Links
We know we've said this a lot, but please let us repeat: if you want to follow the action of The Fellowship of the Ring and its subsequent novels, it is really helpful to check a map. This is an expandable version of the map Tolkien hand-drew for the publication of Lord of the Rings in 1954.
A truly extensive fan site dedicated to Tolkien’s works; if you have any questions about the Silmarillion or The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, you can definitely find details here.
One of the useful aspects of this site (which is like Wikipedia for Tolkien enthusiasts) is that it includes separate pages on Tolkien-based video games and on the weird and wonderful world of Tolkien fandom.
The Tolkien Society is an English charity dedicated to spreading the word about J.R.R. Tolkien and his many works.
Figwit was a fan phenomenon when The Fellowship of the Ring came out in theaters in 2001. He is an Elf who appears for about two elapsed seconds onscreen at the Council of Elrond. But somehow, a small but ardent group of viewers fell in love at first sight (even though this character doesn’t even have an official name or a line). Here is an account of Figwit’s origins and spread into popular culture.
Movie or TV Productions
Peter Jackson may be the most famous, but Ralph Bakshi got there first.
This still stands as one of the best fantasy movies of all time, a fitting tribute to such a marvelous novel.
Documents
Where can we get our hands on one of these?
This isn't Tolkien's handy-work, but it's based on his vision of Middle-earth.
An apology letter written to a friend for forgetting to return a book he had borrowed.
Videos
That ominous voice-over really gets us in the right mood.
You’ve never seen Frodo look quite so idiotic.
No, we are not kidding. It's as awesome as it sounds."
Who would have ever thought? We guess there is a lot of singing in the novel... just not this kind.
Audios
The Department of English at Washington University on iTunes provides a series of really great, enthusiastic, academic podcasts on all things Tolkien. See, school <em>is</em> cool.
A rare glimpse into the mind of the man himself.
Images
We wonder where he got the pipe-weed ideas from...
Who knew Legolas was so darn cute?
Is this how you imagined it? Do you think the film captures the imagery of the novel?
One day, Shmoop will have its own stamps, too. Just wait.
In the movie, Frodo always looks so surprised... guess we would be, too, looking at some of the stuff in Middle-earth.
If Tolkien had met this actor, maybe he would have just kept his name for the character: Viggo Mortensen sounds pretty Middle-earth-ish to us.
Gandalf is a giant!