{"product_id":"9780547524436","title":"J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe definitive Tolkien companion—an indispensable guide to \u003ci\u003eThe Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, \u003c\/i\u003eand more, from the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Road to Middle-earth\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e This “highly erudite celebration and exploration of Tolkien’s works [is] enormous fun,” declared the \u003ci\u003eHouston Chronicle,\u003c\/i\u003e and Tom Shippey, a prominent medievalist and scholar of fantasy, “deepens your understanding” without “making you forget your initial, purely instinctive response to Middle-earth and hobbits.”\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e In a clear and accessible style, Shippey offers a new approach to Tolkien, to fantasy, and to the importance of language in literature. He breaks down \u003ci\u003eThe Lord of the Rings \u003c\/i\u003eas a linguistic feast for the senses and as a response to the human instinct for myth. Elsewhere, he examines \u003ci\u003eThe Hobbit\u003c\/i\u003e’s counterintuitive relationship to the heroic world of Middle-earth; demonstrates the significance of \u003ci\u003eThe Silmarillion \u003c\/i\u003eto Tolkien’s canon; and takes an illuminating look at lesser-known works in connection with Tolkien’s life. Furthermore, he ties all these strands together in a continuing tradition that traces its roots back through \u003ci\u003eGrimms’ Fairy Tales \u003c\/i\u003eto \u003ci\u003eBeowulf\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Shippey’s commentary is the best so far in elucidating Tolkien’s lovely myth,” wrote \u003ci\u003eHarper’s Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003ci\u003eJ.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century \u003c\/i\u003eis “a triumph” (\u003ci\u003eChicago Sun-Times\u003c\/i\u003e) that not only gives readers a deeper understanding of Tolkien and his work, but also serves as an entertaining introduction to some of the most influential novels ever written.","brand":"Houghton Mifflin Harcourt","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47123780436208,"sku":"9780547524436","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780547524436_p0.jpg?v=1769896523","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780547524436","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}