This book includes such beautiful illustrations, ahh! I really enjoyed reading about Tolkien's creations and this is a very comprehensive and thorough compilation of a lot of races, places and plants. If you read all of it, you get a short history of everything that happens in the Undying Lands and Middle-Earth from the creation to what happens after the destruction of the One Ring. But if you only read about certain creatures it still tells you what is most important about them and where in Tolkien's stories they appeared.
A more detailed map of Middle-Earth would have been better but the one provided included ALL of the lands and that is pretty cool.

clearly the author knows his shit, but for a bestiary there's far too few illustrations. and more damning, no entry for the main villains of the series wtf? got time for a plant but not for melkor. shame shame

This is a joyfully detailed guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien from the people and races to the animals and plants that play integral roles in the Middle Earth stories that Tolkien unleashed upon the world, and not just LOTR either. Day has made sure that all of those beings and beasts that Tolkien conjured are represented and discussed and with a passion and eye for detail that is deserving of Tolkien himself (I'm not biased...honestly). Added to this Day has brought together an excellent team of illustrators that use both black and white and colour images to bring Tolkien's world to life even more than it is already.

I thought this was a fantastic book, packed with interesting facts and the most stunning illustrations, gorgeous.

5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish

i have, in fact, NOT read the whole thing :D i know, i know, i lied, but come on, it's basically an encyclopedia :)) very useful for looking up terms!