The Nature of Middle-Earth
By: J.R.R. Tolkien; Carl F. Hostetter (editor)
Release Date: September 2, 2021
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Rating:

There are a plethora of books exploring aspects of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth. From essay collections by modern-day linguists and scholars to compendiums of fragments of stories and lore, a great deal of supplemental material exists for fans of The Lord of the Rings. The latest addition to this collection is The Nature of Middle Earth, edited by Carl F. Hostetter.

There are a plethora of books exploring aspects of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth. From essay collections by modern-day linguists and scholars to compendiums of fragments of stories and lore, a great deal of supplemental material exists for fans of The Lord of the Rings. The latest addition to this collection is The Nature of Middle Earth, edited by Carl F. Hostetter.

This is a one-volume compendium full of notes on what makes Middle-Earth, well, Middle-Earth. Many of J.R.R. Tolkien’s notes on the world, its creatures, flora, and inhabitants are listed in this volume.

In general, the material is grouped is listed in a more encyclopedic fashion rather than stories or essays. Entries are a combination of explanations on world-building by editor Hostetter as well as more direct notes of Tolkien himself. While some are a bit more well-known, many of the topics discussed are things that don’t come up directly in many—or any—of Tolkien’s novels or posthumously collected works.

Fascinating, interesting tidbits are scattered throughout the book’s 400+ pages. Fans of Middle-Earth will want to give this a read, and it is a wonderful addition to Tolkien collections.