100,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿

Enjoy overnight NZ-wide delivery from our NZ-owned independent bookstore! 🎉

The Ultimate Unofficial Guide to Tolkien's World

4.27 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 49 ratings, 25 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Ultimate Unofficial Guide to Tolkien's World by Antony Cummins offers an insightful exploration into the expansive universe created by J.R.R. Tolkien. It delves into the intricate details of Middle-earth, providing readers with an informative companion that enhances the understanding of Tolkien's novels. This guide is perfect for fans seeking to deepen their appreciation for the vivid settings and complex mythos of Tolkien's extraordinary literary world.
Read More
Format: Hardback
TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK Please add to wishlist to be notified when back in stock

Sorry, we're currently out of stock of The Ultimate Unofficial Guide to Tolkien's World. Please add to your Wishlist and we'll send you an email as soon as it's back in stock.

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're fascinated by Middle-earth and want a deeper dive into Tolkien's rich and expansive universe. It offers insights into the lore, characters, and narratives, making it perfect for avid readers of fantasy looking to enhance their understanding and appreciation of Tolkien's work.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Tolkien's Middle Earth continues to capture the global imagination. In this accessible (but unofficial) guide, this sometimes confusing world is broken down into bite-sized sections that bring it to life for the newcomer and the fanatic alike.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Tolkien's Middle Earth continues to capture the global imagination. In this accessible (but unofficial) guide, this sometimes confusing world is broken down into bite-sized sections that bring it to life for the newcomer and the fanatic alike.

Become an expert in Tolkien's world – the easy way! The Ultimate Unofficial Guide to Tolkien's World offers something that's never been attempted before – a single timeline, in chronological order, of all the events in Tolkien's notoriously complex books.

Why was it so shocking that Galadriel gave three strands of her golden hair to Gimli the Dwarf? Why is Sauron afraid of Aragorn's sword? Why does a Balrog lurk under a dwarven underground city and how did the seven lost Seeing Stones come into being? How did the hobbits manage to have such a peaceful life? Who were the warriors whose corpse lights hover in the Dead Marshes?

From handy lists of characters, places, weapons, and types of magic to the 150 illustrations capturing overlooked details such as armour colours, heraldic signs, and crests, this easy-to-follow guide to Middle Earth will ensure you're never baffled by alternate character names, confusing mythologies, or labyrinthine plots again.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781786787781

Publisher: Watkins Media Limited

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 10 November 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Watkins Publishing

Edition: New edition

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 153.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 304

About the Author

Antony Cummins is the author of The Ultimate Art of War, The Ultimate I-Ching, The Ultimate Guide to Yin Yang and many other books. He has a special interest in Tolkien and the wider world of fantasy and its relationship to tabletop roleplaying.

Also by Antony Cummins

View all
  • Zen and the Samurai Sword
    This unique book combines Japanese warrior techniques with ancient Zen practices for mental clarity and physical agility, giving readers a Samurai edge that will carry them through life. This unique book combines Japanese warrior techniques with ancient Zen practices for mental clarity and physical agility, giving readers a Samurai edge that will carry them through life. Embark on a warrior's...
    Paperback
    $5300
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • The Ultimate I Ching
    All you need to know to start working with the I-Ching straightaway. Uniquely accessible, with simple step-by-step lessons and striking red-and-black graphics. Pick up The Ultimate I-Ching and you will be able to start working with the hexagrams straightaway, guided by the easy-to-follow bite-size teachings, unique explanatory graphics, and clear, non-mystical hexagram readings. This is the only book to compare...
    Hardback
    Sold Out
  • The Book of Bushido
    The Book of Bushido is the go-to volume on bushido ("the way of the warrior"), drawing on a wide range of historical sources to paint a vivid picture of the samurai in action and separating the truth from the myth of samurai chivalry. It offers a long-overdue update to the attractive but inaccurate portrait of the samurai painted in Bushido:...
    Hardback
    Sold Out
  • The Ultimate Art of War
    Composed in the 5th century BC, Sun Tzu's Art of War is the earliest-known treatise on military strategy, and is still hugely popular around the world for its perceptive tactical advice to commanders on how to win at war with minimal bloodshed. Aimed at all those who want to study the text in depth, this is the first step-by-step guide...
    Hardback
    Sold Out
  • The Ultimate Guide to Yin Yang
    The first book to fully explore and explain the concept of yin yang, The Ultimate Guide to Yin Yang breaks it down in easy-to-follow terms for all those interested in Daoism, alternative medicine, martial arts, and other Eastern fields of study. Illustrated with striking red/black graphics, it makes the concepts more accessible. WHAT IS YIN YANG? Learn to receive abundance...
    Hardback
    Sold Out
  • The Book of Ninja
    Like The Art of War, the strategies set forth in The Book of Ninja can be used in everyday life. This first complete translation of the Bansenshukai—the 'bible' of the ninja arts—offers valuable insights into Japanese military strategy and tactics, providing lessons for success in everyday living. In 1676, a ninja named Fujibayashi collected and combined information from the ninja...
    Hardback
    Sold Out

