Book CONDITION: NEW 1996 Harcourt Brace hardcover (maroon boards) & DJ (in

Book CONDITION: NEW 1996 Harcourt Brace hardcover (maroon boards) & DJ (in mylar jacket), first edition, 2nd printing. B&W illustrations & cover art by Brad Weinman. CONTENT: Long before Harry Potter and J. K. Rowling, there were Gandalf, Bilbo Baggins, and J. R. R. Tolkien. For young readers lucky enough to be familiar with the print versions of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, this will bring the creator to vivid life. Where did Tolkien's love for the environment come from? And why those three initials? For those not familiar with the works, this might pique their interest; they will at least be surprised to learn that the anticipation for the third volume of The Lord of the Rings rivaled that of the Harry Potter books. The small trim size and general brevity of the book will broaden the audience appeal, though there are no photos save a single black-and-white shot of an elderly Tolkien sitting among gnarled tree roots. The writing is straightforward with equal space given to Tolkien's poverty-stricken childhood and his time as an Oxford academic and family man. A list of Tolkien's writings and an index comprise the back matter. Grades 4-7.