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Tom Shippey's new Tolkien book now available for advance order - Lord of the Rings news - J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings

June 24, 2000 at 04:53:18

Professor Tom Shippey, probably best known among Tolkien fans for The Road to Middle-earth, has written a new book titled J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century, which is now available for pre-order on Amazon.Co.Uk.

The book covers Tolkien's three most well-known books, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.

Through seven chapters Shippey looks at hobbits and "other magical creatures", the quest of the Ring, what Shippey perceives to be Tolkien's views of good and evil, and how Tolkien's stories are relevant to the 20th century audience. Shippey also examines Tolkien's impact on the modern fantasy genre.

The Road to Middle-earth examines Tolkien's background and how it led him to write The Hobbit and how Tolkien's other works combined to create a mythic universe. Shippey explores the languages behind Tolkien's Middle-earth, the core of the author's keen sense for developing intrinsic names and phrases which seem "real" to his readers.

Another title published by Shippey is The Oxford Book of Fantasy Stories, where the former Oxford professor who followed in Tolkien's professional footsteps assembles 31 fantasy stories from the late 19th century and throughout the 20th century.

Fans who are curious about Professor Shippey will have an opportunity to see him on videotape at The Tolkien and Middle-earth Track at Dragoncon. Shippey was interviewed for an authorized video biography of J.R.R. Tolkien (along with Verlyn Flieger, and several of Tolkien's children) for the production. He discusses the impact of Tolkien's love of language on The Lord of the Rings.