Six weeks before the December 17 release of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the final film in New Line Cinema's celebrated trilogy, Houghton Mifflin is publishing The Lord of the Rings: Weapons and Warfare, which reconstructs the history and events surrounding the epic battles in the three films. The book, combining an impressive amount of technical detail about props created for the film and historical information drawn from J.R.R. Tolkien's fictional mythology, features an exclusive foreword by Christopher Lee, who plays Saruman, and an introduction by Academy Award winner Richard Taylor, the head of WETA Workshop. Weapons and Warfare is unquestionably the most compelling and content — rich companion to the movie trilogy published to date.

Lavishly illustrated with one thousand photos, paintings, maps, sculptures, and sketches, most appearing here for the first time, Weapons and Warfare is an indispensable chronicle of The Lord of the Rings creatures, warriors, armies, and battlegrounds. Author Chris Smith treats the filmmakers' notes, designs, and props as a true archive, and the resulting book feels almost like an archaeologist's report.

The wealth of information will satisfy even the hungriest of fans, especially those intimately familiar with the landmark books by J.R.R. Tolkien upon which Peter Jackson's movie trilogy is based. Weapons and Warfare offers a wonderful bridge between the modern films and Tolkien's classic literature.

In great depth, Smith explains each culture's approach to combat ? how the warriors fought, why they were fighting, what armor they wore, and what weapons they used against their enemies. He analyzes the styles and tactics of Númenóreans, Dwarves, Elves, Hobbits, Wizards, the men of Rohan and Gondor, Orcs, and Easterlings, among others. Readers will learn that

• every item crafted by the Elves, from armor to swords, reflected designs found in nature. Autumnal themes (leaf patterns) and hues (copper, brown, and rich golds) prevailed.
• because armor and weapons were not manufactured in an organized fashion in Mordor, the Orcs' armor was apparently a manifestation of each individual's personality. The only consistency appears to have been the need to cover as much of the body as possible to block out the hated sun.
• the Orcs of Mordor favored weapons that could be carried in the hand ? particularly swords and axes that could be thrust at or brought down upon their foes ? rather than weapons that had to be thrown. The Orcs failed to recognize the strategic advantage of range.
• Minas Tirith, the massive fortress stronghold of Gondor built around the outthrust shoulder of the easternmost peak of the White Mountains, had seven walled levels reaching a thousand feet into the air to the Citadel of the King and the Tower of Ecthelion. Each level had only one gate, and each gate was situated in a different part of the wall, thus making the city almost unassailable by attackers.

Every major conflict depicted in the film trilogy is described in detail, and many descriptions are accompanied by a specially commissioned battle diagram from the films' chief designers. Battle plans are shown for the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, Helm's Deep, and the climactic Battle of Pelennor Fields, among others. The book's noteworthy features include a chart showing the comparative ranges of different weapons, and a glossary of terms that clearly and comprehensively explains the vocabulary of the book.

The Lord of the Rings: Weapons and Warfare is an essential guide to the conflicts and cultures of Middle — earth, a monumental book sure to please the millions of movie fans and Tolkien readers who have made The Lord of the Rings the most beloved adventure story ever told

For fans of The Lord of the Rings films, Weapons and Warfare provides specially commissioned battle plans and an in-depth analysis of the action and outcome of each encounter, all lavishly illustrated in full color.

'Lavishly illustrated with 1,000 photos, paintings, maps, sculptures and sketches, most appearing here for the first time, Weapons and Warfare is an indispensable chronicle of The Lord of the Rings\' many creatures, warriors, armies and battlegrounds. From the graceful and proficient Elves to the horrendous war machines of the Dark Lord, each culture\'s approach to warfare is explained - how they fought, why they were fighting, what armor they wore and what weapons they used against their enemies. Now you can get as close to a marauding Orc as you could ever wish, without suffering the consequences!

Treating the filmmakers\' notes, designs and props as a true archive, Weapons and Warfare describes in detail every major conflict depicted in the film trilogy - from The Last Alliance of Elves and Men to the climactic Battle of the Pelennor Fields - each accompanied by a battle diagram from the films\' chief designers.

