The Road to Middle-Earth
 First edition | |
| Author | Tom Shippey |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Middle-earth |
| Genre | Literary criticism |
| Publisher | Allen & Unwin |
Publication date | 1982 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| ISBN | 978-0-261-10275-0 |
| OCLC | 60000827 |
The Road to Middle-Earth: How J. R. R. Tolkien Created a New Mythology is a scholarly study of the Middle-earth works of J. R. R. Tolkien written by Tom Shippey and first published in 1982. Two further editions extended and updated the work, including a discussion of Peter Jackson's film version of The Lord of the Rings.
Book
Synopsis
The book discusses the sources of Tolkien's inspiration in creating the world of Middle-earth and the writing of works including The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.
A recurrent theme is that of Tolkien's detailed linguistic studies (particularly of Old Norse and Old English) and the creation of languages (such as Sindarin and Khuzdul) which feature prominently throughout his works. This was informed by Shippey's tenure at the University of Oxford, teaching the same syllabus as Tolkien at a time when Tolkien still spent time there.[1]
Publication history
In Great Britain, the book was first published by Allen & Unwin in 1982. The book is published by Houghton Mifflin in the United States.
The second edition, published by HarperCollins in 1993, included discussion of the 12-volume History of Middle-earth edited by Tolkien's son Christopher Tolkien.
The third edition, published in 2003, added a chapter on Peter Jackson's film version.
Reception
The revised and expanded edition published in 2003 was well received by critics who said of Shippey that, "he writes with unusual clarity and presents his arguments well".[2]
Awards
In 1984 the book received the Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies,[3] an award "given to books on J.R.R. Tolkien ... that make significant contributions to Inklings scholarship."[4]
See also
- J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century, a book by Shippey about Tolkien published in 2000
References
- ^ "Publication information for The Road to Middle-earth". Houghton Mifflin. Retrieved 2009-09-01.
- ^ "Publication information for the 3rd Edition of The Road to Middle-Earth". Harper Collins. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2009-09-01.
- ^ "Mythopoeic Awards - List of Winners". The Mythopoeic Society. Archived from the original on 2014-10-10. Retrieved 2009-09-01.
- ^ "Mythopoeic Awards - About the Awards". The Mythopoeic Society. Retrieved 2009-09-01.