"In his vision Odin saw a ring, glittering and bright, a thing of great beauty and danger. And the face of a mortal man, stern and beautiful, his fair hair blowing in the wind of battle as the fire-edged sword in his hand rose and fell" So Odin, lord of the nine worlds, saw Sigurd Dragonslayer for the first time. He alone could recapture the ring of power from the cruel dragon Fafnir. In his effort to regain the ring, Odin ensnared Sigurd and the race of the Volsungs in his schemes * for if he failed, it would mean the beginning of Ragnarok, the end of all worlds Set in the savage, beautiful world of Norse legend, this is the epic quest of romance, enchantment, adventure and treachery from which Richard Wagner created his magnificent operatic cycle, The Ring of the Nibelung. William Morris said of the tale of Sigurd, "This is the great story of the North, which should be to all our race what the tale of Troy was to the Greeks."

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and The Silmarillion are some of the greatest tales of good versus evil ever told. From the creation of Arda to the War of the Ring, Tolkien's Middle-earth has seen war and rebellion, devastation and loss, in which the powers of darkness emerged. Here in his latest book, best-selling author and Tolkien expert David Day explores Tolkien's portrayal of evil, and the sources that inspired his work: from myth, literature and history. This work is unofficial and is not authorized by the Tolkien Estate or HarperCollins Publishers.

Fleming Rutledge discovers the deeper religious meaning behind Tolkien's masterpiece.

The first encyclopedic illustrated guide to the world of Middle Earth and the Undying Lands, this book brings together every important aspect of Tolkien's vast cosmology. More than five hundred alphabetical entries cover five major subject areas: history, geography, sociology, natural history and biography. The maps, genealogies and time-charts, together with the illustrations of characters, places adn events, reveal to the reader the full dramatic sweep and splendor of Tolkien's world.

It's good to be bad! You're not evil. You're just...misunderstood. And you're in good company. In The Unofficial Middle-earth Monster's Guide, orcs, goblins, trolls, dark wizards--and on especially articulate dragon--serve as the perfect role models for aspiring evil-doers. Coveting that corner office? Crush the current opponent with your blood-thirsty Uruk-Hai army. Contemplating revenge on a past love? Blast him with a ball of fire--it's really the only sensible solution. Want that kid's cookie? Go ahead and take it. We won't tell. Inside you'll find: • Advice on attacking, defeating, and cooking hobbits, elves, dwarves, and pesky white wizards. • Philosophies of evil from various Middle-earth baddies, from balrogs and orcs to spiders and squirrels (yes, squirrels). • Fashion advice for the well-dressed villain. • Tried-and-true tips on spying, being sneaky, and preparing roast mutton from villains who know. So slip on your new ring of power (it really is quite beautiful, isn't it?) and curl up on the couch with your warg. The Unofficial Middle-earth Monster's Guide is the only compendium of evil you'll ever need to conquer all of life's challenges--and the world.

An insightful companion volume to the original classic designed to bring a thorough and unique new reading of "The Hobbit" to a general audience written by the host of the popular podcast "The Tolkien Professor.O