Rating: 
Summary: Suitable for a gift, yet affordable
Review: Alan Lee illustrates Tolkien Ring, with black and white and some color drawings accompanying a literary investigation of Tolkien's inspirations and stories. Suitable for a gift, yet affordable enough for personal enjoyment.
Rating: 
Summary: Writing Not Suited to the Art
Review: as other reviewers have suggested, the book is attractive because Tolkien fans are ravenous for more materials and this book has Tolkien's name on it in big gold letters. However, I must stress that this is not sufficient reason to buy it:Pros: comprehensive discussion of the history of the ring as a symbol in lore and of its use in Tolkien. Also fascinating illustrations by incomparable Tolkien illustrator Alan Lee. Cons: First, to be called Tolkien's Ring, it ought to have more analysis of Tolkien's Ring. On the contrary, it only spends a chapter on that. The title is almost false, so called to attract Tolkien fans. Also, to put it bluntly, Day is boring to read and although the subject matter is interesting, his style is not engaging. It was a decent read, and i recommend it to anyone interested in the history of the use of rings in lore. But Tolkien fans will not learn anything new or interesting about Tolkien or his work.
Rating: 
Summary: interesting, but not particularly well written
Review: as other reviewers have suggested, the book is attractive because Tolkien fans are ravenous for more materials and this book has Tolkien's name on it in big gold letters. However, I must stress that this is not sufficient reason to buy it: Pros: comprehensive discussion of the history of the ring as a symbol in lore and of its use in Tolkien. Also fascinating illustrations by incomparable Tolkien illustrator Alan Lee. Cons: First, to be called Tolkien's Ring, it ought to have more analysis of Tolkien's Ring. On the contrary, it only spends a chapter on that. The title is almost false, so called to attract Tolkien fans. Also, to put it bluntly, Day is boring to read and although the subject matter is interesting, his style is not engaging. It was a decent read, and i recommend it to anyone interested in the history of the use of rings in lore. But Tolkien fans will not learn anything new or interesting about Tolkien or his work.
Rating:
Summary: David Day - "con writer"
Review: David Day lured me into reading this book by putting the name "Tolkien" in it. He's a true con writer, building up the reader's interest until finally he considers us so captivated that he throws a bunch of trash about that evil, intolerant religion - Christianity.
I am most certainly among the elite legion of Tolkien fans. I am also a fundamentalist Christian. Knowing that this was a treatise based on the origin of J. R. R. Tolkien's creative ideas found in world myths and legends, I was very interested. I had never heard of the German Nibelungenlied or the Norse Volsunga Saga before, and so I found "Tolkien's Ring" to be fascinating. So far, I saw David Day as a very witty scholar. But there was one particular chapter that overwhelmed my interest. One quarter of this chapter was dedicated to Tolkien-myth comparisons, while the rest was an argument that the early Church fathers were hostile, "intolerant" (that's an original word), and anti-intellectual in their opposition to metallurgy, alchemy, ophiomancy, Gnosticism, etc. He says that the Christians gave the followers of these cults an image similar to that of Gollum. Well if they worship a ring (as Day himself states) and constantly consult it, is there really a difference?
Is Day aware that Tolkien was a devout Catholic and said that the largest inspiriation for his work was his Catholicism? Maybe, but like Malcom X idolizers, Tolkien-worshipping snobs like Day ignore that kind of stuff.
Rating:
Summary: Writing Not Suited to the Art
Review: David Day, in writing Tolkien's Ring, has seemingly changed Tolkien's written word to suit his purpose. Not only does he make many factual errors about the books by the author of the title, but fabricates evidence and deforms Tolkien. "Sauron of the Evil Eye," says Day, is comparable to "Balor of the Evil Eye," and so forth. Unfortunately, for Day, nowhere in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is Sauron called such, thus making the comparison useless. And so on. There are too many such twistings of the original text to cite, too many of Day's own extrapolations quoted as the truth in The Lord of the Rings, for my comfort. On the plus side, he presents an intriguing collection of stories. Yet knowing how he meddled with Tolkien, I cannot help but wonder if the tales I am reading therein are true to the originals.
