Middle-Earth companions

[A2Z]

I'm think of getting The Complete Guide to Middle-Earth and The Atlas of Middle-Earth. I'm wondering, if anyone has these, are they any good? If not, what are the companion books to get? Which ones are the most invaluable? There seems to be more than one 'Guide to Middle-Earth' and I want to make sure I get the right one. So if anyone has any suggestions, I'm listening.

 

[qstor]

The atlas of middle earth is great. The author has done the atlas to Dragonlance and the Forgotten Realms as well and does a great job.
I cant speak to the other book. I have an older book called the Tolkien Compendium which is good. Its a kind of encyclopedic dictionary.

Mike

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Not exactly what you're asking for, but Unfinished Tales has some fascinating background material. For example, there is a fascinatingly detailed run-down of where the Black Riders were and when in their pursuit of Hobbits and Aragorn, written by Tolkien, as is everything in the book. Worth picking up if you really want that much detail.

 

[A2Z]

Oh, I have Unfinished Tales. I love it. Now I'm just looking for anything that'll give me more information.

 

[Eryndur]

The Atlas gets a lot of crap thrown at it on Tolkien forums because of some inconsistencies in the mapping (Eriador's width and a double placement of Rhosgobel), but NOTHING is better for getting a good sense of Middle-Earth. The research she did is nothing short of astounding, and although she does extrapolate from some scant resources, the overall achievement is one to behold. I found it invaluable while reading the Silmarillion.

The Complete Guide, by Robert Foster, is hands down the best encyclopedia of all things Middle-Earth. Don't bother with the big coffee-table books. This little guy tells you EVERYTHING you could possibly want to know, complete with page references. I keep it with me every time I pick up a Tolkien book.

 

[A2Z]

Yeah, The Complete Guide, by Robert Foster is the one I was looking at. As for The Atlas of Middle-Earth, I've found two versions. Both are by Karen Fonstad, however one is published by Houghton Mifflin and the other by Walker & Company. Does anyone know of any differences between the two? If not I'll just get the cheaper one.

Also, I remeber awhile back someone mentioned some sort of encyclopedia of the Lord of the Rings. Does anyone know anything about this book? Does anyone have it?

 

[Bass Puppet]

I have...

The Tolkien Companion by J.E.A. Tyler (1976), The Complete Guide to Middle-Earth by Robert Foster (1978) and Middle-Earth Role Playing - The role playing game of J.R.R. Tolkiens world by Iron Crown Enterprises (1986). Besides the Atlas, there is nothing more I need.

oh, and reading the books helps.

 

[SableWyvern]

Re: I have...

The Tolkien Companion by J.E.A. Tyler (1976), The Complete Guide to Middle-Earth by Robert Foster (1978) and Middle-Earth Role Playing - The role playing game of J.R.R. Tolkiens world by Iron Crown Enterprises (1986). Besides the Atlas, there is nothing more I need.

oh, and reading the books helps.

The one problem I had with ICE's MERP line is that they include a lot of little bits and pieces that are of their own invention, and often in complete disagreeance with the actual works (Umli, Olog Hai warlords who rule petty realms before they were even created, etc...), so you have to be careful if you are using them as a reference.

I don't have a problem with them using some artistic licence, but some footnotes pointing out major digressions would have been very handy.

(Edit: Almost forgot my biggest problem with ICE - they use the term dark elf in a d&d sense. That really annoys me).

I found David Day (Tolkien Companion, Illustrated Encyclopedia and an Atlas) to be a good source for light Tolkien reference - ie, well researched, fairly comprehensive and easy reading. Only of moderate value if you're intending to do some serious study, though.

 

[hellbender]

There are two Unfinished Tales books, as well as The Shaping of Middle-Earth and The Lays of Beleriand. The amount of background is amazing, especially considering that the Silmarillion itself is quite an impressive feat.


hellbender