The Hobbit Encyclopedia, by Damien Bador, Coralie Potot, Vivien Stocker, and Dominique Vigot. Translated by Alayne Pullen and Matthew Clarke. Frances Lincoln, 2023, 336 pages, $18.69.

Quite a few books that were lost on me as a young reader have come to be cherished, read, and reread through the years. In my case, I can point to the novels of Austen and Eliot, which made for dreary reading earlier in life but have long since become treasured literary companions.

Within the last several years, Tolkien has joined their ranks. Our introduction did not go well. I completed The Hobbit in high school only under the threat of a failing grade. I reread it again not too many years later with little interest. Fairies, elves, and wizards were never my thing, not even as a child. Several attempts to get through the first installment of The Lord of the Rings ended in failure. The world of fantasy was of no interest to me.

This has now changed. While reading a major biography on C. S. Lewis several years ago, I became interested in the history of the Inklings, which led to a growing interest in Tolkien, the man and author. His Catholic faith, imagination, and far-reaching influence led me to revisit The Hobbit and then to move swiftly through The Lord of the Rings.

If I had had The Hobbit Encyclopedia, my earlier encounters with Tolkien might have fared far better.

The comprehensive and beautifully illustrated encyclopedia assists readers to grasp the scope of the world Tolkien created. The volume is arranged under these headings:

• Characters
• Peoples and creatures
• Languages and writing systems
• Objects and constructions

Encyclopedias, by nature, do not lend themselves to summary. I will share several highlights.

In addition to Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf, Gollum, Smaug, and others, some figures are introduced, like Legolas and Galadriel, who will make their first appearance later in The Lord of the Rings. The authors note that Tolkien’s Catholic faith, cultivated by his mother as a child, led him to find inspiration for Galadriel’s character in the Virgin Mary (46).

It comes as no surprise that the Khuzdul language was based on Semitic languages (160). After all, Tolkien was one of the Old Testament translators for the Jerusalem Bible, providing the translation of the prophet Jonah.

Tolkien’s neologism “eucatastrophe” is illustrated and explained. Just when Bilbo Baggins is overwhelmed by dread of the massing Goblins at the battle at the Gate, the Eagles come and bring deliverance. The authors comment:

A eucatastrophe is therefore neither a pleasant interlude nor a final triumph. It is a specific moment, as emotionally powerful as the irruption of a catastrophe, in the sense that a eucatastrophe “pierces you with a joy that brings tears,” as Tolkien indicated in one of his letters. Whereas catastrophe engulfs us in sadness and anxiety, eucatastrophe overwhelms us with joy and hope. This is exactly what Bilbo felt when he saw the “dark shapes small yet majestic against the distant glow.” (283)

I recall reading somewhere that William F. Buckley, Jr. quipped after reading Moby Dick for the first time later in life: “To think I might have died without having read it.” I can say that about The Lord of the Rings. I am grateful for friends and books that made me give it another shot. And as I (hopefully) return to it and The Hobbit in the coming years, The Hobbit Encyclopedia will be an invaluable resource in navigating the history, geography, and characters of Middle Earth.

Charles Malcolm Wingard is minister of shepherding at the First Presbyterian Church of Jackson, Mississippi (PCA), and professor of pastoral theology at Reformed Theological Seminary. Ordained Servant Online, March, 2025.