Tolkien: On the Shores of Middle-earth (French: Tolkien: sur les rivages de la Terre du Milieu) is a book by Vincent Ferré, published in 2001 by Christian Bourgois éditeur as part of the French scholarly series Agora.
Ferré studies and interprets the foundations of J.R.R. Tolkien's world, and the significant themes of The Lord of the Rings. The book is purported to be the pioneering work of Tolkien scholarship in France[1], and was the beginning of Ferré's output.
- "Preceding by a few months the release of the film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings by Peter Jackson, On the shores of Middle-earth is the first book in French devoted to the masterpiece of J.R.R. Tolkien. It is intended for the very numerous readers already acquired at Tolkien, but also at the general public, since it facilitates the approach and the understanding of the Lord of the rings: it intends at the same time to show that Tolkien is not a children's author or reserved for insiders, and supplement texts already published by Christian Bourgois on his life, and his works. The first part presents the universe of the Lord of the rings: its characters, its geography (invented by the author), its wonderful atmosphere, its relationship with Fantasy, its genesis, its links with other books by Tolkien… The second offers an interpretation of the story from a perspective neglected by commentators - while it illuminates it in its entirety and Tolkien underlined its capital importance - that of death and immortality. Finally, thanks to the notes, to the translation of the forewords (unpublished in French), to the bibliographical indications, On the shores of Middle-earth can also serve as a guide for the Lord of the rings and allow to know him better, therefore better appreciate it."
- —from the publisher
Translations
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
| Danish | Tolkien: På kanten af Midgård |