David Day's guide is an informative guide to Tolkien's Middle-Earth with entries listed in alphabetical order and lengthy articles on more complex subjects encompassing information from the entire of the very extensive Tolkein mythos. A highly useful resource whether you're reading his books, watching the films, or indeed, even playing games. Many times whilst playing Lord of the Rings Online I have turned to this knowledgable tome for a more indepth understanding of the material.

Now this IS a very useful companion to guide you through Tolkien's realms.

Fun collection to flip-through, and not nearly as much content that was seemingly pulled out of thin air (as is the case in most of his other books I've read parts of).

Still be sure to double check that the information you're grabbing is cited elsewhere before you go using as fact though!

An extremely useful companion for readers of LOTR and all things Tolkien. Easy to follow, thorough, and enjoyable as a resource.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. There was much that I never knew, and even more that I had forgotten. David Day did a fantastic job with the in depth summarizing of the entries. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in Middle Earth.

The only criticism I had was in formatting. I would rather have had sub-headings under certain main headings. Like having a heading of Elves, then with subheadings of Vanyar, Silvan, Noldor etc. discussing each in turn, all in one section. Currently, all headings are straight alphabetical, and the drawback that I ran into was one of repetition.

This is an awsome book about all the creatures living in Tolkien's Middle-Earth. I never really read it seriously, just flipped the pages.
The texts are very narrative and provide the Tolkien reader with a tremendous information and facts which give more understanding about certain events and stories in Tolkien's books.

Grampy's copy, he gave it to me when I got interested in Tolkien.

Like that this was treated as a Middle-earth text, written using 'authentic' sources.

Was unsure about the inclusion of details from The Adventures of Tom Bombadil at first but I love the Mewlips poem so I actually enjoyed their inclusion.

The pictures are gorgeous, particularly the colour ones. It was interesting to recognise some of the line drawings from my Tolkien colouring book.

clearly the author knows his shit, but for a bestiary there's far too few illustrations. and more damning, no entry for the main villains of the series wtf? got time for a plant but not for melkor. shame shame

A Tolkien Bestiary is certainly an indispensable work for any Tolkien devotee, and helps one get to grips with the elaborate world of the Undying Lands and Middle Earth. If you want to do some research into a topic related to Tolkien's world, the Bestiary provides a perfect source, without having to spend ages flipping through the pages of `The Hobbit', `The Lord of the Rings' and `The Silmarillion'.
Furthermore David Day, brings these works together, and presents the whole picture of Middle Earth.
One intriguing way in which this is done is through three beautifully illustrated sections in the book which trace the history of Tolkien's world, from the `Vision and Creation of Arda' to the `Departure of the Ringbearers'.
A Tolkien Bestiary is a highly comprehensive work, with maps, timelines and genealogies.
If one refers to the `Genealogy of the Races of Elves' for example, one can look at the entries for all the groups mentioned, starting with the lengthy article on Elves, as well as the smaller articles on the various other names used for Elves, such as `Fair Folk'.
One can then go on to look at the various families of Elfkind, and the entries under the different names for each.
Hence you can find articles on the Eldar also known West Elves, Avari also known as East Elves, Vanyar or Fair Elves, Noldor or Deep Elves, Sindar or Elves, Silvan or wood Elves etc.
Similarly this can be done with the other races of Middle Earth, the Dwarves, Men, Hobbits, Ents, Orcs, Trolls, Balrogs etc as well as the roles played by animals in Middle Earth.
What really makes the book a pleasurable experience to look at are the wonderful illustrations from the remarkably talented artists, in this work.
These drawings really bring Tolkien's work to life, and the colour illustrations are genuine works of art which make this book the perfect coffee table book.
A Tolkien Bestiary is certainly an indispensable work for any Tolkien devotee, and helps one get to grips with the elaborate world of the Undying Lands and Middle Earth. If you want to do some research into a topic related to Tolkien's world, the Bestiary provides a perfect source, without having to spend ages flipping through the pages of `The Hobbit', `The Lord of the Rings' and `The Silmarillion'.
Furthermore David Day, brings these works together, and presents the whole picture of Middle Earth.
One intriguing way in which this is done is through three beautifully illustrated sections in the book which trace the history of Tolkien's world, from the `Vision and Creation of Arda' to the `Departure of the Ringbearers'.
A Tolkien Bestiary is a highly comprehensive work, with maps, timelines and genealogies.
If one refers to the `Genealogy of the Races of Elves' for example, one can look at the entries for all the groups mentioned, starting with the lengthy article on Elves, as well as the smaller articles on the various other names used for Elves, such as `Fair Folk'.
One can then go on to look at the various families of Elfkind, and the entries under the different names for each.
Hence you can find articles on the Eldar also known West Elves, Avari also known as East Elves, Vanyar or Fair Elves, Noldor or Deep Elves, Sindar or Elves, Silvan or wood Elves etc.
Similarly this can be done with the other races of Middle Earth, the Dwarves, Men, Hobbits, Ents, Orcs, Trolls, Balrogs etc as well as the roles played by animals in Middle Earth.
What really makes the book a pleasurable experience to look at are the wonderful illustrations from the remarkably talented artists, in this work.
These drawings really bring Tolkien's work to life, and the colour illustrations are genuine works of art which make this book the perfect coffee table book.

Este libro es uno de mis pequeños tesoros. Lo tengo desde los 12 años, mi época de obsesión absoluta con Tolkien, y es una joyita, no solo por la calidad enciclopédica del contenido, sino también por las preciosas ilustraciones y el formato tan cuidado.

Beautiful book. Takes a longer and broader view of Middle Earth than one might expect in such a book (depicts a lot of non-Hobbit/LotR stuff), which lends it a certain freshness. As much as I like different takes on Gollum, Gandalf, and company (who are also in here), it's nice to see some other stuff for a change, especially if it's as well-done as it is here.

Another invaluable reference book for Tolkien. I remember borrowing my friend Ian's copy of this for weeks when we were children and pouring through it while we were halfway through the two towers. Some of the illustrations terrified me. For some reason, I remember that first copy of the book having illustrations not present in the copy I have today.