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thebookishell's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
Wirklich informativ und toll anzusehen, wie sich die Geschichte und Gestaltung entwickelt und gegenseitig beeinflusst haben.
Tolkien war ein besserer Künstler, als er von sich glaubte.
Etwas störend ist, dass oft über Bilder geschrieben wird, die sich auf anderen Seiten befinden und man dadurch viel hin und her blättern muss, um mitzuverfolgen, um was es gerade geht.
Ansonsten ein sehr schönes Buch, auch einfach nur zum Schmökern.
Tolkien war ein besserer Künstler, als er von sich glaubte.
Etwas störend ist, dass oft über Bilder geschrieben wird, die sich auf anderen Seiten befinden und man dadurch viel hin und her blättern muss, um mitzuverfolgen, um was es gerade geht.
Ansonsten ein sehr schönes Buch, auch einfach nur zum Schmökern.
ladyvictoriadiana's review
5.0
A beautiful book with many reproduced drawings and sketches by JRR Tolkien. A must-have for every Tolkien and Lord of the Rings fan.
eatreadgamerepeat's review
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.0
I wasn't sure what to expect from this one. I got this book by accident when I wanted to buy a different book and idk it said Lord of the Rings so I was intrigued so I kept it. I did enjoy it overall, it had some nice little tidbits of information I didn't know and the art that was there was pretty - but there wasn't as much art as I thought there would be - like a lof of the art was JRRT writing in elvish or Dwarfish and a lot of sketches on scraps of paper. Like yea it was interesting but I also expected a bit more?
siili's review against another edition
4.0
A great book for all Tolkien fans. The pictures Tolkien drew while he was writing "The Lord of the Rings" are more like sketches and doodles in miscalleneous papers that helped him to plan the story and also how it's places would really look like as he said he didn't have time nor want to fully illustrate "The Lord of the Rings". Map sketches and book cover desings are very cool looking and also all the other stuff will certainly satisfy any Tolkien fan who likes to know more about his works.
rivensbane's review
3.0
Enjoyable enough, but not entirely what I was expecting when I purchased this.
It's mostly full of half-finished scribbles and sketches drawn by Tolkien, a lot of which were more of a look into his thought process as he wrote than actual pieces of artwork he intended for others to see. There are a few of his finished paintings, which are gorgeous, but I was hoping to see more of those tbqh. Additionally, the dialogue felt? a little bit redundant. I would have much rather had a book full of his finished LotR artwork, especially considering the price tag ($50) of this one... yowch.
It's mostly full of half-finished scribbles and sketches drawn by Tolkien, a lot of which were more of a look into his thought process as he wrote than actual pieces of artwork he intended for others to see. There are a few of his finished paintings, which are gorgeous, but I was hoping to see more of those tbqh. Additionally, the dialogue felt? a little bit redundant. I would have much rather had a book full of his finished LotR artwork, especially considering the price tag ($50) of this one... yowch.
oftheabyss's review against another edition
4.0
This one didn't have quite as much charm as the Hobbit art book for me because it had a lot less actual art and a lot more just rough sketches with less of a balance between text and images which made this one more slow to get through. But the art is really interesting to see and it's all very well researched and compiled. I love the maps and dust jacket designs especially.
magglett's review
5.0
This was so interesting! It's incredible how much time and detail Tolkien put in to the maps and buildings in Middle Earth. It was really cool to see his development of places and the different little drawings and details that went into the story. I loved this!
talkingmongoose's review
5.0
This is basically just an additional, gorgeously presented, extended appendix for The Lord of the Rings based on Tolkien's doodles. Honestly, that guy would scribble on anything. From what I gather, he spent most of the time writing his masterpieces on scrap pieces of paper.
evamadera1's review
5.0
I. Absolutely. Loved. This. Book.
First, I am obsessed with anything Lord of the Rings related. It is hands-down, no questions asked, my favorite book ever.
Second, in all that I have read about both Tolkein and all things Middle-earth related, I have not been able to figure out why I love this mythology so much. Then I picked up this book. Reading about the effort that Tolkein put into his book helped me understand how it is so much more than a book; it is a work of history, only slightly fictionalized.
Third, this book helped me understand why I reacted so viscerally to many of Peter Jackson's "artistic liberties" with both Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. (Especially the Hobbit, my loathing of Peter Jackson's manipulation of Middle Earth to fit his whims reached new heights with the second and third installments.) Tolkein invested his heart and - if possible - his soul into creating this magnificent mythology. He put all the work into finding The Story. I liken it to a miner finding a vein of gold. Tolkein found and traced out the entire vein. Jackson plunged willy nilly into the tunnel causing the whole thing to implode.
In case my opening sentence was not quite emphatic enough, I LOVED THIS BOOK!
First, I am obsessed with anything Lord of the Rings related. It is hands-down, no questions asked, my favorite book ever.
Second, in all that I have read about both Tolkein and all things Middle-earth related, I have not been able to figure out why I love this mythology so much. Then I picked up this book. Reading about the effort that Tolkein put into his book helped me understand how it is so much more than a book; it is a work of history, only slightly fictionalized.
Third, this book helped me understand why I reacted so viscerally to many of Peter Jackson's "artistic liberties" with both Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. (Especially the Hobbit, my loathing of Peter Jackson's manipulation of Middle Earth to fit his whims reached new heights with the second and third installments.) Tolkein invested his heart and - if possible - his soul into creating this magnificent mythology. He put all the work into finding The Story. I liken it to a miner finding a vein of gold. Tolkein found and traced out the entire vein. Jackson plunged willy nilly into the tunnel causing the whole thing to implode.
In case my opening sentence was not quite emphatic enough, I LOVED THIS BOOK!