Tomato Red
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • A Fine Book (But a Bit Too Ozarkian)
  • Exceptional!
  • Tough and True
  • Blood ,sweat, toil and tears
  • WOODRELL IS A MASTER OF CADENCE
Tomato Red
Daniel Woodrell
Manufacturer: Henry Holt and Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0805055770

Amazon.com

The hero of Daniel Woodrell's Tomato Red is the most endearingly out-of-control loser you're likely to meet. Sammy Barlach looks like a person "who should in any circumstances be considered a suspect"; clerks follow him through the supermarket when he shops, and the police pull him over simply from habit. But in spite of his looks, Sammy only wants to be loved, even if it's just by "the bunch that would have me"--and in the hardscrabble world of West Table, Missouri, that's a bunch you wouldn't necessarily want to meet. The novel begins with a heady Methedrine rush, as Sammy celebrates payday by letting himself be talked into robbing a nearby mansion. Even when his newfound friends disappear as he's breaking in, he persists: "You might think I should've quit on the burglary right there, but I just love people, I guess, and didn't." The break-in leads Sammy into an unlikely alliance with the Merridew family: Jamalee and Jason and their mother Bev, a prostitute in the town's ironically named Venus Holler. Flame-haired Jamalee dreams constantly of a different kind of life, and she plans on using Jason's extraordinary beauty as her ticket out of West Table. Jason, however, seems to be shaping up as what Sammy calls "country queer"--which, as Sammy observes, "ain't the easiest walk to take amongst your throng of fellow humankind."

Unfortunately for Jamalee, Woodrell's Ozarks is a place that rewards ambition with disaster. Here as in his five previous "country noir" novels, Woodrell writes with a keen understanding of class and a barely contained sense of rage. The residents of West Table's trailer parks and shotgun shacks share Sammy's sense of limited possibilities. "I ain't shit! I ain't shit! shouts your brain," Sammy thinks while wandering around the mansion, "and this place proves the point." Even when Jason sticks up for his own family, the way he does so is heartbreaking: "This expression of utter frankness takes over Jason's beautiful face, and he says, 'I don't think we're the lowest scum in town.' He didn't argue that we weren't scum, just disputed our position on the depth chart." With her mildewing etiquette guides and grandiose plans, Jamalee is the only character who doesn't share their sense of defeat, and she's the only one who, in the end, gets away--though she leaves behind her a trail of betrayal and heartache. By the time the novel's final tragedy rolls around, it seems both senseless and inevitable, as tragedies do in real life. Told in a voice that crackles with energy and wit, Tomato Red is sharp, funny, and more importantly, true. --Mary Park

Book Description

I was a kickaround mutt from Blue Knee, Arkansas, on my own slow ramble through sincere poverty and various spellbinding mishaps."That's the voice of Sammy Barlach, one of life's losers who sings the blues with acid sweetness and fated violence--another original from Dan Woodrell.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars A Fine Book (But a Bit Too Ozarkian).......2007-07-18

First of all, I agree that some of the negative reviews seem a bit odd. Some reviewers hate this book simply because they hate the characters, which makes me wonder, Why pick up a book about small-town misfits and petty criminals and drug dealers if you have no sympathy for these people? It's like me watching "Saw II" and saying I hated it because I hate violent movies.

I really enjoyed this book, even if at times (especially in the second half) I wanted it to be just a bit better. "Tomato Red" gets lots of good press for the stylistic flow: beautiful writing, use of dialect, engaging dialogue, etc. I can see why people enjoy this. The speech of his characters is musical, inventive, and terribly funny at times. Then again, I'm a fan of Jack Kerouac, and this reads at times like a redneck Kerouac.

What I liked best about "Tomato Red" was the humanity and depth Woodrell breathes into the characters. Although I love novels with ideas, I value a memorable, sympathetic character more than anything. I like an author who loves his characters like friends, so much so that the reader does the same at the end (even if he or she shouldn't). The characters in "Tomato Red" require the reader to overlook a lot of flaws, but in the end, you can't help but root for them. The highest compliment I can give this book is to say that I'll remember the characters for a long time.

