“Splendid . . . . Impressive.”
— Toronto Star
“Incredible . . . . A hefty book packed full of gorgeous, fascinating images.”
— io9
“Extensive . . . . Fascinating.”
— Wall Street Journal
“Reveals [Tolkien’s] painstaking creative process. . . . Reflect[s] a literary mind almost obsessed with perfecting each and every [detail].”
— New York Times Book Review
“Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth aims to demonstrate this link between the evolution of the world of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and the biography of their author. . . . The scope of his world was truly vast, and his desire to populate it impressive in itself. More to the point, the paintings are beautiful.”
— Times Literary Supplement
“The most thorough treatment of his life and work in decades. . . . Will enlighten even longtime Tolkien fans about the intensely visual and artistic aspect of his creativity.”
— The National Review
“For anyone who grew up in the Tolkien universe, seeing the original artwork—the death of Smaug, for instance, the dragon’s head thrown back, his scales pierced by a black arrow, over the burning remains of the lake town of Esgaroth—will be like meeting an old friend.”
— Country Life
“One awesome and lore-packed book. . . . sure to enrich any fan’s appreciation for Tolkien the mortal Man, who despite having left this world has at least left behind another of his own creations. A vast, believable, alien-yet-familiar, and somehow still scarcely inhabited world: Middle-earth, which seems to be half the Earth we know and half an Earth we don’t. One that’s steeped in Faerie.”
— Tor.com
“Incredibly and unexpectedly moving. . . . Colorful and joyful, too.”
— Fine Books & Collections Magazine
“Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth is a pure delight, one that I’ll return to many times in the years to come. . . . I have many more books about Tolkien than I do ones he has written, and this is the best of those about him so far.”
— Fantasy & Science Fiction
"All in all, a treasure-house of images, a perfect gift for yourself or a Tolkien-lover on your list."
— Mythlore
"Catherine McIlwaine's large, lavishly illustrated catalog of her recent exhibition of the Bodleian Library's J.R.R. Tolkien holdings is well organized, well written. . . and introduced by six short essays by experts on different aspects of the author's life and work. It opens a window onto Tolkien's imagination and the way it worked, with particular emphasis on the visual element. For any Tolkien scholar, McIlwaine's book will become indispensable."
— Children's Literature Association Quarterly
"... a cohesive introduction readily touching all aspects of Tolkien’s life, fiction, and art." and "...an unprecedentedly accessible introduction to Tolkien scholarship and art."
— Fafnir: Nordic Journal of Science Fiction and Fantasy Research