Somewhere is Such a Kingdom: Poems 1952-1971

I have to second the previous reviewer. This book is a wonderful work of Tolkien scholarship. He is also one of the greatest college professors I ever had the pleasure of taking. He's a great guy too.

Randel Helms looks at Tolkien's major works, "The Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings", both separately and in relation to each other, and traces the development of Tolkien's world through early essays and lectures, to "The Hobbit", to its culmination in "Lord of the Rings". The theme of power, the origins of orcs, the meaning of being a 'hero', as viewed and developed by Tolkien through these works, are all discussed. Helms also makes a (largely mocking) psycho-analytic analysis of "The Hobbit" as a child's tale of growing up, and, more importantly, compares the structures of "The Hobbit" to the structure of "Lord of the Rings" to show how the later work was influenced by the earlier, yet was also a maturation of Tolkien's vision. Finally, Helms looks at some of Tolkien's later short works as allegories about his own relation to his art. An entertaining and recommended critical study of Tolkien, which is always insightful and never heavy-handed.