A unique companion to The Lord of the Rings which relates the textual history of the Nation's Favourite Read; with a previously unpublished Guide to the Names in The Lord of the Rings written by Tolkien himself In The Lord of the Rings A Reader's Companion internationally acclaimed scholars Wayne G Hammond & Christina Scull examine Tolkien's masterpiece chapter by chapter offering expert insights into its evolution structure & meaning They discuss important influences on its development connections between that work & other writings by Tolkien errors & inconsistencies significant changes to the text & archaic & unusual words used by Tolkien Thousands of notes keyed to standard editions of The Lord of the Rings but universally accessible reveal the richness & complexity of one of the most popular works of fiction in our time Extensive reference is made also to writings by Tolkien not previously or widely published including elaborate time-schemes an unfinished manuscript index to The Lord of the Rings & most notably the important Nomenclature or guide to names in The Lord of the Rings prepared for the use of translators long out of print & now newly transcribed & printed in its entirety With these resources at hand even the most seasoned reader of The Lord of the Rings will come to a greater enjoyment & appreciation of Tolkien's magnificent achievement Published originally in 2005 the Reader's Companion won the annual Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inkling Studies It has now been revised & updated to mark the 60th anniversary of The Lord of the Rings