J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide (Two Volume Box Set) Hardcover – October 6, 2006

This is an enormous work and a stupendous achievement. Christina Scull and her husband Wayne G. Hammond have created, in two large volumes, an indispensable compendium for students of JRR Tolkien. Although the two volumes can be obtained separately, I recommend that both be purchased, preferably at the same time, so that you can turn from one to the other as your studies lead you down one fascinating avenue to countless others.The Chronology Volume is an amazing achievement. JRR Tolkien's entire life is chronicled, many times day by day, so that we know what classes he taught, lectures he gave, conferences he attended, and guests he invited for dinner throughout a long, active life. This may seem to be inconsequential minutiae, but all of it is important in revealing the personality and character of the author and the many sources from which his own writings sprang. Historians and sociologists will also find this volume extremely useful since it reveals one man's daily life through three quarters of the twentieth century.Equally as impressive is Volume 2, the Reader's Guide. Here Scull and Hammond have provided a multiplicity of information on every bit of extant writing by Tolkien, other authors and thinkers with whom he conversed or otherwise communicated, and so much else that it is impossible to enumerate it all. Scholars studying other writers besides Tolkien will do well to consult this volume, since he had contact with so many of them.As a matter of full disclosure I should reveal that I met Christina Scull some years ago in London, and I have maintained a friendship with her and with Wayne ever since. I am honored that an article I wrote for the Tolkien journal "Beyond Bree" has been referenced in this Reader's Guide. But I hasten to assure you that I would be just as impressed with this work and would recommend itjust as highly even if these connections did not exist.

This set of 2 books has got to be the most informative, fun-to-read, amazing books on Tolkien I have read. Wayne & Christina have done it again. These 2 books are a must have for any serious Tolkien fan although they are a bit too much for a casual Tolkien reader IMHO. The Chronology is almost like reading a diary of everything JRRT did from day to day. It's so much fun to read & see what Tolkien's life was like. The Reader's Guide is so stuffed with information it's like having a whole encyclopedia on Tolkien. It has almost anything you could want to know about the man, his works, his family, his feelings/opinions on world events, etc. These 2 books are from the dynamic duo who brought us the reader's companion on the Lord Of The Rings which is a must have book for a reader of that book whether reading it for the 1st time or for the 30th. In summary, if you're just a casual Tolkien reader who enjoys The Hobbit or LOTR and don't care to know any more about the history of the books or the author of them, this set might be too much for you. On the other hand if you are a die-hard Tolkien fan, you simply MUST get this set of books. You will feel like a kid in a candy store with all the Tolkien info in these books!!!

The Chronology—Utterly EngrossingFor serious Tolkien lovers, the two-volume J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide (Chronology and Readers’ Guide) is essential reading. I post here an extract of a very personal account of my experience reading the Chronology, which I wrote years ago for Mythprint, a publication of the Mythopoeic Society.I knew that the Chronology was intended as a reference work, not a biography. Nonetheless I began at the first entry (21 January 1889 Edith Mary Bratt…is born in Gloucester England…) and continued reading over the next few weeks straight through to the last item (17 November 1973 A memorial service for Tolkien is held…).From beginning to end it was utterly engrossing. I already knew a fair amount about Tolkien’s life and work. What fascinated me page after page was the minute particularity of people, places, and activities that filled the life of this extraordinary man. His days were packed with teaching, work on long- and short-term scholarly research projects, academic meetings, advisement of students, domestic joys and crises, the pursuit of close friendships, and innumerable letters to relatives, colleagues, publishers, and of course fans. I was newly astonished by his integrity and passion for excellence. I ached for his despair when he failed to meet deadlines, and empathized with his constant battle for peace of mind amid the relentless pressures of work. I was especially interested to read entries on topics I had not previously known about, like the saga of his efforts to complete his work on the Clarendon Chaucer and the Ancrene Riwle (abortive in both cases). I loved reading that his students found him always affable, kind, helpful. I found almost incredible his serving on seemingly every possible academic committee and taking responsibility for endless administrative tasks. And still year after year he worked on what we now call his Legendarium—poems, tales, languages, mythology—always with the excruciatingly high standard of perfection that is his hallmark. And finally, with increasing frailty, the need for letting go. The cumulative effect of all this detail was: to marvel again, with gratitude, at the unique convergence of skill, erudition, imagination, love and devotion that brought us Middle-earth and The Lord of the Rings.Sara Ciborski

What a treasure trove of information! Tolkienian studies received a huge boost in the arm with this two-book effort from Hammond and Scull. A fascinating look into the work of a man whose books transformed the meaning of 'show, don't tell.'

Scull and Hammond's "The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide" is an unparalleled reference work about Tolkien as author. The "Chronology" volume examines his life in extraordinary detail, often day-by-day. It draws heavily from Tolkien's letters. The Reader's Guide" volume discusses in equal detail the persons, institutions, and literary works that influenced Tolkien's great cration. Published in a boxed, two-volume set of excellent physical quality, Scull and Hammond's "The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide" would be a handsome addition to any library, and a fountain of sparkling interest to any serious Tolkien student.

This book has so much well researched information on Tolkien's written works and life, that it is easily the best book for anyone interested in this area.It compliments books such as the 12 volume History of Middle Earth by Christopher Tolkien, the Reader's Guide to the Lord of The Rings and The Descriptive Bibliography (the last two both written by Wayne G Hammond). The first book (Chronology) details Tolkien's Life like a diary, for each day of his file that details remain. The second volume (Reader's Guide) is a very comphrensive guide to all Tolkien's written works, friends and colleagues.If you are interested in details of Tolkien's life and works then this is the book for you, a fantastic work.