Heroes of the Valarian ages : the Valar and Maiar -- Heroes of the ages of stars : Eldar and Sindar -- Heroes of the first age : Elves and Edain -- Heroes of the second age : Noldor and Numenoreans -- Heroes of the third age : Part 1. Dunedain and Dwarves -- Heroes of the third age : Part II. Hobbits and Dwarves -- Heroes of the third age : Part III. Hobbits and Dunedain

Petty explores why J.R.R. Tolkien's works continue to resonate with new generations of readers as she reveals the underlying themes of his timeless classics. Illustrations.

Throughout this vast and intricate mythology, says Publishers Weekly, "one marvels anew at the depth, breadth, and persistence of J.R.R. Tolkien's labor. No one sympathetic to his aims, the invention of a secondary universe, will want to miss this chance to be present at the creation." In this capstone to that creation, we find the chronology of Middle-earth's later Ages, the Hobbit genealogies, and the Western language or Common Speech. These early essays show that Tolkien's fertile imagination was at work on Middle-earth's Second and Third Ages long before he explored them in the Appendices to The Lord of the Rings . Here too are valuable writings from Tolkien's last years: " The New Shadow," in Gondor of the Fourth Age, and" Tal-elmar," the tale of the coming of the Nsmen-rean ships.

The book opens with an introduction to the various parts and chapters of The Lord of the Rings and links this to a subsequent A-Z section, divided into sub-sections, e.g. beings, places, events, writing, themes. The last part of the book is a brief biography of Tolkien, with information on his professional life, his friends (such as C.S. Lewis and the Inklings) and the shape of his thought and work. This is a refocused and updated version of his earlier book, Tolkien and Middle-Earth Handbook (Monarch, 1992).

Tolkien's works are punctuated by dramatic and explosive battles. Men versus Orcs, Elves versus Sauron, Goblins versus Dwarves - the history of Middle-earth has seen some of the greatest characters pitted against each other time and time again. From the iconic battle of Helm's Deep to the Destruction of Isengard, The Battles of Tolkien analyzes each battle in depth, with clear maps showing the lay of the land, and exactly how and where the armies attacked. This is essential reading for anyone who loves Tolkien's works and wants to explore the wars within them.

In" One Ring to Bind Them All," Anne Petty shows that when viewed through the combined methodologies of Joseph Campbell, Vladimir Propp, and Claude Levi-Strauss a folkloristic/mythic structure is seen to underlie Tolkien's epic work. "The Lord of the Rings" is 20th-century mythology manifested in the familiar pattern of the three-stage hero quest made popular by Campbell--departure, initiation, and return--and in the elemental motifs of folktales, as discovered by Propp and expanded upon by Levi-Strauss. This cross-disciplinary analysis shows that Tolkien presented to modern readers and other writers a rich array of reinvented mythic archetypes and icons.