'The English-speaking world is divided into those who have read The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and those who are going to read them.' Sunday Times
'A story magnificently told, with every kind of colour and movement and greatness.' New Statesman
'Masterpiece? Oh yes, I've no doubt about that.' Evening Standard
'Among the greatest works of imaginative fiction of the twentieth century.' Sunday Telegraph
'Here are beauties which pierce like swords or burn like cold iron.' C.S. Lewis
J.R.R.Tolkien (1892-1973) was a distinguished academic, though he is best known for writing The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, plus other stories and essays. His books have been translated into over 80 languages and have sold many millions of copies worldwide.
Alan Lee was invited to illustrate the centenary edition of The Lord of the Rings, which led to further Tolkien editions, including The Hobbit and the three 'Great Tales': The Children of Húrin, Beren and Lúthien and The Fall of Gondolin. He worked as Conceptual Designer and Set Decorator on both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies, receiving the Academy Award for Best Art Direction for his work on The Return of the King.