Best Selling Books by Christopher Tolkien

The Great Tales of Middle-earth is a beautiful boxed set of the three final novels of Middle-earth: Children of Húrin, Beren and Lúthien, and The Fall of Gondolin, packaged together for the first time. Completing Christopher Tolkien''s lifelong achievement as the editor and curator of his father J.R.R. Tolkien''s manuscripts, The Great Tales features handsome color plates and maps by famed illustrator Alan Lee. The Children of Húrin was the first complete book by J.R.R.Tolkien since the 1977 publication of The Silmarillion. Six thousand years before the One Ring is destroyed, Middle-earth lies under the shadow of the Dark Lord Morgoth. The greatest warriors among elves and men have perished, and all is in darkness and despair. But a deadly new leader rises, Túrin, son of Húrin, and with his grim band of outlaws begins to turn the tide in the war for Middle-earth--awaiting the day he confronts his destiny and the deadly curse laid upon him. Beren and Lúthien was, or became, an essential element in the evolution of The Silmarillion, the myths and legends of the First Age of the World conceived by J.R.R. Tolkien. Essential to the story, and never changed, is the fate that shadowed the love of Beren and Lúthien: for Beren was a mortal man, but Lúthien was an immortal elf. Her father, a great elvish lord, in deep opposition to Beren, imposed on him an impossible task that he must perform before he might wed Lúthien. This is the kernel of the legend; and it leads to the supremely heroic attempt of Beren and Lúthien together to rob the greatest of all evil beings, Melkor, called Morgoth, the Black Enemy, of a Silmaril. The Fall of Gondolin completes the set and tells the story of the destruction of the legendary city of Gondolin at the hands of evil Morgoth in retaliation against Ulmo, the Lord of the Waters, who favors man. At core is the tale of Tuor, cousin of Túrin, his wife, Idril, daughter of Turgon, king of Gondolin, and their child, Eärendel, who became great in Gondolin, but had to flee the blazing wreckage of his home when Morgoth attacked. Each hardcover volume includes color plates and black and white maps by award-winning illustrator Alan Lee.

Third in a series of hardcover box sets celebrating the literary achievement of Christopher Tolkien, featuring double-sided dust jackets--one side featuring artwork by John Howe, and the original graphic treatment on the other. Set 3 contains The Return of the Shadow, The Treason of Isengard, The War of the Ring, and Sauron Defeated (Books 6-9 of The History of Middle-earth). The Return of the Shadow is the story of the first part of the history of the creation of The Lord of the Rings, a fascinating study of Tolkien''s great masterpiece, from its inception to the end of the first volume, The Fellowship of the Ring. The Treason of Isengard continues the account of the creation of The Lord of the Rings started in the earlier volume, tracing the great expansion of the tale into new lands and peoples south and east of the Misty Mountains: the emergence of Lothlorien, of Ents, of the Riders of Rohan, and of Saruman the White in the fortress of Isengard. The War of the Ring takes up the story with the Battle of Helm''s Deep and the drowning of Isengard by the Ents; continues with the journey of Frodo, Sam, and Gollum to the Pass of Cirith Ungol; describes the war in Gondor; and ends with the parley between Gandalf and the ambassador of the Dark Lord before the Black Gate of Mordor. Sauron Defeated completes Christopher Tolkien''s fascinating study of The Lord of the Rings, beginning with Sam''s rescue of Frodo from the Tower of Cirith Ungol, and giving a very different account of the Scouring of the Shire, with many additional scenes and the unpublished Epilogue in its entirety. Published together for the first time, these four books collect a fascinating period of Christopher Tolkien''s forty-year career devoted to presenting his father J.R.R. Tolkien''s writings on Middle-earth, a unique accomplishment that celebrates the greatest invented world in all of fantasy literature.

The Great Tales of Middle-earth is a beautiful box set of the three final novels of Middle-earth: The Children of Húrin, Beren and Lúthien, and The Fall of Gondolin, packaged together and ready for gifting. Completing Christopher Tolkien''s lifelong achievement as the curator of his father J.R.R. Tolkien''s manuscripts, The Great Tales features handsome color plates and maps by famed illustrator Alan Lee and a map by Christopher Tolkien. The Children of Húrin was the first standalone story by J.R.R. Tolkien since the 1977 publication of The Silmarillion. Six thousand years before the One Ring is destroyed, Middle-earth lies under the shadow of the Dark Lord Morgoth. The greatest heroes among elves and men have perished, and all is in darkness and despair. But a new warrior arises, Túrin, son of Húrin, and with his grim band of outlaws begins to turn the tide in the war for Middle-earth--awaiting the day he confronts his destiny and the deadly curse laid upon him. Beren and Lúthien was, or became, an essential element in the evolution of The Silmarillion, the myths and legends of the First Age of the World conceived by J.R.R. Tolkien. Essential to the story, and never changed, is the fate that shadowed the love of Beren and Lúthien: for Beren was a mortal man, but Lúthien was an immortal elf. Her father, a great elvish lord, in deep opposition to Beren, imposed on him an impossible task that he must perform before he might wed Lúthien. This is the kernel of the legend; and it leads to the supremely heroic attempt of Beren and Lúthien together to rob the greatest of all evil beings, Melkor, called Morgoth, the Black Enemy, of a Silmaril. The Fall of Gondolin completes the set and tells the story of the legendary Elven city hidden within Middle-earth. Evil Morgoth seeks to destroy the last realm of his Elven enemies while Ulmo, Lord of the Waters, tries to protect it. At the core of the tale is Tuor, cousin of Túrin, who becomes great in Gondolin and marries, Idril, daughter of Turgon, king of Gondolin, and fathers a child, Eärendel. When an act of supreme treachery allows Morgoth to attack Gondolin, Tuor and his family must try to flee the blazing wreckage, for the fate of all of Middle-earth depends on Eärendel''s survival. Each hardcover volume includes color plates and pencil drawings by award-winning illustrator Alan Lee together with a black and white map drawn by Christopher Tolkien.

Cet album de peintures, d''aquarelles et de dessins, réédité quarante ans après sa première édition, confirme l''exceptionnel talent artistique de J.R.R. Tolkien en offrant un aperçu unique de sa vision de nombreux lieux et personnages familiers aux lecteurs du Hobbit, du Seigneur des Anneaux et du Silmarillion. Ces exemples de son art vont des aquarelles délicates dépeignant la Colline, Fendeval ou Smaug, jusqu''à des dessins de la Forêt de la Lothlórien, en passant par des esquisses des portes de la Moria et de Minas Tirith. Ensemble, ces œuvres constituent une collection remarquable des illustrations de J.R.R. Tolkien réalisées pour ses livres les plus populaires. L''ouvrage inclut aussi un grand nombre de ses magnifiques motifs de fleurs et d''arbres, de frises, de tapisseries et d''emblèmes héraldiques associés au monde de la Terre du Milieu. Dans leur variété et leur étendue, ces œuvres montrent toute la richesse de son imagination visuelle. Cette galerie enchanteresse a été sélectionnée par Christopher Tolkien, à qui l''on doit des notes détaillées sur chacune des images réalisées par son père, J.R.R. Tolkien.[éditeur]