In the end, I wish two things had been better. (1) The plot comes across as forced, without enough mystery to pull it along. It's not bad, but it feels like a rough sketch used to develop the characters. At the same time, too much happens for a sketch. It needs a more plausible plot (or really just a few changes) or it needs to simply give up plot and go for the snapshot approach to these characters. (2) It's just too much Ozarks. Now, I don't purport to be an expert on Ozarkian trailer parks, but I did spend many of my formative years in the Missouri Ozarks, and I've spent plenty of time around (and shared a few apartments) with the like of Sammy Barlach. I don't sound all that different from him if you catch me at 3:00 a.m. on a Saturday. Woodrell does a fine job of capturing the redneck fun of language, like the use of old-fashioned sayings in ironic and often offensive situations. What he does that rubs me slightly wrong is make it super-Ozarkian. I think it probably strikes the reader in the big city as appropriate, but it tries a little too hard for my taste. Sammy makes just a few too many jokes, and he has a few too many hillbilly epiphanies. Woodrell has a bit too much fun writing Sammy's dialogue.

In the end, it's a fine book with many strengths, a lot of fun to read, and good enough that I'll pick up another book by Daniel Woodrell.

5 out of 5 stars Exceptional!.......2003-06-02

This is a superbly written book! The prose is at times breathtaking and the plot, while certainly quirky, was fascinating. A book that you will want to re-read. This guy REALLY has a way with words. Buy it and savor it.

5 out of 5 stars Tough and True.......2002-09-15

Sammy Barlach, wild and lyrical, crazy and philosophical, is automatically stopped by cops, followed around in a retail store by suspicious managers and someone you would probably cross the street to avoid. He is our narrator in this sharply satirical trailer park trash slice of life.

Sammy meets Jamalee and Jason Merridew while very unsuccessfully robbing a mansion. So far, the only thing he's managed to pilfer is a half-gallon of vodka, which he decides to drink then and there. Jamalee is a half-pint girl with hair the color "only a vegetable should have" and brother Jason is "the most beautiful boy in the Ozarks." Jamalee wants to get out of West Table, MO, and just maybe Sammy can help her. Sammy wants love or "any bunch that will have me." In Venus Holler they meet mother Sandra, a laid back, easy going, southern-to-her-fingertips whore.

Their antics are so funny, their energies and coping mechanisms so off the wall wild, I just gave in to helpless laughter. And yet, there is a sense of something preordained, sad and tragic about their existence. In ways both large and small, they are stripped of their dignity over and over again by the way they are perceived by society. "Society" ain't much in West Table, but it knows for a fact it's a world away from the likes of Sammy, Jamalee and Jason.

As the author shapes the rhythmic cadence of Sammy's story, the future is glimpsed and it's bad. It's been a long time since I have grown so fond of a character in a book. He has all the fascination of a train wreck waiting to happen. And then you shed a tear and knew it had to be.

5 out of 5 stars Blood ,sweat, toil and tears.......2002-08-01

Woodrell is marketed , at least in the UK ,as a crime writer --his British publisher the estimable No Exit Press labelling them as country noir--but the subject matter is social class normally a covert as distinct from overt theme in crime writing .In particular they treat of the dispossessed ,the bottom feeders who must lie to cover up gaps in employment history all for the sake of menial low paid work which still denies them the cornerstones of human dignity namely choice ,spontaneity and purpose.
Tomato Red is narrated by Sammy Barlach who as the boojk opens is employed as a labourer in a dog food factory and has his foreman on his back the whole time . On a drunken Friday payday ,drinking with bar room buddies and fuelled by substances both illicit and alcoholic ,not to mention a heady dose of sexual bravado he , on a dare breaks into the home of an absent wealthy family and promptly passes out.He is awoken by Jamalee--aka Tomato Red for her distinctively dyed hair and her androgynous beautiful brother Jason They are not as he assumes and they pretend wealthy inhabitants of the home but trailer park inhabitants from the most despised part of their backwater town Venus Hollow.They flee when police arrive and Sammy is taken in by the pair and their mother Bev who is unashamedly a hooker and whose calm stoic dignity is a commanding presence in the book
Jamalee dreams of escape and views Jason -poor sexually confused Jason whose hard road is to be gay in a world where this is not an easy furrow to plough.Jason as magnet for sexual blackmail is the plan and Sammy the protector.In a heartbreaking but strangely funny scene she rehearses Sammy and Jason in good manners using an antedeluvian etiquette book role playing with plastic cups instead of cut glass.
These are intruders into the world of comfortable society whose life is around of small humiliations--Sammy is followed when entering a supermarket,simply because of his looks,police harrassment is common and the greatest enemy they face is the active collusion of there fellow blue collar citizens from the next tier above .
The book is not a comfortable read but all is not gloom.The narrative voice --Sammy -is wry and sharply funny;there is compassion Steinbeck ,Farrell,Algren et al the names usually associated with blue collar fiction ,all pall beside Woodrell for his clear eyed portrait of the dirt poor .He does not sentimentalise and the resolution is spot on.Escape is possible but only at the expense of your own kind.Witness if you will the actions of crabs in a basket; when one seeks to crawl out the others combine to pull him down

