Book Review: The Science of Middle-Earth: A New Understanding of Tolkien and His World edited by Lehoucq, Mangin and Rafaelian

The Science of Middle-Earth: A New Understanding of Tolkien and His World
edited by Roland Lehoucq, Loic Mangin, and Arnauld Rafaelian (823 Tol)

At first glance, this book might appear to be an examination of how scientifically accurate the fictional works of J.R.R. Tolkien are. The book is actually a collection of essays by different writers of varying backgrounds, looking at Tolkien’s works from a variety of perspectives that can be broadly considered “scientific”. The introductory essay looks at Tolkien’s broadly scientific mindset — that is, showing that he was a keen observer of nature, albeit not specifically trained as a scientist. From there, the essays proceed with the “soft” sciences (sociology, political science, and — of course — linguistics) and then move on to the “harder” sciences of geology, chemistry, biology, and so on.

 

With such a mix of writers covering such a range of topics, this book is probably better suited to “dipping into” rather than reading straight through. The essays will vary greatly in their interest level to readers, and while worth reading, this collection can hardly be considered essential reading for Tolkien aficionados.

 

One final note: the collection would have benefited from more thorough editing, both to clear up errors in content (such as erroneous references to specific chapters in Tolkien’s works) and to catch an unusual number of typographical errors.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Atlas of Middle-Earth by Karen Wynn Fonstad.)

 

( publisher’s official The Science of Middle-Earth web page ) | ( official J.R.R. Tolkien Bookshop web site )

 

Recommended by Peter J.
Virtual Services Department

 

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