Middle Earth, Gandalf, Frodo, Bilbo: The places and characters that sprang from the mind of J.R.R. Tolkien will live forever in the imaginations of millions of readers. In Hobbits, Elves, and Wizards, Michael Stanton, a scholar of science fiction and fantasy literature, offers an extraordinary encounter with The Lord of the Rings. Believing that there is no epic of contemporary literature to match The Lord of the Rings, Stanton delves critically into...

J.R.R. Tolkien had a great knowledge of, and love for, world mythology when he wrote his beloved trilogy of Middle Earth. In particular, the symbol of the Ring has a rich and fascinating heritage, and this beautifully illustrated literary detective work searches down Tolkien's sources and inspiration. Written authoritatively by David Day, it shows how the Lord of the Rings is the result of an ancient story-telling tradition that dates back to the...

As a child, Clive Staples Lewis imagined many things . . . heroic animals and knights in armor and a faraway land called Boxen. He even thought of a new name for himself--at four years old, he decided he was more of a Jack. As he grew up, though, Jack found that the real world was not as just as the one in his imagination. No magic could heal the sick or stop a war, and a bully's words could pierce as sharply as a sword. So Jack withdrew into books...

"Stories provide portals into other worlds, both real and imagined. The promise of escape draws people from all backgrounds to speculative fiction, but when people of color seek passageways into the fantastic, the doors are often barred. This problem lies not only with children's publishing, but also with the television and film executives tasked with adapting these stories into a visual world. When characters of color do appear, they are often marginalized...

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is now a spectacular motion picture from Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media. Now even the youngest child can share the magic in this full-color journey through The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Sixty-four pages are packed with fun facts and exciting adventures with the heroes, villains and creatures of Narnia. Join in the battles, explore magical places and visit the homes of Mr....

The New York Times bestseller, now fully updated to include Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Who was the real Nicholas Flamel? How did the Sorcerer's Stone get its power? Did J.K. Rowling dream up the terrifying basilisk, the seductive veela, or the vicious grindylow? And if she didn't, who did? Millions of readers around the world have been enchanted by the magical world of wizardry, spells, and mythical beasts inhabited by Harry Potter...

"Celebrating the 150th anniversary of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland comes this richly illustrated and expanded collector's edition of Martin Gardner's The Annotated Alice. First appearing in 1960, The Annotated Alice became an instant classic by, among other things, decoding the wordplay and mathematical riddles embedded within Lewis Carroll's masterpiece. As a result, Martin Gardner's groundbreaking work went on to sell over a million copies,...