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Loading... The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and other Verses from The Red Book (1962)by J. R. R. Tolkien
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. This is about the 2014 edition. A fat little Hobbit of a book – if Hobbits have university professors of literature and philology. The original of this book was a slim volume of slim poems, illustrated by charming drawings. This edition is rather more, such that it's now three or four times the size. The first volume is a preface, introducing the context for the collection and the poems themselves. A worthy read. Then the poems, which are still light and charming, with their original illustrations. Now the real meat of this edition: the third volume is a series of literary critiques of each, usually including the full text of an earlier version, often very different. For a light read, read the second volume. Preferably aloud, and ideally to an audience of cheese and ale-stuffed Hobbits. The Tolkien scholar though will want to plough through all of it, including that third critique. I say "plough" deliberately, as it's not the easiest of going. But if your interest is in Tolkien himself, or just deeply that of the Legendarium's development, rather than only scampering along to Sam's present, then this will be a heavy but rewarding read for you. This is the first collection of poems I've ever read straight through and I really enjoyed it. Two of the poems are about Tom Bombadil. The rest of the poems are about characters and places one might encounter in his world. Some poems were written by the Hobbits we all know & love, including Sam Gamgee's Stone Troll song! "I'll try my teeth on thee now. Hee now! See now!" This is basically a collection of poems. They're all similar in style to the Bombadil section of [b:The Fellowship of the Ring|34|The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1)|J.R.R. Tolkien|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1298411339s/34.jpg|3204327] and the first few are actually about Tom Bombadil. But, after those are done there are a number of other poems about various topics, some of which are clearly set in Middle-Earth. There's a few about "The Man in the Moon", but there's also ones about hobbits as well. I've always liked the Tom Bombadil section of Fellowship and Tolkien's other poems, so with a few exceptions, I quite liked this collection. That said, if you don't like that section, you'll probably not like much of this as even the ones not about Bombadil are very similar in style. I listened to an audiobook version read by Derek Jacobi. Since these are poems, having them read out loud by someone skilled really elevated the experience. no reviews | add a review
Belongs to Publisher SeriesIs contained inTolkien Fantasy Tales Box Set (The Tolkien Reader/The Silmarillion/Unfinished Tales/Sir Gawain and the Green Knight) by J. R. R. Tolkien (indirect) Tales from the Perilous Realm: Farmer Giles of Ham / The Adventures of Tom Bombadil / Leaf by Niggle / Smith of Wootton Major by J. R. R. Tolkien Tolkien Collection: The Hobbit, Farmer Giles of Ham, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, Tree and Leaf. Smith of Wootton Major, The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien The Tolkien Treasury (audio book) by J. R. R. Tolkien (indirect) Has as a reference guide/companionHas as a supplement
This revised and expanded edition of Tolkien's own Hobbit-inspired poetry includes previously unpublished poems and notes, and is beautifully illustrated by Narnia artist Pauline Baynes. 'Here is something that no devotee of the Hobbit epic can afford to miss, while awaiting a further instalment of the history of these fascinating people - a selection [of verses] offered as an 'interim report' to those interested in Hobbit-lore, and to any others who may find amusement in this mixed bag of old confections.' One of the most intriguing characters in The Lord of the Rings, the amusing and enigmatic Tom Bombadil, also appears in verses said to have been written by Hobbits and preserved in the 'Red Book' with stories of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins and their friends. The Adventures of Tom Bombadil collects these and other poems, mainly concerned with legends and jests of the Shire at the end of the Third Age. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)821.912Literature English English poetry 1900- 1900-1999 1900-1945LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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"...He woke, as he had sprung of stone,
and broke the spell that bound him;
he clasped her fast, both flesh and bone,
and wrapped her shadow round him." ( )