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Tolkien and the Great War
- The Threshold of Middle-earth
- Narrated by: John Garth
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
- Categories: Biographies & Memoirs, Art & Literature
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The Adventures of Tom Bombadil is a collection of poetry written by J. R. R. Tolkien and was first published in 1962. The audio is read by Sir Derek Jacobi and is a collection of 16 poems that contain an assortment of bestiary verse and fairy tale rhyme. It is a stunning recording that captures all the characters in their own charming and mysterious ways.
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After the forword back to the forword and then onward...
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The works of J.R.R. Tolkien are quite possibly the most widely read pieces of literature written in the 20th Century. But as Professor Michael Drout illuminates in this engaging course of lectures, Tolkien's writings are built upon a centuries-old literary tradition that developed in Europe and is quite uniquely Western in its outlook and style. Drout explores how that tradition still resonates with us to this day, even if many Modernist critics would argue otherwise. He begins the course with the allegory of a tower.
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In honor of the 50th anniversary of C. S. Lewis' death, celebrated Oxford don Dr. Alister McGrath presents us with a compelling and definitive portrait of the life of C. S. Lewis, the author of the well-known Narnia series. For more than half a century, C. S. Lewis’ Narnia series has captured the imaginations of millions. In C. S. Lewis - A Life, Dr. Alister McGrath recounts the unlikely path of this Oxford don, who spent his days teaching English literature to the brightest students in the world and his spare time writing.
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Thorough and well written
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Farmer Giles of Ham
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Farmer Giles of Ham did not look like a hero. He was fat and red-bearded and enjoyed a slow, comfortable life. Then one day a rather deaf and short-sighted giant blundered on to his land. More by luck than skill, Farmer Giles managed to scare him away. The people of the village cheered: Farmer Giles was a hero. His reputation spread far and wide across the kingdom. So it was natural that when the dragon Chrysophylax visited the area it was Farmer Giles who was expected to do battle with it!
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Yes
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A Rare Recording of J.R.R. Tolkien
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This real oddity includes Tolkien reading from the poetry collection The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, and a recording of the Swann musical arrangements.
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For the Tolkien collector
- By Emil Veselinov Milanov on 31-12-20
Summary
A new biography exploring J.R.R. Tolkien’s wartime experiences and their impact on his life and his writing of The Lord of The Rings.
“To be caught in youth by 1914 was no less hideous an experience than in 1939 … by 1918 all but one of my close friends were dead.” So J.R.R. Tolkien responded to critics who saw The Lord of the Rings as a reaction to the Second World War.
Tolkien and the Great War tells for the first time the full story of how he embarked on the creation of Middle-earth in his youth as the world around him was plunged into catastrophe. This biography reveals the horror and heroism that he experienced as a signals officer in the Battle of the Somme and introduces the circle of friends who spurred his mythology to life. It shows how, after two of these brilliant young men were killed, Tolkien pursued the dream they had all shared by launching his epic of good and evil.
John Garth argues that the foundation of tragic experience in the First World War is the key to Middle-earth’s enduring power. Tolkien used his mythic imagination not to escape from reality but to reflect and transform the cataclysm of his generation. While his contemporaries surrendered to disillusionment, he kept enchantment alive, reshaping an entire literary tradition into a form that resonates to this day.
This is the first substantially new biography of Tolkien since 1977, meticulously researched and distilled from his personal wartime papers and a multitude of other sources.
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- mr a thomson
- 15-08-19
I cannot rate this book highly enough.
As a lover of Tolkiens work, this book really was insightful and expressed the impact deep friendships, aswell as conflict can have on the creative genius that came from such a generation of scholars. Wonderfully put together, and well recommended.
2 people found this helpful
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- Doctor G
- 09-06-18
Powerful and profound
One of the half dozen best books ever written about Tolkien; and indeed one of the best books about friendship, war, and the formation and nature of a genius. This audio version is well read by the author, who has a rare gift for speaking poetry. Listening to Tolkien and the Great War moved me to tears more than once, despite that I already owned and knew the paper version - this brings an extra dimension.
2 people found this helpful
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- petitbilbo
- 25-01-15
A deep insight in the creative process of a genius
Well written, well documented and the narration, by the author (with supposedly no training in this craft) is quite excellent.
During the listening, old pangs of nostalgia felt when I first read Tolkien came up.
Very well done.
2 people found this helpful
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- mr philip kelly
- 30-08-19
too long.
This could have been made more interesting to general readers / listeners if they had not gone I to so much detail about the development of the languages used in the books.
It went on way too much.
He endured a lot, and lost so many around him.
very tough times.
