I found this book well done and explanatory on several subjects. It does not cover The Hobbit but it does reference it. The book was published immediately before the release of the film version of The Fellowship of the Ring (2001). Stanton's style is professorial but to me that is acceptable due to his positions being referenced by citations to the texts themselves or other published material. This is a great refresher book for anyone who has already tackled the major Tolkien work and isn't ready for another take just yet but wants an intelligent conversation that does include spoilers. Part I covers the six parts of the trilogy. Part II covers Elves, Dwarves, Ents, Humankind, Darkness, Evil forms of Enemy, Languages, Mind & Spirit & Dream in LOTR, Essay on the (first) Fellowship Film.
Notes, Bibliography, Index. ( )

Underwhelming and disappointing. This is really only worthwhile if you've read LotR once, or maybe twice. If you've read it more times than that, this book is almost entirely a compendium of the obvious. There were, if I recall correctly, about five things in this book that had not already occurred to me. (I can think of only four, but I figure a 25% allowance for my forgetfulness is ample.)

Worse than that, though, are the unwarranted overinterpretations and parts that are just plain wrong. (I could give actual examples but I just don't care enough to make the effort.) The author says he's been teaching LotR in college courses for twenty years and this is a superficial treatment of the work, so the errors glare all the more. I wouldn't say it's rife with errors but given the general dullness of most of the book, and the few instances of actual interest, the errors are my standout memory. ( )

This is a great introductory guide to "The Lord of the Rings". In it there is background and explanation for such varying elements as geography, language, peoples, and the background history Tolkien created. For readers of "The Lord of the Rings" who want to understand the book on a deeper level, seeing connections, this is the book to get them started. ( )