[.ca] Tolkien Bestiary (ISBN 0517120771)

THE MONSTERS OF MIDDLE-EARTH:
"A bestiary is a book about beasts," writes author David Day in the introduction to his own splendid addition to that unique literary genre, a class of books that has come down to us from the medieval imagination and refuses to be extinguished by modern science altogether. And Day's book is indeed about the beasts and alien life of Tolkien's wonderful world (fire-drakes, dwarves, giant spiders, elves, eagles, orcs, trolls, ents, half-orcs, and of course Hobbits, to name but a few), but it is so much more as well. Intermingled with all the articles and descriptions about Middle-earth's various monsters, animals and even races are valuable nuggests of information and history tied in to virtually every facet of Tolkien's beloved dreamworld, plus a quality map of Middle-earth and a pair of timelines helpful for sorting out some of the historical background at a glance. Turning through this book's beautiful pages is not only an opportunity to savor monsters of myth and magic, but a chance to see how the various elements of a great writer's imagination all fit together to create one of the most enduring literary landscapes of all time. Be that as it may, it is still a book that fulfills its face purpose masterfully. The alphabetized catalogue of Middle-earth's legendary denizes is written in a clear, rather academic but eminently friendly and engaging style that makes reading its contents an easy, almost compulsory task. The illustrations, both color and monocrhome, are eye-catching, classy, and distinctive. Perhaps too distinctive for some tastes; attractive as the pictures are individually and as a whole, they are highly stylized and often quite unrealistic. Those who are accustomed to more true-to-life pictures may not be satisfied with much of this book's otherwise outstanding artwork. Overall, however, the book is both visually appealing and intellectually stimulating, and one that most any Tolkien devotee or fantasy afficianado should enjoy through many repeated perusals. Definitely recommended.

The Perfect Tolkien Companion:
A Tolkien Bestiary is certainly an indispensable work for any Tolkien devotee, and helps one get to grips with the elaborate world of the Undying Lands and Middle Earth. If you want to do some research into a topic related to Tolkien's world, the Bestiary provides a perfect source, without having to spend ages flipping through the pages of 'The Hobbit', 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'The Silmarillion'. Furthermore David Day, brings these works together, and presents the whole picture of Middle Earth. One intriguing way in which this is done is through three beautifully illustrated sections in the book which trace the history of Tolkien's world, from the 'Vision and Creation of Arda' to the 'Departure of the Ringbearers'. A Tolkien Bestiary is a highly comprehensive work, with maps, timelines and genealogies. If one refers to the 'Genealogy of the Races of Elves' for example, one can look at the entries for all the groups mentioned, starting with the lengthy article on Elves, as well as the smaller articles on the various other names used for Elves, such as 'Fair Folk'. One can then go on to look at the various families of Elfkind, and the entries under the different names for each. Hence you can find articles on the Eldar also known West Elves, Avari also known as East Elves, Vanyar or Fair Elves, Noldor or Deep Elves, Sindar or Elves, Silvan or wood Elves etc. Similarly this can be done with the other races of Middle Earth, the Dwarves, Men, Hobbits, Ents, Orcs, Trolls, Balrogs etc as well as the roles played by animals in Middle Earth. What really makes the book a pleasurable experience to look at are the wonderful illustrations from the remarkably talented artists, in this work. These drawings really bring Tolkien's work to life, and the colour illustrations are genuine works of art which make this book the perfect coffee table book. A Tolkien Bestiary is certainly an indispensable work for any Tolkien devotee, and helps one get to grips with the elaborate world of the Undying Lands and Middle Earth. If you want to do some research into a topic related to Tolkien's world, the Bestiary provides a perfect source, without having to spend ages flipping through the pages of 'The Hobbit', 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'The Silmarillion'. Furthermore David Day, brings these works together, and presents the whole picture of Middle Earth. One intriguing way in which this is done is through three beautifully illustrated sections in the book which trace the history of Tolkien's world, from the 'Vision and Creation of Arda' to the 'Departure of the Ringbearers'. A Tolkien Bestiary is a highly comprehensive work, with maps, timelines and genealogies. If one refers to the 'Genealogy of the Races of Elves' for example, one can look at the entries for all the groups mentioned, starting with the lengthy article on Elves, as well as the smaller articles on the various other names used for Elves, such as 'Fair Folk'. One can then go on to look at the various families of Elfkind, and the entries under the different names for each. Hence you can find articles on the Eldar also known West Elves, Avari also known as East Elves, Vanyar or Fair Elves, Noldor or Deep Elves, Sindar or Elves, Silvan or wood Elves etc. Similarly this can be done with the other races of Middle Earth, the Dwarves, Men, Hobbits, Ents, Orcs, Trolls, Balrogs etc as well as the roles played by animals in Middle Earth. What really makes the book a pleasurable experience to look at are the wonderful illustrations from the remarkably talented artists, in this work. These drawings really bring Tolkien's work to life, and the colour illustrations are genuine works of art which make this book the perfect coffee table book.

