Tolkien, the Illustrated Encyclopedia by David Day?

Question

What can you tell me about it? I know there are lots of books out there on Tolkien and Middle-earth, is this one of the good ones? Is it worth buying? Opinions wanted.

Answer 1

While eye-filling and fairly comprehensive, David Day's work is not a reliable guide to the intricately detailed world of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth novels. Day is entirely subjective, interposing his own interpretations and additions onto Tolkien's text. Tolkien's fans, who tend to have their own strongly-held opinions about such things, will most likely be annoyed, offended, or outraged. Fan fiction has its place, but not when it is marketed as a faithful representation of the original.