In The Lord of the Rings: A Reader"s Companion internationally acclaimed scholars Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull examine Tolkien"s masterpiece chapter by chapter, offering expert insights into its evolution, structure, and meaning. They discuss in cose detail important literary and historical influences on the development of The Lord of the Rings, connections between that work and other writings by Tolkien, errors and inconsistencies, significant changes to the text during its fifty years of publicaion, archaic and unusual words used by Tolkien, and words and passages in his invented languages of Middle-earth. Thousands of notes, keyed to standard editions of The Lord of the Rings but universally accessible, reveal the richness and complexity of oneof the most popular works of fiction in our time. In addition to their own expertise and that of other scholars and critics, Hammond and Scull frequently draw upon comments by Tolkien himself, made in letters to family, friends, and...