The Lord of the Rings Illustrated

The classics are classics for a reason, and Tolkien’s genre-defining trilogy is proof of that. I fell in love with this book for the same reason most people did–the characters, the world, the story, all strange and all familiar before even reading a word–but I have to confess it was Gandalf who sold me on the story, to begin with.

The pointy hat and fireworks were all I needed to buy in, and the fear of something so innocuous as a band of gold was so exciting that I had to find out how everything turned out in the end.

Obviously my top choice, having just written a book about not only Tolkien’s novel but also the whole phenomenon of adaptation and artistic creativity.

Tolkien is now a multi-platform media experience.

Alongside his own immersive vision there is also now a universe of creativity inspired by Tolkien in film and video, radio and audio, music and art, gaming and cosplay, fanfic and fashion, and in souvenirs from replica swords to Hobbit cookbooks – so I have no problem with people coming to the novel through the films, TV series, or games.

And remember that Tolkien himself was not only a… show more.