The main good thing about this book is Alan Lee's fantastic imagery, which once again shows him to be undeniably the greatest Tolkien artist around. Having portrayed everything from hobbits to bigfeet without ever losing the mythic and ageless qualities inherent in his works, he brings a brilliant touch to the images in this book. If only the same could be said of Mr. Day's text.
Rating:
Summary: Not one to reread
Review: I bought this book because it had the word "Tolkien" in it and I am an ardent fan - however, I was slightly disappointed. There is nothing 'wrong' with the book per se it is just that there is nop information contained within of any lasting value. I have read it in full once but I have never felt the urge (unlike with many of my Tolkien companions) to return to it. To sum up, it is interesting, and perhaps you should get a copy for this reason alone, but I would recommend getting it from a library instead.
Rating:
Summary: Not one to reread
Review: I bought this book because it had the word "Tolkien" in it and I am an ardent fan - however, I was slightly disappointed. There is nothing 'wrong' with the book per se it is just that there is nop information contained within of any lasting value. I have read it in full once but I have never felt the urge (unlike with many of my Tolkien companions) to return to it. To sum up, it is interesting, and perhaps you should get a copy for this reason alone, but I would recommend getting it from a library instead.
Rating: 
Summary: Handy Addition For Your Tolkien Library
Review: I thought this was a really nice little book, easy to read, and full of information on various mythologies and how they may have influenced Tolkien. Tolkien once said that he wanted to develop a mythology for Britain, and his background work in northern European mythology was well-suited. Readers looking for exact, specific references may be disappointed. Christians who want to lay claim to Tolkien's work as a "Christian influenced" work may be disappointed also; there is little of the Bible here since it's influence on the trilogy was minimal.
Rating:
Summary: Handy Addition For Your Tolkien Library
Review: I thought this was a really nice little book, easy to read, and full of information on various mythologies and how they may have influenced Tolkien. Tolkien once said that he wanted to develop a mythology for Britain, and his background work in northern European mythology was well-suited. Readers looking for exact, specific references may be disappointed. Christians who want to lay claim to Tolkien's work as a "Christian influenced" work may be disappointed also; there is little of the Bible here since it's influence on the trilogy was minimal.
Rating: 
Summary: "Tolkien's Ring" a tight fit
Review: J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" is rooted in mythology. That much is evident if you check out just a few Norse legends, with their gods and dwarves and elves and so forth. But in investigating the legends that lead up to "Lord of the Rings," David Day goes wide of the mark. He describes the legends about rings and ancient civilizations, dating back to the earliest recorded history. He dips into legends from all times -- the Celts, Arthurian legend, the Norse legends of gods, elves, dwarves and human heroes, the opera "Ring of the Nibelung," and many others. He includes synopses, analysis, and plenty of speculation. So what does this have to do with Tolkien? Not much, unfortunately. Day flounders in just about every ring-related legend he can find, and cobbles mythical material from every mythology he can get his hands on. Filler makes up most of this . Just because a legend has a ring doesn't mean it's in any way connected to "Lord of the Rings," or that they are in any way the roots of Tolkien's Ring saga. As a result, this book is a crazy quilt that will drive Tolkien fans nuts. Tolkien famously drew on Norse and Anglo-Saxon legends for his books, but not a lot else. Arthurian legend (a sketchy source itself) is cited too heavily, as is Celtic legend. What does the Celtic ogre Balor have to do with Sauron? Uh, well, they both have one eye... they're powerful... they're evil... bingo! says Day. Connection made. Day's scholarly ramblings also have a lot to be desired. He paraphrases things from "Lord of the Rings" without telling readers that he is doing so, and offers his speculation as unadorned fact. He even stoops to trashing Christianity despite Tolkien's devout beliefs. Even legends are misquoted, such as his half-made-up descriptions of the silver horse Grani. No sources, no citations. Those familiar with the background of Tolkien's work will be incensed, and those who aren't familiar will be grossly misled. The saving grace of Day's book is Alan Lee's exceptional artwork, which is elegant and magical as always. But even Lee's wonderful pictures cannot save a fetid, self-important volume with more fiction than fact.
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