The Tolkien Reader by J.R.R. Tolkien Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Tolkien Reader
Book Review: Not Lord of the Rings, but Still Good
Summary: 4 Stars
Surprisingly little in this book addresses Middle Earth directly.
In particular, I enjoyed the sections of poetry. Some of these were set in Middle Earth, while some were clearly not.
Furthermore, Farmer Giles of Ham is a comic tale in the spirit of some of the best fairy tales (like Doctor Knowall).
I too found The Battle of Maldron to be less than interesting, but there is so much more to this book that one can skip over it and still find plenty of worthwhile material.
Book Review: Only for Tolkien fanatics
Summary: 3 Stars
I love The Hobbit, the LOTR, and even Tolkien's translation of the Middle English poem "Sir Gawain and the Greene Knight." However, I was less than excited by the Tolkien Reader. His play about the Battle of Maldon (his play from a story from a real old English poem) is rather boring. This is a shame, because I've read the Battle of Maldon in Old English, and it's very interesting. The essay on Fairy Stories is long-winded and cryptic if you haven't read all his references. The Fairy Story itself, Leaf by Niggle, is not great. The Adventures of Tom Bombadil are actually a collection of Tolkien's poems, and only a couple of them are actually about Tom Bombadil. The rest seem to be poems that didn't fit anywhere else, so Tokien pretends that various hobbits from LOTR created them or wrote them down. Farmer Giles of Ham is a pretty good story. Instead of going to Old English for his background (as Tolkien did in The Hobbit and LOTR), he goes to Latin as the basis of the story. It's the only story I actually enjoyed from this book. Now the book itself is a cheap paperback. The printing goes almost to the edge of every page, so there's almost no margin in which to put your fingers. All in all, a disappointing read.Book Review: The Tolkein Reader
Summary: 5 Stars
If you loved "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" you should enjoy this book. The Tolkein Reader contains "Farmer Giles of Ham" a fun story about Farmer Giles, a man not inclined to heroism who captures a dragon of emperial lineage, "Tree and Leaf" with Tolkein's essay on fairy stories and the delightful story "Leaf by Niggle". The Adventures of Tom Bombadil is full of lighthearted poetry. Included are several other stories.My advice? Buy it!!! If you truly enjoy John Ronald Reuel Tolkein's work you won't regret your purchase.
Book Review: The Tolkien Reader
Summary: 5 Stars
I love the Tolkien Reader! It is a wonderful selection of stories and poetry which has been of great use for me as a teacher working with children. Extremely enjoyable reading!
Kick back your hobbit feet and explore the adventures!
Book Review: The Tolkien Reader for Tolkien fans.
Summary: 4 Stars
Like said before, this book is for already established fans of J.R.R. Tolkien. This book includes an essay about fairy stories and Tolkien's thoughts about what a fairy story is and is not. It was a slow read, but interesting to see into his mind and to discover his influences. The highlight of the book for me was the Farmer Giles of Ham. It was a well told story. The adventures of Tom Bombadil were good because it gives you some backstory of Tom. I'm not really a fan of Tom Bombadil, but you can appreciate the thought that Tolkien put into Bombadils poetry/stories. I really believe Bombadil was one of Tolkiens favorite characters.