting theaters, the books are getting the royal treatment. But even if you're a longtime fan, this book is an invaluable tool if you can't remember what the heck Angmar was or who Elendil was. From A to Z ("Abyss" to "Zirakzigil"), Foster carefully includes entries from the LOTR trilogy, the Silmarillion, the Hobbit, and lots of other books by Tolkien. He carefully includes dates, when people were born and died, translated names (Legolas's is "Greenleaf," Tom Bombadil's is "Old--without father"), and what language those names are in. For the sake of clarity, he also includes a timeline up until Elrond was born, and then several of Tolkien's created family trees. (Who was Elrond's great-grandpa?) If you simply can't remember something -- like Aragorn's many and varied names, what Gandalf is, what the Elvish name for hobbits is -- then this can refresh your memory. While there are a few inevitable errors, Foster is exceedingly careful and faithful to Tolkien's work. If it's set down in here, you can bet that it's correct. The one slightly distracting aspect of this book is that the characters with two names are listed by their given name, not family name. So Frodo Baggins is listed under F, not B; Sam Gamgee is under S, not G. So if you're a fan of the books, just getting into them, or even have only seen the movies and want to understand Middle-Earth a little better, you should definitely check out "Complete Guide to Middle-Earth." For anyone who enjoys Tolkien's work, it's a keeper.
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Summary: Indispensible and a handy guide
Review: When reading Tolkien even veterans can't remember every single family tree, every remote hobbit, and every elven knife. Unlike some resources like the atlas, the guide is quite easy to use while reading any of Tolkien's works. It works just like a dictionary and provides clear, concise information regarding the subject at hand. If the description isn't sufficient, at the end of each entry is a listing of where the name appears in all of Tolkien. Simply the most comprehensive, trusted, and necessary resource for any Tolkien readers... don't worry Tolkien veterans, even you are excused a few lapses. After all, who really knows what "Cermie" is ( the seventh month of the Kings' and Stewards' Reckonings and the fourth of the New Reckoning, corresponding roughly to July) (pg. 86)
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Summary: Good reference for tolkien readers!
Review: This book is very useful when reading any of Tolkien's books. Whenever I come to a passage where I want to learn more about a certain character, I just look it up in this book. It's a great reference tool for any Tolkien fan!
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