Secondary literature, usually equal to Tolkien study, is literature about J.R.R. Tolkien, his academic work, or his Middle-earth legendarium, written by someone outside the Tolkien family. This literature includes reference works, atlases, thorough examinations, essay collections, biographical, art books, and recipe books. This category excludes, however, literature directly concerning adaptations of Tolkien's works.
Apart from numerous, singular books by various professors, linguists, Medieval scholars, et cetera, secondary literature also includes many compilative series, such as Tolkien Studies, the Mallorn and Amon Hen journals, the Cormarë Series, Journal of Tolkien Research, and Peter Roe Memorial Series, each of whose installments feature essays or reviews by different Tolkien enthusiasts, on a spectrum from scholars to common fans.
See also Category:Secondary literature.
Secondary literature is a large portion of the outstanding collection of Pieter Collier of TolkienLibrary.com. The book I Am in Fact a Hobbit (2003) by Perry Bramlett is one of few English-language works including a bibliography of such literature.
Terminology
Secondary literature is a contrast to "primary literature", which encompasses authorized works that solely or mainly present J.R.R. Tolkien's own material, such as his novels, The History of Middle-earth, publications of his lectures and Medieval writings, and The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. Secondary literature may or may not be directly authorized by or connected to the Tolkien Estate.
Most secondary literature, of any format, falls under Tolkien study or Tolkien criticism, sometimes called Tolkienology[1] or Tolkien research. The most involved kind of secondary literature is Tolkien scholarship, in which a Tolkien expert draws intensely on their own academic or professional experience to examine Tolkien's life or works with particular focus.
Examples
A Companion to J.R.R. Tolkien
ed. by Stuart D. Lee (2014) |
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The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings: J.R.R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Owen Barfield, Charles Williams by Philip & Carol Zaleski (2015) |
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The Lord of the Rings and the Western Narrative Tradition by Martin Simonson (2008) |
Browse by
Topic
For the common/new reader | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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An Unexpected Cookbook by Chris-Rachael Oseland
The Plants of Middle-earth: Botany and Sub-creation by Dinah Hazell
The Ultimate Unofficial Guide to Tolkien's World by Antony Cummins
The Battles of Tolkien by David Day
Finding God in The Lord of the Rings by Jim Ware
Flora of Middle-earth by Walter and Graham Judd
A Dictionary of Tolkien by David Day
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Biographies | ||||||||||||||
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I Am in Fact a Hobbit: An Introduction to the Life and Work of J.R.R. Tolkien by Perry C. Bramlett
Uncle Curro: J.R.R. Tolkien’s Spanish Connection by José Manuel Ferrández Bru
Tolkien: A Biography by Michael White
Who Was J.R.R. Tolkien? by Pam Pollack & Meg Belviso
J.R.R. Tolkien (Monograph series) by Gabian Geier | ||||||||||||||
Bibliographies, encyclopediae, & "complete guides" | |||||||||||
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A Companion to J.R.R. Tolkien ed. by Stuart D. Lee
The Making of Middle-earth: The Worlds of Tolkien and the Lord of the Rings by Christopher Snyder
The Complete Tolkien Companion by J.E.A. Tyler
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On The Hobbit | |
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On sources of inspiration and parallels
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This excludes comprehensive guidebooks
Tolkien's Lost Chaucer by John M. Bowers
The Gallant Edith Bratt: J.R.R. Tolkien's Inspiration by Nancy Bunting & Seamus Hamill-Keays
War and the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien by Janet Brennan Croft
Tolkien and the Classical World ed. by Hamish Williams
Tolkien and the Classics ed. by R. Arduini, G. Canzonieri, and C. Testi
J.R.R. Tolkien: Myth Morality & Religion by Richard Purtill
Tolkien's Modern Middle Ages ed. by Jane Chance & Alfred Siewers | |||||||||||||||||||
On religion, theology, or spirituality | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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J.R.R. Tolkien's Sanctifying Myth: Understanding Middle-earth by Bradley Birzer
Amid Weeping There is Joy by Cyril Jenkins
Tolkien the Pagan? Reading Middle-earth through a Spiritual Lens ed. by Anna Milon
Christian Mythmakers by Rolland Hein
The Good News of the Return of the King by Michael Jahosky
J.R.R. Tolkien, Owen Barfield and the Cosmic Christ by Luigi Morelli
Seeking the Lord of Middle Earth by Jeffery L. Morrow
Creation and Beauty in Tolkien's Catholic Vision by Michael John Halsall
The Lord of the Rings and the Eucharist by Scott L. Smith
J.R.R. Tolkien: Myth Morality & Religion by Richard Purtill
Theology and Tolkien: Practical Theology ed. by Doug Estes
Finding God in The Lord of the Rings by Jim Ware & Kurt Bruner | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
On application of Tolkien's work | ||||||||||||||||
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The Hobbit Party: The Vision of Freedom That Tolkien Got, and the West Forgot by Jonathan Witt & Jay Richards
Tolkien, Enchantment, and Loss: Steps on the Developmental Journey by John Rosegrant
Theology and Tolkien: Practical Theology ed. Doug Estes
Myth, Magic, and Power in Tolkien's Middle-earth by James Siburt
The Unofficial Lord of the Rings Cookbook by Tom Grimm
An Unexpected Cookbook: The Unofficial Book of Hobbit Cookery by Chris-Rachael Island
Recipes from the World of Tolkien: Inspired By the Legends by Robert Tuesley Anderson
The Elven Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by the Elves of Tolkien by Robert T. Anderson
Mount Doom: The Prophecy of Tolkien Revealed by Paul List & Ali Ghaffari
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On the Inklings | |||||||||||||||
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The Inklings, the Victorians, and the Moderns by Christopher Butynski
The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings by Philip and Carol Zaleski
Christian Mythmakers by Rolland Hein
A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War by Joseph Loconte
Lord of the Elves and Eldils by Richard Purtill
Inklings on Philosophy and Worldview by Matthew Dominguez
Four Christian Fantasists by Richard Sturch | |||||||||||||||
Author
The following books are solo or duo-authored books. Essay collections and collaborative works are in the next table.
Editor
In this context, editors are those who envision, select (most often), and oversee a collaboration of Tolkienian writers for a single publication with a particular focus. Many such books are in the Cormarë Series or Peter Roe Memorial Series.