There is a bitter -sweet inevitabilty here which is moving .Not for eveyone but I am moved by him as by few other writers I am moved to anger by smooth voiced television hosts building a not insubstantial fortune on the back of people like those here and then exposing them to the baying hordes

We are all human and our destination is they same ultimately.We need reminding of this and Woodrell does it brilliantly.

5 out of 5 stars WOODRELL IS A MASTER OF CADENCE.......2002-02-20

In this novel, the second I have read by this author, Daniel Woodrell shows once again how adept he is at capturing not only the rhythms of his characters' speech, but of their very lives. Involved, as they are, in petty crime, prostitution, drug use and gut-wrenching poverty, they are nonetheless shown to be human beings -- capable of love and devotion, even feats of heroism.

The main character, Sammy Barlach, is someone you'd probably cross the street to avoid if you saw him coming. The trouble for a few of the folks in this dark novel -- both poignant and comic, by turns -- is that they DON'T see Sammy coming, or at least they don't recognize the brooding power that lies within him, built up over years and years of clinging by his fingernails to the bottom rung of the social ladder.

Sammy finds himself involved with -- and subsequently taken in by -- two siblings and their mother. Jamalee and her brother Jason are poor but engaging -- they have dreams of getting out of the Venus Holler section of West Table, MO. They have a plan, and now it involves Sammy. Their mother, Bev, described aptly on the inside jacket, 'can turn a trick as easily as she can roll a joint'. Jamalee and Jason abhor (no homonymic pun intended) her prostituional lifestyle -- but at the same time that they resent her for this, they love her, and ache for what she has become.

Jason is a handsome young man -- the female customers at the hair salon where he is apprenticed swoon over him. His sister tells Sammy that 'grown women in the grocery store throw their panties at him with their numbers written on them in lipstick'. Jason's major difficulty in fitting in with his small community is that he happens to be gay -- a lifestyle not embraced by small-town Southerners, to say the least. At seventeen, it is a fact of his life with which he is still wrestling -- and it is painful to watch, as it must be for those who go through it in life. How can he be true to himself and somehow manage to suffer the slings and arrows hurled at him by an intolerant society?

The novel's action builds well to an almost unbearable pitch -- the other Woodrell novel I've read, THE DEATH OF SWEET MISTER, is equally gripping. Sammy narrates the story very effectively -- his phrasing and turns of speech are jewel-like -- and for an uneducated petty criminal with few social graces, he's a pretty amazing philosopher.

The book's finale is as heartbreaking as it is inevitable -- but this is definitely a journey I can recommend. Woodrell is a master -- I'm going to read everything by him I can find.
Garden Way's Red and Green Tomato Cookbook
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Garden Way's Red and Green Tomato Cookbook
    Janet Ballantyne
    Manufacturer: Garden Way Pub Co
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    GeneralGeneral | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
    ASIN: 0882662627
    Manitoulin Adventures: I Was Mistaken for a Rich, Red, Ripe Tomato
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Manitoulin Adventures: I Was Mistaken for a Rich, Red, Ripe Tomato
      Bonnie Kogos
      Manufacturer: Kogos Publications
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback
      ASIN: 0968901107

      Book Description

      A lighthearted and loving journey of discovery on the Island of Manitoulin, this book is for anyone who thinks there are no treasures left to unearth in Canada. This is the story of a New York City woman who comes of age on this Island, growing and sharing in a warm and witty way the insights, changes, and impact that this adventure has had on her.