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- Timothy Ortopan
- 09-05-18
Excellent Text Frustratingly Recorded
The text of this title is remarkable and the performance is also quite good, but for reasons that not clear the audible chapters do not correspond to the actual chapters of the book. This makes it very difficult to alternate reading and listening to the text. The chapters of the recording are seemingly random and are not connected to the subject at all. I find this makes for an incredibly frustrating listening experience. I have no idea why audible would insert the chapter divides this way, but I hope that they never do this again. I have been a member for almost five years and this is the only title I have encountered where this has been done.
11 people found this helpful
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- E.F.B.
- 03-08-18
Excellent biography!
Note: I decided to pair the physical copy of this book with the audio version and found reading and listening at the same time was very helpful in keeping my focus and helping me progress through this book without getting slowed down or distracted. The author of the book actually narrates the audiobook, which is something I always really enjoy.
An excellent read for this Tolkien fan!
This being non-fiction, and me not reading non-fiction nearly as much as fiction, I’m always a little unsure how to write my review. I guess I’ll start by saying that I thought it was very well-written, well-researched, well-paced, and interesting enough that I never once got bored or wanted to skip ahead even though I already knew some of the information being conveyed. There were some new things too, though, such as more details about the TCBS (a close-knit group of friends and writing critique partners Tolkien was a part of in his college days) than I ever knew before and enjoyed learning. I also loved that the author included excerpts of Tolkien’s poetry where appropriate to make points and show how Tolkien’s writings developed over time, and I very much enjoyed reading them and discovering his inspiration for them.
Overall, this was a highly enjoyable non-fiction read for me and I happily give it 5 stars.
I would recommend this book both to long time Tolkien fans who are curious about his life, especially his experiences in WWI and their influence on his writings, and to people who are new fans, or maybe not even fans at all, but are still curious about this well-known person and his life. You don’t necessarily have to have read any, much less all of Tolkien’s works in order to get something from this book (though knowing at least some of his works will certainly add depth to what you learn here) as the author tells the audience just as much as is needed in order to show what he’s wanting to show.
Content advisory: I personally would recommend this book for ages 12+ simply because of how intellectual it is and the fact that, unless they were very curious and at an advanced reading level, children younger than that simply probably wouldn’t be interested in a book like this or be able to fully comprehend it to appreciate it. Otherwise, there is very little content of concern for younger readers.
Language: One instance of the word d****d in a brief quote from Tolkien. I don’t recall any other swear words.
Violence: There is talk of war and combat throughout, but the author keeps it very matter-of-fact, never going into icky detail, while still communicating what happened in various battles and such.
Worldviews: Again, the author simply reports the facts and doesn’t give his own opinion on things.
3 people found this helpful
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- Wes
- 26-04-18
I enjoyed every minute!
Part biography. Part literary analysis. John Garth is a brilliant scholar. He has a deep understanding of Tolkien and his scholarship and literature.
1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 04-08-19
Finally understood Tolkien movie
Well written and researched for non-LOTR experts. Perspective on WW1 relevance today is critical for fans.
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- Jacquie
- 08-05-19
A masterpiece
This book is a masterful work on the life of Tolkien. I highly recommend it!
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- Amazon Customer
- 10-11-18
Riveting Detail & Analysis
Garth wins the award for being the first author to compel me to listen to the Epilogue and Postscript 3x over. This is wonderful biographical scholarship, amassing tantalizing detail, telling a profoundly gripping story, and showing its significance in the history of ideas. Lovely read.
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- Katie Archambeault
- 06-08-18
Tolkien and the Great War
An enlightening read into the life and and experiences of Tolkien. It is well worth your time to read this and to have a greater appreciation for his works.
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- Culpie
- 11-12-16
Enjoyed the insight
Very interesting to get a deeper look into the great War and it's effect on JRR. Very much enjoyed this book!
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- Benjamin
- 04-12-15
Great on every level
Tolkien and the Great War sheds new light on the influence of the Great War on Tolkiens thinking and writing through an astonishing amount of research.
Especially the comparison of him to the well known Great War Poets is enlightening.
The reader does an amazing job at delivering the often harrowing story of the expierience of an entire generation.
The only complaint is the butchering of the pronounciation of german names.
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- J. Matthew Melton
- 29-05-15
A touching and revealing narrative
John Garth's reading of his book strikes perfect notes in the moving story of Tolkien and the other brilliant young minds who went to war in 1914. The fall of each of his friends resounds and echoes in Tolkien's own heartrending creations. Garth's recounting of the intimate details of how the War experience shaped Tolkien's work is itself a work of painstaking craftsmanship. His reading is remarkably suited to his subject. Superb.