J.R.R. Tolkien captivated the world when he created the most complex and detailed invented universe and mythological system in literature. Tolkien: The Illustrated Encyclopedia is the essential companion to the enchanted world of Middle-earth and the Undying Lands. With new insight into the creation of Arda. Niimenor. and Belenand, and the races of Elves and men, this book brings together every important detail of Tolkien's exhaustively imaginative cosmology. More than five hundred entries cover five major subject areas: history, geography, sociology, natural history, and biography. Loaded with maps, genealogies, time lines, and gorgeous illustrations of characters, places, and events, Tolkien: The Illustrated Encyclopedia reveals and illuminates the full dramatic sweep and splendor of Tolkien's inimitable classics.