      This book celebrates both the people who live in Northern Ontario and those who love visiting Manitoulin. The book focuses on the small and intricate wonders of life on Manitoulin that are often missed by the people who have lived here all their lives, but leap to fascinate and inspire the transplanted urbanite.
      Big Red Tomato
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Big Red Tomato
        Pamela Graham
        Manufacturer: National Geographic Society
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Hardcover

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        ASIN: 0792292219
        Garden Way's Red and Green Tomato Cookbook
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Garden Way's Red and Green Tomato Cookbook
          Janet Ballantyne
          Manufacturer: Vermont Garden Way Publishing 1983.
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Paperback
          ASIN: B000LQI8L6
          Por Que Enrojecemos Como Tomates/why We Turn Red Like a Tomato (Por Que)
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            Por Que Enrojecemos Como Tomates/why We Turn Red Like a Tomato (Por Que)
            Gil Carmen
            Manufacturer: Parramon
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Paperback

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            The Tomato Book (Including Red Tomato Cookbook & Green Tomato Cookbook)
            Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
            • Everything you've always wanted to know about the tomatoe...but were afraid to ask!
            The Tomato Book (Including Red Tomato Cookbook & Green Tomato Cookbook)
            Yvonne Young Tarr
            Manufacturer: Vintage Books
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Paperback

            GeneralGeneral | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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            ASIN: 0394717651

            Customer Reviews:

            4 out of 5 stars Everything you've always wanted to know about the tomatoe...but were afraid to ask!.......2007-10-08

            This book is an excellent primer for the novice and an interesting read for the accomplished gardener. Over the years I've bought several copies for friends particularly when I learn that their anxious to begin a foray into the wonderful world of garden-fresh tomatoes.
            I am prompted to write this review as I just had an email from a friend thanking me profusely. I had given her and her husband a copy of this book last spring, they read it and followed the advice for growing and "putty by" tomatoes and, at the completion of their first year, they are ecstatic to have many jars of canned tomatoes lining the pantry shelf...as well as a whole freezer full of frozen summer sunshine to last them through the winter.
            The book is interesting, informative and accurate. If you are interested in tomatoes you can't go wrong with this one.
            El Tomate Rojo/ the Red Tomato: Sistemas Hidroponico/ Hydroponic System
            Average customer rating: Not rated
              El Tomate Rojo/ the Red Tomato: Sistemas Hidroponico/ Hydroponic System
              Humberto Rodriguez Fuentes
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Paperback

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              ASIN: 9682476062
              Building a better burger: A wedge of red pepper? A slice of tomato? That's all it takes to spice up a hamburger's shelf life. (Articles).: An article from: Canadian Chemical News
              Average customer rating: Not rated
                Building a better burger: A wedge of red pepper? A slice of tomato? That's all it takes to spice up a hamburger's shelf life. (Articles).: An article from: Canadian Chemical News
                David Bradley
                Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
                ProductGroup: Book
                Binding: Digital

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                ASIN: B0008DQPPS
                Release Date: 2006-02-10

                Book Description

                This digital document is an article from Canadian Chemical News, published by Thomson Gale on June 1, 2003. The length of the article is 554 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

                Citation Details
                Title: Building a better burger: A wedge of red pepper? A slice of tomato? That's all it takes to spice up a hamburger's shelf life. (Articles).
                Author: David Bradley
                Publication: Canadian Chemical News (Magazine/Journal)
                Date: June 1, 2003
                Publisher: Thomson Gale
                Volume: 55 Issue: 6 Page: 22(1)

                Distributed by Thomson Gale
                Red Tomato: is the juice worth the squeeze?(nonprofit produce marketer): An article from: Conservation Matters
                Average customer rating: Not rated
                  Red Tomato: is the juice worth the squeeze?(nonprofit produce marketer): An article from: Conservation Matters

                  Manufacturer: Conservation Law Foundation
                  ProductGroup: Book
                  Binding: Digital

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                  ASIN: B0008FQPD8
                  Release Date: 2005-07-30

