Books Features
The Best in Holiday 2012 Gift Finds: 'The Hobbit Companion' a wordsmith's delight
By April MacIntyre Nov 7, 2012, 3:24 GMT
For the lovers of J.R.R. Tolkien\'s mastery of vocabulary and language, this all ages friendly book breaks it down and explores how his words shaped the story, rather than the other way around.
The Best in Holiday 2012 Gift Finds is an ongoing series until December that celebrates the practical to the extravagant, the unusual to the commonly needed items of everyday life.
From food, wine and spirits to beauty, clothing and even home goods and appliances, we have been trying and testing and ultimately weeding out the good stuff you should consider for giving this holiday season. Take us shopping with you.
For the lovers of J.R.R. Tolkien's mastery of vocabulary and language, this all ages friendly book 'The Hobbit Companion' breaks it down and explores how his words shaped the story, rather than the other way around.
Author David Day has over 20 books under his belt, including Guide to Tolkien's World, Tolkien The Illustrated Encyclopaedia and Tolkien's Ring.
Day says in his introduction: "Tolkien did not see his job as a writer as being that of a creator but that of an explorer and chronicler of an already existing world that awaited discovery through the language itself."
Why we love it:
You will learn the origins of the words like Hobbit, Bilbo, Baggins, Smaug, Frodo, and more. This is an accessible and illuminating exploration of the various ways Tolkien uses layered punning as the basis of character names and actions.
This is lavishly illustrated, and a genuinely pleasant read for the novice to the Hobbit lore, as well as seasoned fans.
Master "hobbit investigator" David Day unravels the crafty riddles, hidden meanings, and mythical associations that bubble under the prose's surface. For those who don't now, Tolkien was one of the people who helped compile the Oxford English Dictionary.
Learn more of Buckland and Brandy Hall, Gandalf, Shire Society, the Fellowship, and Middle-Earth legacy. Illustrated in full color (illustrations by Lidia Postma), including a number of double page prints, this is an intriguing and interesting investigation into the world of words used by Tolkien in The Hobbit.
The book is 9 x 11 inches and has 100 Color Illustrations, and is published by Pavillion, an imprint of Anova Books.
