Tales From the Perilous Realm-轻识

Available for the first time in one volume, this is the definitive collection of Tolkien's five acclaimed modern classic 'fairie' tales in the vein of 'The Hobbit', fully corrected and reset for this edition and all beautifully illustrated in pencil by the award-winning artist, Alan Lee. The five tales are written with the same skill, quality and charm that made The Hobbit a classic. Largely overlooked because of their short lengths, they are finally together in a volume which reaffirms Tolkien's place as a master storyteller for readers young and old. / Roverandom is a toy dog who, enchanted by a sand sorcerer, gets to explore the world and encounter strange and fabulous creatures. / Farmer Giles of Ham is fat and unheroic, but - having unwittingly managed to scare off a short-sighted giant - is called upon to do battle when a dragon comes to town; / The Adventures of Tom Bombadil tells in verse of Tom's many adventures with hobbits, princesses, dwarves and trolls; / Leaf by Niggle recounts the strange adventures of the painter Niggle who sets out to paint the perfect tree; / Smith of Wootton Major journeys to the Land of Faery thanks to the magical ingredients of the Great Cake of the Feast of Good Children. This new collection is fully illustrated throughout by Oscar-winning artist, Alan Lee, who provides a wealth of pencil drawings to bring the stories to life as he did so memorably for The Hobbit and The Children of Hurin. Alan also provides an Afterword, in which he opens the door into illustrating Tolkien's world. World-renowned Tolkien author and expert, Tom Shippey, takes the reader through the hidden links in the tales to Tolkien's Middle-earth in his Introduction, and recounts their history and themes. Lastly, included as an appendix is Tolkien's most famous essay, "On Fairy-stories", in which he brilliantly discusses fairy-stories and their relationship to fantasy. Taken together, this rich collection of new and unknown work from the author of The Children of Hurin will provide the reader with a fascinating journey into lands as wild and strange as Middle-earth.

J.R.R.托尔金，1892年1月3日出生于南非的布洛丰坦（Bloemfontein），后迁回英格兰。四岁和十二岁时，双亲相继去世，在法兰西斯神父抚养下度过少年时期，这期间托尔金展现了高超的语言天赋。1915年，托尔金毕业于牛津大学，主攻盎格鲁撒克逊历史和语言；1925年，回牛津担任英国语言教授，时年33岁，是牛津有史以来最年轻的教授。同时，他也感叹于英伦三岛缺乏创世神话，因此展开一系列神话故事的创作。最脍炙人口的是两部震古烁今的奇幻小说：《魔戒前传——霍比特人历险记》（The Hobbit，1937）、《魔戒》（The Lord of the Rings，1954）。