Digging deep into J. R. R. Tolkien's spiritual biography--his religious scholarship and his love of both Christian and pagan myth--Stratford Caldecott offers a critical study of how the acclaimed author effectively created a vivid Middle Earth using the familiar rites and ceremonies of human history. And while readers and moviegoers alike may appreciate the fantasy world of The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, few know that in life, Tolkien was a devout Roman Catholic and that the characters, the events, and the general morality of each novel are informed by the dogmas of his faith. Revised and updated, this acclaimed study of Tolkien's achievement--previously released as Secret Fire in the UK--includes commentary on Peter Jackson's film adaptations and explores many of the fascinating stories and letters published after Tolkien's death.

The armies of the Dark Lord Sauron are massing as his evil shadow spreads ever wider. Men, Dwarves, Elves and Ents unite forces to do battle agains the Dark. Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam struggle further into Mordor in their heroic quest to destroy the One Ring.The devastating conclusion of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic tale of magic and adventure, begun in The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, features the definitive edition of the text and includes the Appendices and a revised Index in full.To celebrate the release of the first of Peter Jackson's two-part film adaptation of The Hobbit, THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY, this third part of The Lord of the Rings is available for a limited time with an exclusive cover image from Peter Jackson's award-winning trilogy.

'The Fellowship of the Ring' is the first part of JRR Tolkien's epic masterpiece 'The Lord of the Rings'. This 50th anniversary edition features special packaging and includes the definitive edition of the text.|PB

Carlos Castaneda takes the reader into the very heart of sorcery, challenging both imagination and reason, shaking the very foundations of our belief in what is "natural" and "logical." Back from the abyss, Castaneda encounter his greatest test on the journey towards impeccability and freedom: to outwit and overpower the sorcery of Doña Soledad, herself transformed from a defeated and meaningless life to a warrior, a hunter and a "stalker of power." Now the combat will begin. Now the journey will continue. Till the last danger is faced...the final paradox embraced.

Acclaimed author and Jungian analyst Bolen reveals the archetypal truths and liberating insights in Wagner's ever-popular Ring Cycle operas. Bolen's interpretations evoke the reader's associations, memories, and emotions to prompt insight and healing for both the psyche and society caught in the "Ring Cycle" of destruction and dysfunction.

The Lord of the Rings is intended to be applicable to the real world of relationships, religion, pleasure, pain, and politics. Tolkien himself said that his grand tale of wizards, orcs, hobbits, and elves was aimed at truth and good morals in the actual world. Analysis of the popular appeal of The Lord of the Rings (on websites and elsewhere) shows that Tolkien fans are hungry for discussion of the urgent moral and cosmological issues arising out of this fantastic epic story. Can political power be wielded for good, or must it always corrupt? Does technology destroy the truly human? Is it morally wrong to give up hope? Can we find meaning in chance events? In The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy, seventeen young philosophy professors, all of them ardent Tolkien fans and most of them contributors to the four earlier volumes in the Popular Culture and Philosophy series, address some of these important issues and show how clues to their solutions may be found in the imaginary world of Middle-earth. The book is divided into five sections, concerned with Power and the Ring, the Quest for Happiness, Good and Evil in Middle-earth, Time and Mortality, and the Relevance