The Power of the Ring - The Spiritual Vision behind The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit (07.01.13 by Pieter Collier) - Comments

December 2012 brought us an updated edition of The Power of the Ring, a guide to vision of virtue, heroism, beauty, honor, and majesty in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. The cover by Ted Nasmith is stunning!

The spiritual forces and beliefs behind tolkien's compelling novels are elegantly revealed in this second edition of The Power of the Ring.
Stratford Caldecott uncovers the deeper meanings behind the The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit, drawing not only on the classic published works but also on tolkien's writings unpublished during his lifetime.

In this outstanding reflection on the influences behind tolkien's immense vision, Caldecott casts a wide net to include intellectual and spiritual minds ranging from tolkien's close friend, C.S. Lewis to Flannery O'Connor, from Carl Jung and Rudolf Steiner to Owen Barfield and Joseph Chilton Pearce, from G.K. Chesterton to Father Dwight Longenecker.

Acclaimed as the "one of the greatest spiritual writers of our time", Tolkien, a devout Catholic, produced a masterpiece (further popularized by the magnificent films of Peter Jackson) that has enhanced and forever altered the genre of fantasy literature.

The films have enchanted a new generation of fans with the Christian-inspired vision of a world full of beauty.

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.

About the author

Stratford Caldecott is the Director of the Center for Faith & Culture in Oxford, England, has written and lectured widely on Catholic, literary and cultural themes, and the author of All Things Made New, Beauty for Truth’s Sake, and Beauty in the Word.

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