The Lord of the Rings Weapons and Warfare: An Illustrated Guide to the Battles, Armies and Armor of Middle-Earth

This book from the start shows all the details, from clothes to the the weapons that the races of middle earth wore and used. Besides breaking down the armour and weapons that each race wore, it takes the main charcters that were in story and shows what they used and carried. If you like the little things that really go in depth into a story, you'll love this book. It is very entertaining to read and the book is full drawings and frames from the movie, some you wont see unless you watch the extended version.

While it's true that this book is based on movie visuals, Peter Jackson (himself a warfare afficionado and stickler for accurate battle scenes) has really done a good job of bringing warfare in Middle Earth to life. Probably every single character in the movies is detailed here (from FoTR to RoTK), along with a detailed description and multitude of pictures of their complete suit of armor, weapons, shields, etc.. Some other interesting pictures include extra scenes that were filmed for Fellowship of Gil-Galad and Elendil but were somehow cut out of both the extended and theatrical versions. Hopefully these will eventually make it into some grand release. There are also many other pictures not seen in any of the three movies thus far.I purchased the softcover version, which really isn't a very soft cover at all (great quality), and the best part is that the cover doesn't really retain fingerprints.If you're a Tolkien/movies/warfare type of buff, and you want to know all there is to the different kinds of Uruk-Hai present at Helm's Deep to why the Fountain Guards of the Tower of Ecthelion wore silk masks to a table depicting the range of arrows used in ME, then this book is definitely for you. At ~$11, this book is very worth it with its great host of beautiful glossy pictures and in-depth information.

This book is absolutely astonishing....224 pages of pure LOTR bliss! If you buy nothing else this holiday season, then you MUST get this book! It has all of the good facts about the folks in the three LOTR films...and it even backtracks to give us a little bit of history prior to the legendary War of the Ring. Of course, this is all done from a military/war aspect...which makes it even better! The illustrations are wonderful....the pictures are delightful and pleasing to the eye. The prose is not written for children...but it is not written in such a difficult language that a person with limited reading comprehension may not be able to understand it. I highly suggest you run right out today and get yourself a copy! You'll be glad you did!

This book is a perfect give for your LOTR addict, but hey, LOTRs fans you might not want to wait till someone gives this to you! This is simply worth every penny! Outside of the films, if someone asked me which was THE best LOTR gift to give or receive for LOTR fans, I would hands down recommend this wonderful book. It is just loaded with so much background, answers so many details, that I cannot image doing without this book in my LOTR collection.As one who collects swords and knives, loves fencing and enjoys all sorts of books on weaponry and a hopeless LOTRs addict, this is one gem of a book. It is not thin volume, but a jam-packed book loaded with 100s of photos, maps & artwork and a forward by Christopher Lee.217 pages of high quality pages covering every aspect of the rings. It starts with the history of the War of the Ring, the last alliance of Elves and Men, covers the Dead Marshes, with chapters on ever main character in all three films, going into the armour and the weapons they used. At the end is a glossary for quick reference.There is not enough praise for this book. It is just likely THE BEST collectors item for the Rings and if you don't have one you are missing a wonderful item for your collection.

WOW!! This is - bar none - the best "The Return of the King" movie tie-in book in the market right now. The others being "The Return of the King Photo Guide" and "The Return of the King Visual Companion.," that is. Along with Brian Sibley's "The Making of the Movie Trilogy" (released in 2002) and the "Art of" series, this is one of those books that you will want to keep and refer to again and again. It is one of the most amazingly detailed, visually rich and impressively researched books on the LOTR movie trilogy that you will likely come across.I am a huge fan of "The Lord of the Rings." "Huge" in the sense that I have read the books multiple times in the last several years, own the theatrical and extended versions of the films, and have read Tolkien's other books - including "The Silmarillion" and "The Unfinished Tales." You may say I am more than your standard fan and that it takes a lot to impress me. This book, however, impressed me. What is commendable about this book is the amount of information it contains and the painstaking research that author Chris Smith has done to bring this book about. He clearly has done his homework and not only researched "The Lord of the Rings" books but also collaborated closely with WETA (the special/visual effects wizards behind the movie trilogy), director Peter Jackson and crew. There are references to "The Hobbit", "The Unfinished Tales," and "The Lord of the Rings" (including the appendices) sprinkled throughout this book. That, to me, is remarkable.This fantastic book covers all of the notable warriors (good and bad), battles and skirmishes that took place throughout the trilogy as well as the respective armor, weapons, cultures, fighting styles and (where applicable) battle plans/strategies that we see in the films. For the warriors, everyone from Aragorn, Boromir, Isildur, Theoden, Eomer, Denethor, Gandalf, Legolas, the hobbits and Gimli to the Easterlings, the Corsairs of Umbar, the Haradrim, Sauron, the Army of the Dead (yes!) and the various types of Orcs and Uruk-hai are featured in this book. Their weapons and armor (weapon descriptions, names, pictures/drawings, and inscriptions, etc) are described in detail. For instance, differences between the various orcs (berserker uruk-hai, Mordor orc, Moria orc, etc) and their specific roles and functions are shown. The Rohirric and Gondorian cultures are explored - their emblems, flags, origins, weaponry, etc. There is a battle plan for the Battle of the Second Age, Helms Deep and The Battle of Pelennor Fields also in this book. Even the skirmish in the Mines of Moria is included.In summary, even the most discerning Lord of the Rings fan will enjoy this book. If you think you know everything about the books or films, there are bound to be a few facts or images in this book that will surprise you. At 224 pages, this is a hefty book and each page is loaded with information. It is not all text, however. There are hundreds of beautifu