Category Archives: Books

J.R.R. Tolkien’s Beowulf and the Critics (Michael Drout, editor)

Once upon a time – don’t groan please! – there was an obscure Oxford don by the name of J.R.R. Tolkien (at the time that he wrote these volumes, he was basically unknown by anyone outside of England or academia), … Continue reading

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J.R.R. Tolkien’s Narn I Chîn Húrin – The Tale of the Children of Húrin; Christopher Tolkien, editor

Lisa Spangenberg wrote this review. The Children of Húrin is most of all about Húrin’s son, Túrin (better known to Tolkien mavens as Túrin Turambor) and, to a lesser extent, about Húrin’s daughter Nienor, and Húrin’s wife Morwen. It’s a … Continue reading

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J.R.R. Tolkien’s Letters from Father Christmas audio, read by Derek Jacobi

Most children have at one point or another written a letter to Father Christmas (or Santa Claus or Saint Nicholas or whoever brings your presents). Now imagine one day finding a reply to your letter. Not only would that cement … Continue reading

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J.R.R. Tolkien and Baillie Tolkien’s Letters From Father Christmas (Revised Edition), and Letters From Father Christmas, read by The Usual Suspects, Longfellow Books, Portland, Maine, USA, December 16, 2002

Every Christmas between the years 1920 and 1943, the ever-so-blessed children of J.R.R. Tolkien received some of the most unique mail that a child could ever hope for: letters from Father Christmas himself! Beautifully illustrated and delivered in various ways, … Continue reading

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J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien; Humphrey Carpenter, editor, assisted by Christopher Tolkien

Not surprisingly, the Green Man library contains many items related to J. R. R. Tolkien and his works. Tolkien is one of the best creators of fantasy who ever lived, period. And the recent films based on The Lord of … Continue reading

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J.R.R. Tolkien’s The J.R.R. Tolkien Audio Collection [audio, read by J.R.R. Tolkien and Christopher Tolkien]

Rachel Manija Brown wrote this review. This four-CD set from Harper Audio/Caedmon is an odd mix in many ways. All the material is by J. R. R. Tolkien, but only two of the CDs, consisting of excerpts from The Hobbit, … Continue reading

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J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion; Christopher Tolkien, editor

Liz Milner wrote this review. The Silmarillion is often described as a difficult book. This is partly because its first readers went to it with the expectation that it would be an adventure story similar to J.R.R. Tolkien’s other works … Continue reading

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James Goldman’s Robin and Marian, Robin McKinley’s The Outlaws of Sherwood, Richard Kluger’s The Sheriff of Nottingham, Jane Yolen, editor’s Sherwood: A Collection of Original Robin Hood Stories

Take no scorn to wear the horn It was the crest when you were born Your father’s father wore it And your father wore it too Robin Hood and Little John Have both gone to the fair o and we … Continue reading

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Stephen Knight’s Robin Hood: A Mythic Biography

Robin Hood’s a myth, a fiction invented by countless storytellers down the centuries. Sure. Now go ahead explain why, according to the press release that came with this book, he is the only person of a fictitious nature in the … Continue reading

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J.C. Holt’s Robin Hood, and Stephen Knight’s Robin Hood: A Complete Study of the English Outlaw

Take no scorn to wear the horn It was the crest when you were born Your father’s father wore it And your father wore it to Robin Hood and Little John Have both gone to the fair o and we … Continue reading

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