                  Book Description

                  This digital document is an article from Conservation Matters, published by Conservation Law Foundation on January 1, 2002. The length of the article is 467 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

                  Citation Details
                  Title: Red Tomato: is the juice worth the squeeze?(nonprofit produce marketer)
                  Publication: Conservation Matters (Magazine/Journal)
                  Date: January 1, 2002
                  Publisher: Conservation Law Foundation
                  Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Page: 37(1)

                  Distributed by Thomson Gale

                  The Return of the Shadow: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part One (The History of Middle-Earth, Vol. 6)
                  Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
                  • Great Look behind the scenes. Far better than earlier volumes
                  • I hate to give this only 4 stars, but too much repitition.
                  • For Hard Core Tolkien Fans Only!!!
                  • Vital exploration of Tolkien's work, but for fans only
                  • Warning-not a novel....but a great resource
                  The Return of the Shadow: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part One (The History of Middle-Earth, Vol. 6)
                  J.R.R. Tolkien
                  Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
                  ProductGroup: Book
                  Binding: Hardcover

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                  2. The War of the Ring: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part Three (The History of Middle-Earth, Vol. 8) The War of the Ring: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part Three (The History of Middle-Earth, Vol. 8)
                  3. Sauron Defeated: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part Four (The History of Middle-Earth, Vol. 9) Sauron Defeated: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part Four (The History of Middle-Earth, Vol. 9)
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                  5. The War of the Jewels: The Later Silmarillion, Part Two (The History of Middle-Earth, Vol. 11) The War of the Jewels: The Later Silmarillion, Part Two (The History of Middle-Earth, Vol. 11)

                  ASIN: 0395498635

                  Book Description

                  In this sixth volume of The History of Middle-earth the story reaches The Lord of the Rings. In The Return of the Shadow (an abandoned title for the first volume) Christopher Tolkien describes, with full citation of the earliest notes, outline plans, and narrative drafts, the intricate evolution of The Fellowship of the Ring and the gradual emergence of the conceptions that transformed what J.R.R. Tolkien for long believed would be a far shorter book, 'a sequel to The Hobbit'. The enlargement of Bilbo's 'magic ring' into the supremely potent and dangerous Ruling Ring of the Dark Lord is traced and the precise moment is seen when, in an astonishing and unforeseen leap in the earliest narrative, a Black Rider first rode into the Shire, his significance still unknown. The character of the hobbit called Trotter (afterwards Strider or Aragorn) is developed while his indentity remains an absolute puzzle, and the suspicion only very slowly becomes certainty that he must after all be a Man. The hobbits, Frodo's companions, undergo intricate permutations of name and personality, and other major figures appear in strange modes: a sinister Treebeard, in league with the Enemy, a ferocious and malevolent Farmer Maggot.

                  The story in this book ends at the point where J.R.R. Tolkien halted in the story for a long time, as the Company of the Ring, still lacking Legolas and Gimli, stood before the tomb of Balin in the Mines of Moria. The Return of the Shadow is illustrated with reproductions of the first maps and notable pages from the earliest manuscripts.

                  Customer Reviews:

                  5 out of 5 stars Great Look behind the scenes. Far better than earlier volumes.......2007-02-20

                  `The Return of the Shadow' is the first of a four volume series (`The History of the Lord of the Rings') within a series, (volume VI of `The History of Middle Earth') edited by Christopher Tolkien, from the unpublished writings of his father, J. R. R. Tolkien, most famous as the author of `The Hobbit' and `The Lord of the Rings'.

                  For those who have been slogging through the previous three volumes dealing with fragments from the composition of `The Silmarillion', this volume is a great pleasure, as it deals entirely with early drafts of what becomes the first two-thirds of `The Fellowship of the Ring' (FR), the first volume of the great `The Lord of the Rings' (LotR). It begins at the beginning of FR and ends as the fellowship stand in the mines of Moria over the grave marked `Balin Son of Burin, Lord of Moria' (The dramatic encounter between Gandalf and the Balrog will have to wait until the next volume).

