The Art of The Fellowship of the Ring

Author: Gary Russell
Genre: Entertainment
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Pages: 192

This is another one of those great books made just for browsing through and enjoying at your own pace, in your own way - whether that's reading it cover to cover or not. The Art of the Fellowship of the Ring is filled with everything from pencil-drawn concept art to stunning full-detail paintings, costume ideas, CGI scenes and figures, and more. It's so cool to see the ideas that the designers and directors started with before the full glory of the movies ever existed. And there are hundreds of pictures to enjoy - enough to keep any LOTR fan busy for hours and hours on end.

LOTR - The Making of the Movie Trilogy

Author: Brian Sibley
Genre: Entertainment
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Pages: 191

This is another one of those fun books that you can read cover to cover if you want to, but in my opinion is better suited to browsing - read a bit here and a bit there, gaze at photos and drawings, and turn pages as the fancy strikes you.
I love this book! It contains snippets of conversations among the cast and crew, memories shared by various actors and production staff, behind-the-scenes looks at casting, set-building, costume design, and more. Plus tons and tons of pictures.
This book would make a fabulous addition to any LOTR nut's library. Great for browsing through with a group of your LOTR-nut friends, too!

'Lord of the Rings: Weapons and Warfare'

Author: Chris Smith
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

As a huge LOTR nerd, I was ecstatic when this book arrived! Over 200 pages of glorious photographs and detailed, thorough, well-indexed information have made it a joy to read, or just browse through.
Weapons and Warfare has also provided me with an indispensable arsenal as a writer, as well. There are pages and pages dedicated to describing and explaining each piece of armor, each weapon, its uses, and weaknesses. So when I need a weapon or suit of armor for a character, I have a wide variety of ideas at my fingertips.
The book doesn't just focus on who carried what sword and wore what armor, though. It provides an excellent overview of the history of the War of the Ring and backstory for several of the central characters.
And it doesn't just focus on the good guys, either! There are entire chapters dedicated to the armor and weapons used by orcs, goblins, and Uruk-Hai.
All that, along with maps, indexes, and battle strategy outlines, make Weapons and Warfare a volume I'll be keeping on hand for a very, very long time!