J.R.R. Tolkien: Six Decades of Criticism

J.R.R. Tolkien: Six Decades of Criticism annotates over 1,600 reviews, articles, essays, books, and other commentary on the creator of Middle Earth. Author Judith A. Johnson also provides a bibliography of Tolkien novels, poems, interviews, and other published works; essays describing Tolkien’s writings and summarizing the critical response to them; and an appendix listing Tolkien-related organizations, societies, and publications. American Libraries

This bibliography of works by and about one of the foremost fantasy writers of the twentieth century contains notes on hundreds of reviews, articles, essays, theses, dissertations, and books. The book’s organization is chronological, each chapter devoted to a particular era and time frame in the Tolkien history. Each chapter contains a brief introductory essay that describes works by Tolkien published within a particular time frame and summarizes the patterns or trends of critical response during the period covered. Following this is an alphabetical by title listing of works by Tolkien and a chronologically organized bibliography of Tolkien criticism. The final chapter offers a preview of the response of future critics to the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. The appendix offers a list of all Tolkien related organizations, societies, and publications. The indexes provide access to the Tolkien criticism by the name of the critic and by individual works.