                  For those of you who may have read `The Lord of the Rings' only once or twice, this and the next three volumes in this series are an enormous treat, as reading this is far more rewarding than a second or third reading of LotR, and will make that second or third reading even more interesting. For those of us who have read LotR for ten or twelve times, and have seen Peter Jackson's films of same more times than I care to count, the interest tends to wane just a bit, as the percentage of entirely new material is small compared to early versions of text which appeared in the final volumes.

                  What I really looked forward to in these volumes was some insight into my second most favorite character, after Gandalf, and this would be the perpetual Middle Earth hippie, Tom Bombadil and his consort, Goldberry. Unfortunately, this book does not through a lot of light on Bombadil's origins. Thankfully, it also does not violate any of my lengthily speculations on where Bombadil fits into the history of Middle Earth and the cosmology of the world in which Middle Earth is set. The heart of the matter is that Bombadil is one of the very few true natives of Middle Earth. The elves are clearly immigrants from the Far West. Dwarves and men seem to be creations of the Valar, and orcs and trolls are perversions of elves, men, and dwarves made by Melkor or Sauron. He is certainly not one of the Valar, as nothing said about his lack of interest in The Ring would be true of a Valar. Similarly, he is certainly not a wizard, one of Gandalf's clan, the Istari. The fact is, Tolkien senior simply added him in as a `deux ex machina', pinch hitting for Gandalf in a way, to get the wandering hobbits out of two jams with powers far greater than their own, so that they can safely reach Bree and the assistance of Strider. And, it turns out Tolkien simply wanted to include Bombadil and Goldberry since he had written of them in earlier publications!

                  One thing that does come out is the fact that the minor character, Farmer Maggot is potentially a far more interesting character than may appear on the surface. For example, Tom Bombadil seems to get most of his information about the outside world from Farmer Maggot and there is a suspicion in this narrative that Maggot is not entirely `hobbit' bred. This is not too unusual, as there has always been a suspicion that the three strains of hobbits are a result of a bit on interbreeding with elves and dwarves (but you didn't hear that from me!). One thing about Maggot which tickles my fancy is that his physical description here is a strong image of the Pennsylvania Amish and Mennonite farmers, which fits perfectly into the land around the Brandywine and the cultivation of mushrooms, both features of southeastern Pennsylvania, the home of the very same Pennsylvania Dutch. And yet, editor Christopher seems to make no mention of this obvious connection.

                  Being a true fanatic, even little things about these books will please me to no end. One thing, among others, which makes me think that Peter Jackson used these books in his writing the screenplay for the movies is the similarity between the picture of Bag End and the surrounding Shire and Bag End as it appeared in FR. I'm also thrilled by the additional original Tolkien maps, as well as the usually excellent index to the volume. I look forward to a composite index covering the whole four volumes of the `History of the Lord of the Rings' series.

                  The greatest impact of this volume comes from the smallest note in the beginning. After all the preparation done on the history of Middle Earth, Tolkien senior still had no notion of what he will find in Bree, who or what was Strider, or any notion of the design of Moria until he actually reached these characters and events in his writing.

                  4 out of 5 stars I hate to give this only 4 stars, but too much repitition........2006-03-14

                  I was hoping that this would give like amny differnent versions of these books, but it tends just to show you the evolution and showing you the rewritings of early chapters of the lord and some of them like the council of elrond show you like 6 different versions. Every version a new character will show up, somebody will turn from good to evil, or maybe their words will be given to some one else.

                  I guess I was just hoping that this would be more like the previous 5 books and give us new stuff like they did of the silmarillion. But it did provide me with enough new info and some pretty exciting evolutions in this.

                  3 out of 5 stars For Hard Core Tolkien Fans Only!!!.......2005-07-13

                  I got the book thinking it was part of Tolkien's unfinished sequel to the LOTR "The Return of the Shadow", but the shadow here is Sauron's return to middle earth after the end of the second age.

                  This is a volume in the previously unpublished letters and papers of J.R.R. Tolkien. In this volume we follow the evolution of the different parts of the LOTR the Fellowship of the Ring over time. From its beginning as a sequel to the Hobbit to the final epic product of mythic proportions.

                  Its interesting to see all the various drafts of the original chapters and the progression of Bingo Baggins into Frodo and the Hobbit Trotter into the Human King Strider/Aragorn. But this is the main drawback also, how many variations of "A Long Expected Party" can one read without being bored?