It's not that bad...:
I'm just responding to the review in which the fellow claims the book is 'worse than useless' - I'm a hugely critical reader, in spite of which I enjoyed and found useful the entries in this book. Most entries are very close to what one might call the 'official definition.' There are a few entries that are 'richer' than the official texts provide for, but it's pretty easy to detect the 'story-teller's voice' What's more, these embellishments don't detract from the story and don't frivolously change it.

Beautiful but beware:
David Day's Tolkien Bestiary is a lovely book, filled with color and monochrome drawings and maps. Arranged alphabetically, it makes researching races and groups of creatures fairly easy. The drawings are beautiful. The reader must keep in mind, however, that this is not a full encyclopedia of Tolkien's world. You won't find a listing for Aragorn under "A", for instance. Also, the descriptions of various races and animals have sometimes been enlarged from the original. This is an interesting read in itself, but do not expect this to be completely true to The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings. Most readers who pick up this book will probably already have read The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. If not, go to them first.

A WORK OF GENIUS:
In this beautifully illustrated work, David Day has brought Tolkien's vast and complex mythological system to life in the structure of the medieval bestiary. The traditional bestiary was an illustrated encyclopaedia of natural history compiled by scribes, about the magical and monstrous beings inhabiting the medieval mind. This exquisite work encompasses not only the beasts and monsters of The Lord Of The Rings, The Hobbit and The Silmarillion, but also the plants, the nations, races and deities, vividly illuminating all the creations of Tolkien's remarkable world. The book starts with a map of Middle Earth and the Undying Lands surrounded by the encircling sea and also showing the island of Numenor in the great sea. Then follows a double-page chart of the chronology of Arda, demonstrating the order of events through the ages, from the creation to the fourth age. The next spread is a chronology of the kingdoms of Middle-Earth in the ages of the sun from the first age to the War of the Rings. The encyclopaeda proper starts with "Ainur" and takes the reader on a dazzling journey, beautifully illustrated in colour and black and white, to the last entry which is "Yrch." This is followed by a genealogy of the races of Elves, a genealogy of the races of Men, an index of principal sources, and the concluding with a general index. The black and white illustrations are of creatures, races and flora while those in colour follow a chronological sequence from the creation to the end of the War of the Ring and depict broad landscapes, major battles and events like the destruction of Mordor and the departure of the Ringbearers. Amongst these, my favurites include The Vision and Creation of Arda, Trees Of The Valar, The Shire, Death Of Smaug The Golden, Lothlorien And Cerin Amroth, Fall Of Isengard, Wounding Of Shelob The Great and The Golden Hall Of The Rohirrim. In line with the literary form of the bestiary, the text has an archaic flavor that mirrors the writing in Tolkien's own work. Unlike in for example Robert Fosters "Complete Guide To Middle-Earth," there aren't minutely detailed entries, in other words you will find Shelob under "Spiders" not under an own entry, but the general index at the end makes up for that. There are however, different entries for Grey Elves, Green Elves, Fair Elves and Sea Elves, as well as a long main entry under "Elves." My favorite black and white illustrations are found under the entry "Maiar" which discusses, amongst others, Melian, the River-Woman of the Withywindle and Goldberry, wife of Tom Bombadil. David Day has succeeded in providing both a practical reference to Tolkien's work and in paying homage to the imagination of the greatest storyteller of the 20th century. A Tolkien Bestiary is a masterpiece, a true work of genius and I recommend it to all Tolkien fans.