More from General Fiction

View all
  • The Wedding People
    'BEST READ OF THE YEAR SO FAR' THE TIMES 'BOOKS AS FUN AS THIS ONE ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN' GUARDIAN Phoebe Stone arrives at a grand beachside hotel in Rhode Island wearing her best dress and least comfortable shoes. Immediately she is mistaken for one of the wedding people — but she's actually the only guest at the Cornwall...
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (3)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Throne of Glass Box Set (Paperback)
    Enter the realm. Unleash the darkness. Live the legend. Discover the worldwide phenomenon of the #1 New York Times-bestselling Throne of Glass series in this gorgeous 8-book box set! In a land without magic, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She has no love for the vicious king who rules from his throne of glass, but she has not...
    Set
    $12400
    Elsewhere:
    $15500
    (6)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Goal
    Welcome to Briar U!Get ready for your newest obsession . . . Discover the addictive world of the Off-Campus series from The Queen of Hockey Romance, Elle Kennedy!Read The Goal now for the perfect forced proximity romance! She's good at achieving her goals . . . College senior Sabrina James has her whole future planned out: graduate from college, kick...
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Red Rising
    The first book in the incredible New York Times bestselling series Darrow is a Helldiver, toiling beneath the surface of Mars. As a member of the Red caste, he performs grueling labor in the belief that his sacrifice will enable future generations to one day inhabit the surface of the Red Planet. The Reds are humankind's lowest caste, living in...
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    The Ballad of Falling Dragons [Special Deluxe edition]
    The No.1 Sunday Times bestselling sensation When the Moon Hatched continues with the second book in The Moonfall Series, The Ballad of Falling Dragons… Raeve’s thirst for vengeance continues to burn, as does her love for Kaan Vaegor – a staunch beacon from a past she’s yet to face. With Rekk’s blood still fresh on her hands, she learns the...
    Hardback
    $5999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Carl's Doomsday Scenario
    Join Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat Princess Donut as they fight fantastical creatures and deadly mobs in the second book in the smash-hit Dungeon Crawler Carl series -now with bonus material exclusive to the print edition Now on the third floor, Carl and Donut have to fight harder than ever. They've already proven that a Coast Guard vet and once-and-forever...
    Hardback
    $4699
    Elsewhere:
    $6000
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Score
    Welcome to Briar U! Get ready for your newest obsession... Discover the addictive world of the Off-Campus series from The Queen of Hockey Romance, Elle Kennedy! Read The Score now for the perfect friends with benefits romance! He knows how to score, on and off the ice... Allie Hayes is in crisis mode. With graduation looming, she still doesn't have...
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Golden Son
    ENDER'S GAME meets THE HUNGER GAMES in this, the second in an extraordinary trilogy from an incredible new voice.'I'm still playing games. This is just the deadliest yet.' Darrow is a rebel forged by tragedy. For years he and his fellow Reds worked the mines, toiling to make the surface of Mars inhabitable. They were, they believed, mankind's last hope....
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Theo of Golden
    THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING PHENOMENON'For anything to be truly good, there must be love in it. Nothing is what it's supposed to be if love is not at the core.' One morning, a stranger arrives in the town of Golden. No one knows who he is or where he came from…His name is Theo and he's arrived there by chance –...
    Paperback
    $2899
    Elsewhere:
    $3499
    (5)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Project Hail Mary
    Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, the SUNDAY TIMES and NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of The Martian, offers a gripping new adventure in hard science fiction. With endorsement from notable figures such as Barack Obama and a slew of five-star reviews, this novel promises a thrilling and intellectually stimulating journey. Ryland Grace, a lone astronaut, finds himself on a...
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    (4)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    On Mystic Lake
    One of the greatest storytellers of our time - Delia Owens, author of Where the Crawdads Sing Annie Colwater's only child has just left home for school in England. On that same day, her husband of twenty years confesses that he's in love with a younger woman. Left alone in the beautiful California house which was once a home, Annie...
    Paperback
    $3100
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • East of Eden
    Set against the backdrop of the fertile Salinas Valley in California, East of Eden is a profound and compelling novel by John Steinbeck, one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. This masterful narrative charts the intertwining destinies of two families—the Trasks and the Hamiltons—across multiple generations. Steinbeck's intricate portrayal of human nature and enduring exploration of moral themes...
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.