I wouldn't have met Piti if it hadn't been for a chichigua. To translate chichigua as a kite does not do justice to these beautiful creations of...
Continue »
Although the writing may be a little dated for today's reading public, this classic has a richness far beyond that imparted by the films. If you have seen only the Peter Jackson movies, you have not experienced The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien is the background radiation of all modern fantasy, and, for good or ill, this work informs all such works that have been written since its publication.
Most of the elements in the story are not original to Tolkien, but he offers almost an embarrassment of riches - most authors would have taken one hundredth of his ideas and made a novel out of them. And Tolkien did something that hitherto no one had done: he took an epic tale of kings and vast armies and told it from the viewpoint of the little people - in this case literally. (This is why I become incensed when I see some publisher promoting a book about epic kings and vast armies as being "in the Tolkien tradition".)
If you haven't read this yet, it probably isn't what you think.
Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.
Don't Miss
Customer Comments
Wolf Lahti has commented on (1) product.
The Lord of the Rings (One Volume) by J. R. R Tolkien
Wolf Lahti, January 19, 2012
Although the writing may be a little dated for today's reading public, this classic has a richness far beyond that imparted by the films. If you have seen only the Peter Jackson movies, you have not experienced The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien is the background radiation of all modern fantasy, and, for good or ill, this work informs all such works that have been written since its publication.Most of the elements in the story are not original to Tolkien, but he offers almost an embarrassment of riches - most authors would have taken one hundredth of his ideas and made a novel out of them. And Tolkien did something that hitherto no one had done: he took an epic tale of kings and vast armies and told it from the viewpoint of the little people - in this case literally. (This is why I become incensed when I see some publisher promoting a book about epic kings and vast armies as being "in the Tolkien tradition".)
If you haven't read this yet, it probably isn't what you think.