                  For Tolkien enthusiatists and English Majors only.

                  5 out of 5 stars Vital exploration of Tolkien's work, but for fans only.......2004-05-09

                  If you're not a Tolkien fan, you need not apply to the sprawling History of Middle Earth series. But if you're interested in seeing how the Professor developed the rich creation of Middle Earth, warts and all, this is a treasure trove of material.

                  The 12 volumes of the History of Middle Earth take a close look at the creation of Tolkien's greatest achievement - Middle Earth itself - through early drafts, unpublished texts, and dead end writings. For ardent Tolkien readers it is a fascinating look at one of the great literary creations of the 20th Century. For more casual fans, it's text better left unread.

                  "The Return of the Shadow" marks the first in the four volumes dealing with the history of the writing of "The Lord of the Rings." Like the other volumes in the series, it features unpublished writings by Tolkien, supplemented, explained, footnoted, annotated and expounded upon by his son, Christopher Tolkien.

                  Here we have the earliest versions of what would later become the most beloved fantasy epic in the world, detailing the extraordinary and convoluted history of the earliest chapters of "The Lord of the Rings." Some readers might be surprised to know just how different a book this was in its earliest stages, and just how much Tolkien was making it up as he went along in those early days.

                  The wealth of information is fantastic, and Christopher Tolkien goes to great lengths to examine each text, putting them in the context of the larger puzzle of his father's writings. The exploration of how "The Lord of the Rings" came about is fantastic - for those interested. Otherwise, it will bore. This is, after all, a series of unfinished draft chapters and essays on the text. I enjoyed it, but many won't.

                  Anybody wishing to do a study of Tolkien's craft, into "behind the scenes" writings, or just interested in finding a few snatches of new Middle Earth material (even if in unfinished form, there are some scattered throughout the series) will certainly find what they are looking for here. Christopher Tolkien's work here is appreciated by scores of ardent Tolkien fans.

                  Those looking for fresh new tales about hobbits and heroes, however, will be disappointed. This isn't new fiction, nor does it even feature finished works. Seek elsewhere if you are looking for more tales in the way of "The Lord of the Rings."

                  5 out of 5 stars Warning-not a novel....but a great resource.......2003-01-10

                  Of the thrilling and informative History of Middle-Earth series, this is perhaps the most interesting part. Normal Tolkien fans will get the rare chance to see how the germ of an idea can explode into the most complex cosmology ever created. Although it may seem boring, as it is not a novel per se, it is an insightful analysis of a very beloved book. The Lord of the Rings was initially conceived as a sequel to the Hobbit, growing into something incomparably more vast. We see Bingo in the character of Frodo, the name Frodo applied to another character. Aragorn is named Trotter and the idea emerges that he might be a long lost Hobbit who has had many experiences on the road. Somehow, with many footnotes and comments in the margin, we see the evolution of these ideas into what we know today as LOTR. Fascinating and useful for the Tolkien scholar, the devoted Tolkien reader, or even an aspiring writer.
                  The Return of the Shadow : The History of the Lord of the Rings, Part One
                  Average customer rating: Not rated
                    The Return of the Shadow : The History of the Lord of the Rings, Part One

                    Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin Company
                    ProductGroup: Book
                    Binding: Hardcover
                    ASIN: B000HKJJZK
                    The return of the shadow : the history of The lord of the rings, part one
                    Average customer rating: Not rated
                      The return of the shadow : the history of The lord of the rings, part one
                      J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), and Tolkien, Christophe Tolkien
                      Manufacturer: Unwin
                      ProductGroup: Book
                      Binding: Paperback

                      Tolkien's Middle EarthTolkien's Middle Earth | Series | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
                      ASIN: B000LZ3FII
                      The Return Of The Shadow. The History Of The Lord Of The Rings. Part One
                      Average customer rating: Not rated
                        The Return Of The Shadow. The History Of The Lord Of The Rings. Part One
                        J.R. TOLKIEN
                        Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
                        ProductGroup: Book
                        Binding: Hardcover

                        Tolkien's Middle EarthTolkien's Middle Earth | Series | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
                        ASIN: B000P1HKY8

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