Armed with a wealth of fascinating facts and unique imagery, and with an exclusive foreword by Christopher Lee and an introduction by the Academy Award winner Richard Taylor, Weapons and Warfare promises to be the most striking companion to The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy published to date.'

As the memorable experience of watching The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers shows, Peter Jackson's epic movie trilogy is destined to become the most exciting action-adventure series ever filmed. Given its vast cast of characters spread across an enormous imaginary landscape, many fans are eager for a more detailed look at the strategy, weapons, and armor from each onscreen clash. Treating the film makers' notes, designs and props as a true archive, The Lord of the Rings: Weapons and Warfare uses these records to present a full historical account of the War of the Ring. It assembles the background information to outline the story behind each battle and examine the strategy used by opposing forces. It's all here: from the Last Alliance to the Mines of Moria, from the Battle of Helm's Deep to the flooding of Isengard, and from the massive Battle of Pelennor Fields to the Black Gates of Mordor and beyond. Weapons and Warfare provides specially commissioned battle plans and an in-depth analysis of the action and outcome of each encounter, all lavishly illustrated in full color. Here too readers will find a photographic record of all the weapons and fighting styles specific to each culture: dwarves, elves, hobbits, wizards, the men of Rohan and Gondor, the different races of orcs, Easterlings, and more.

'Director of his special effects company Weta, Taylor has been special effects designer on all of Peter Jackson\'s feature films including The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Frighteners, Heavenly Creatures, Braindead, Meet the Feebles and the television documentary \"Forgotten Silver.\" For the groundbreaking work accomplished by Taylor, his partner Tania Rodger, and their team at Weta, Taylor won two Oscars and two British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards - for Best Visual Effects and Best Makeup, and received both BAFTA and Oscar nominations for Costume Design as well as numerous other awards and accolades.Chris Smith was born ten years after The Lord of the Rings was first published, read it the year The Silmarillion was released, sold thousands of copies of J.R.R. Tolkien\'s works during his many years in bookselling, and was appointed a Tolkien editor for HarperCollins Publishers in the U.K. the year that pre-production began on Peter Jackson\'s award-winning movie trilogy. He lives in Kent, England.Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, born in Belgravia, London, entered the film industry in 1947 and was for a time under contract to the Rank Organisation. He has appeared in numerous theatre and operatic concert performances, television, and has recorded radio world-wide. Lee has filmed in English, Russian, Italian, French, German, and Spanish. He has appeared in over 250 films and television productions, among which the best known are A Tale of Two Cities, Dracula, The Wicker Man, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, The Three and The Four Musketeers, The Man with the Golden Gun, 1941, Airport 77, Gremlins II, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Jinnah and the BBC\'s production of \"Gormenghast.\" In 2001, Lee starred in two of the biggest films of the year, Star Wars - Episode 2: Attack of the Clones and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. He will next be seen in the highly-anticipated Star Wars: Episode 3.The directors for whom he has worked include John Huston, Raoul Walsh, Joseph Losey, George Marshall, Orson Welles, Nicholas Ray, Michael Powell, Edward Molinaro, Jerome Savary, Billy Wilder, Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante, John Landis, Tim Burton, Peter Jackson, and George Lucas. He has also appeared as host of \"Saturday Night Live\" in 1978, the third highest-rated show of the series.Lee is the only actor who has portrayed Sherlock Holmes and his brother Mycroft, and he executed both King Charles, the First of England and King Louis the Sixteenth of France. He is an accomplished screen sword fighter, and an honorary member of three stuntmen\'s unions.Lee is listed in the Guiness Book of Movie Facts and Feats as being the international star with the most screen credits, numbering nearly 300 film and television productions, and was recently awarded the London Film Critics Dilys Powell 94 award for his work as an actor and for his services to the film industry. He has also received honors from France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Belguim and Spain for his contributions to world cinema. He is a Commander of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, the world\'s oldest order, and was also made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in the Queen\'s birthday honors in June 2001 for his services to drama. He has also recorded opera and popular songs on CD, including the most recent, \"The King and I.\" Christopher Lee portrays the Head of the Council of the Wise, Saruman, in Peter Jackson\'s epic motion picture trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. The only member of the cast to have met J.R.R. Tolkien, Lee has re-read Tolkien\'s masterwork every year since its original publication.'