Special thanks to:
for designing Xenite.org's graphics
Most of this page has not been updated since late 2003, possibly longer than that. It has been restored for historical purposes, and because we're tired of looking at 404 error entries in our server logs. Obviously, a lot of people thought very highly of the original directory. We hope these links are still good. Most of them should be, as they were quality sites to begin with.
Please use the Contact Us! form to notify Michael or the Administrators of any broken links you find. We'll fix them as soon as possible. Please do NOT ask us to add your site to this directory. It is EXTREMELY exclusive, and sites are added only on the basis of an editorial evaluation.
And please do not mention the Encyclopedia of Arda to us. We know about it. That site is a very unreliable source of information because A) many of the entries remain incomplete and B) many of the entries contain incorrect information. You have to be an expert with the books in your hands to figure out which entries are trustworthy. The scope of the project is commendable. The research is not.
General Resources which don't (yet) fit in other categories
A comprehensive guide to Tolkien research resources on the World Wide Web, with articles on what to look for and how to evaluate a Web site's usefulness.
Resource for Dwarf-players in RPGs, but contains a Khuzdul dictionary, message board, etc. The site uses frames and has an entry page here. The design requires a large screen resolution (10224 x 768) but is otherwise very pleasing to the eye.
Sitio muy bueno de Tolkien. Sobre todo actualizaciones sobre noticias de la película. Incluye un foro. Mi conexión se rompió mientras que miraba el sitio. El otro contenido que no sé alrededor todavía.
French fans of Tolkien should appreciate the resources on this site, which contains the most popular (perhaps only) French-language message board for discussion of Tolkien's works.
Web site for English 318: J.R.R. Tolkien, taught by
Dr. Jane Chance, Professor of English at Rice University, specializing in mythology, medieval literature, medieval women writers, etc. Note: this site was created for a class taught in 1997.
I don't read Russian, but it looks like an extensive resource with information on linguistics, a chat room or discussion board, news, background info, etc. I know at least one of the areas is a translation of Tolklang resources. I don't know if any of the material was used by permission but copyright notices imply there was some effort to do it right.
Gene Hargrove leads the reader through an interesting review of LOTR's poetry and lyrics, providing anecdotes and background material about Middle-earth history and cultures. This site is a must-read for fans of Tolkien and Middle-earth.
Extensive collection of essays and other information gathered from around the Internet (with permission). Many resources are en Francais and in English. More are to come.
The author makes and sells swords and armor and appears to have some connections with the Society for Creative Anachronism. This Web site is a legitimate tribute to Tolkien but the author also provides links for you to order his replicas. The research is good, but there are some ideas embedded in the designs which I feel are not consistent with Tolkien -- they are, IMO, too medieval and not Middle-earthian (for instance, the reproduction of Anduril is far too short). Nonetheless, the page is worth reading and the pictures of the reproductions are interesting.
Saggio di: Michael Martinez
Tradotto da: Giuseppe Truono
Italian fans will hopefully enjoy this translation of "A Brief History of Arda" from Parma Endorion: Essays On Middle-earth. I don't read Italian, though.
Reviews, in German (Deutsch), of all the books in The History of Middle-earth series. May be a good site for Tolkien fans in Germany who want to investigate serious scholarship in Middle-earth and how Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.
Contains translations of various essays, possibly some original content, and an E-zine you can download. Possibly the best source of Tolkien and Middle-earth resources for Italian-language fans.
My collection of essays on the geography, history, cultures, mysteries, and wonders of Tolkien's Middle-earth. Includes "A Little Bit Of Hobbit Lore", "Things You Might Not Have Known About The Northmen", "The Wonders of Middle-earth", "Planning The Middle-earth Wedding", "What Does An Elf Do In Aman?", "What Does A Woodman Do All Day", and others.
The 3rd Edition was released as a free eBook. You should not be paying for it from any source.
Erik Tracy and I don't always agree on Tolkien's intentions, but his scholarship cannot be questioned. This is an excellent selection of essays and articles on J.R.R. Tolkien's world.
I wrote a column about Tolkien and Middle-earth here every month (it used to be weekly). Visitors are encouraged to post comments, rate the articles, participate in any polls which might be running, etc. I have since moved on.
Okay, I HAVE updated this page a LITTLE. The Suite101 essays have been copied onto MERP, and there are new essays at MERP which have not been published through Suite101.
Andrew Nimmo of Australia has presented a thoughtful review of Tolkien's Thomistic influences. Thomism is the school of thought deriving from the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas, and it is concerned (at least in part) with the states of man. Tolkien did speak of different states and natures in some of his correspondence.
This is a very lengthy essay I contributed to Middle-earth at the Vault. The Vault site is where Sierra Games have set up their message boards and news pages devoted to Middle-earth Online, the new Internet game being developed. The essay covers a lot of ideas and is intended to provide a foundation for discussion by fans who do and do not have all the books.
Ninni M. Pettersson describes the contents of the twelve volumes of Christopher Tolkien's exhaustive study of how The Silmarillion and The Lord of The Rings came to be written.
Possibly the most thorough treatment of the Bombadil question, this site also provides links to other Web sites that discuss Bombadil. Gene Hargrove is the author.
Small but nicely arranged resource with text and pictures. The author is not a native English-language speaker, so some grammatical errors exist but the text is legible.
Linguistic Resources Devoted To Tolkien's Languages
Articles from the Tolklang mailing list wherein Appleyard provides an extensive analysis of Quenya grammar (proposing some extensions to the language), a similar article on the Black Speech, and a translation into Quenya of the Annals of Valinor. Appleyard's work is regarded as controversial.
Don't be deceived by the title. Although much of the content pertains to MERP gaming, there have been many articles of general interest to Tolkien fans who don't role-play. Contains an archive of past issues.
Extensive resources for players of Iron Crown Enterprises' MERP game. This is an unofficial site, not affiliated with Iron Crown Enterprises or Tolkien Enterprises.
Decipher makes collectible card games and they won the license for the collectible card game associated with the Peter Jackson movies (this is not the maker of Middle-earth: The Wizards -- that was Iron Crown Enterprises, who have since gone out of business).
