A Tolkien Bestiary: Difference between revisions

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'''''A Tolkien Bestiary''''' is an A-Z guide to the flora and fauna of [[Middle-earth]], written by [[David Day]] and first published in 1979. Day's sources are ''[[The Hobbit]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'' and his own imagination.
'''''A Tolkien Bestiary''''' is an A-Z guide to the flora and fauna of [[Middle-earth]], written by [[David Day]] and first published in 1979. The book contains monochrome and full-colour illustrations by Michael Foreman, Lidia Postma, Ian Miller, Allan Curless, Sue Porter, Victor Ambrus and John Davis.


The book has been accused of being a little too liberal in his interpretation: for example there is a reference to "[[Wikipedia:Kraken|Kraken]]" referring to the [[Watcher in the Water]], but the word does not appear as a species in Tolkien's works.  
==Reception==
The book has been accused of containing extrapolations and thus deviating from [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]]'s writings.<ref>{{webcite|author=Steuard Jensen|articleurl=http://tolkien.slimy.com/essays/DayBooks.html|articlename=Notes on David Day's Tolkien Books|dated=|website=FAQ|accessed=11 April 2012}}</ref>
For example, there is a reference to "[[Wikipedia:Kraken|Kraken]]" referring to the [[Watcher in the Water]], but the word does not appear as a species in Tolkien's works.<ref>{{webcite|author=|articleurl=http://www.thetolkienforum.com/showthread.php?647-Tolkien-Bestiary|articlename=Tolkien Bestiary (forum thread)|dated=|website=[http://www.thetolkienforum.com/ The Tolkien Forum]|accessed=11 April 2012}}</ref>


Although the book is less reliable as a [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] reference than similar works by [[Robert Foster]] and [[J.E.A. Tyler]] for the [[purist]]s, it does include an impressive series of monochrome and full-colour illustrations.
While [[Tolkien fandom|fans]] have argued that the book is less reliable as a [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] reference than similar works by [[Robert Foster]] and [[J.E.A. Tyler]] for the [[purists]], many are fond of its illustrations.<ref>{{webcite|author=|articleurl=http://www.lotrplaza.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=215574&OB=DESC|articlename=A guide to Tolkien by David Day (forum thread)|dated=|website=[http://www.lotrplaza.com/forum/default.asp The Lord of the Rings Fanatics Plaza]|accessed=11 April 2012}}</ref>
 
Illustrators include: [[Michael Foreman]], [[Lidia Postma]], [[Ian Miller]], [[Allan Curless]], [[Sue Porter]], [[Victor Ambrus]] and [[John Davis]].


==Editions==
==Editions==
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* ISBN-13: 978-0517473252
* ISBN-13: 978-0517473252
* Product Dimensions: 27.9 x 21.6 x 2 cm
* Product Dimensions: 27.9 x 21.6 x 2 cm
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Revision as of 16:12, 11 April 2012

A Tolkien Bestiary
A Tolkien Bestiary.jpg
AuthorDavid Day
PublisherMitchell Beazley
Released1979
FormatPaperback/Hardcover
Pages288
ISBN0517120771

A Tolkien Bestiary is an A-Z guide to the flora and fauna of Middle-earth, written by David Day and first published in 1979. The book contains monochrome and full-colour illustrations by Michael Foreman, Lidia Postma, Ian Miller, Allan Curless, Sue Porter, Victor Ambrus and John Davis.

Reception

The book has been accused of containing extrapolations and thus deviating from Tolkien's writings.[1] For example, there is a reference to "Kraken" referring to the Watcher in the Water, but the word does not appear as a species in Tolkien's works.[2]

While fans have argued that the book is less reliable as a Tolkien reference than similar works by Robert Foster and J.E.A. Tyler for the purists, many are fond of its illustrations.[3]

Editions

US

  • Hardcover: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Gramercy (February 5, 1995)
  • ISBN-13: 978-0517120774
  • Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 1.3 inches

UK

  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Harbour Publishing
  • ISBN-13: 978-0920080474
  • Product Dimensions: 27.9 x 21.6 x 2.5 cm
  • Paperback
  • Publisher: Ballantine Books
  • ISBN-13: 978-0345282828
  • Hardcover
  • Publisher: Crescent Books (Aug 1990)
  • ISBN-13: 978-0517473252
  • Product Dimensions: 27.9 x 21.6 x 2 cm

References