Why We Love Middle-earth: An Enthusiast's Book about Tolkien, Middle-earth, and the LotR Fandom

by Alan Sisto, Shawn E. Marchese Narrated by Alan Sisto

Overview

Learn about the man who wrote The Lord of the Rings in this Middle-earth treasury. Full of answers to common questions about Middle-earth and the fandom, this book about Tolkien celebrates Why We Love Middle-earth.



The Lord of the Rings omnibus for all. Who wrote The Lord of the Rings? What details are in the movies, books, maps, and other stories-and how do they tie together? Intrigued by Amazon's new show The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power? What's considered canon and what isn't? Dive into Middle-earth's expansive lore with Why We Love Middle-earth, a fandom book about Tolkien's work.



The perfect companion for any Middle-earth traveler. Written by beloved Tolkien commenters of the Prancing Pony Podcast, Shawn E. Marchese and Alan Sisto, Why We Love Middle-earth is the ultimate guide to the fandom.



Inside, find:



¿ An easy-to-digest guide map that deepens your knowledge from start to finish, or from any interest point



¿ A brief history of each of the major books and adaptations of Middle-earth, how to read, watch, or play them, and deepen your understanding of them



¿ A manual for fandom niches-what they are, where to find them, and how to get started

Product Details

BN ID:	2940159632593
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	10/31/2023
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

The Hobbit

“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.”

— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, Chapter 1 “An Unexpected Party”

These are the first words of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, and the first words of Tolkien’s writing that many people ever encounter. As the introduction to Middle-earth for many readers, it’s the passage that started many of us lifelong Tolkien fans on the road for our lifelong obsession with Middle-earth — all the way back at the doorstep of Bilbo Baggins, Esq.

And with good reason: they’re the words that introduced the world to Middle-earth when the first edition of The Hobbit was published on September 21, 1937. Not that anyone was calling it “Middle-earth” just yet (we’ll get to that later). Much like the effect these words can have on the individual fan, it’s quite fitting that the introduction of Middle-earth to the world was at Bilbo’s front door, on the precipice of an adventure that would change the life and perspective of this ordinary hobbit forever. 

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

The Hobbit is the perfect place to start on one’s journey through Middle-earth, in part because of its accessibility, no matter who you are or when in your life you approach it for the first time. While The Lord of the Rings can be a bit scary and intense for younger readers, and The Silmarillion has been known to make even full-grown adults scratch their heads trying to make sense of the quasi-biblical diction and the arcane Elvish family trees with all their Fingolfins and Finarfins, The Hobbit is aimed squarely at younger readers. Tolkien wrote it with his own children in mind, and read it to his children while it was in development. It was intended for children when it was published, but it remains a favorite for many readers well into adulthood, even among those who read it for the first time as adults. Put another way: long before Harry Potter and Katniss Everdeen were reaching beyond the boundaries of their young adult demographic to appeal to mom, dad, and even the college-aged babysitter, Bilbo Baggins was doing the same.

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