Tolkien's Material Culture (Extra)ordinary Objects in Middleearth and Beyond

<b>The first full-length study examining Tolkien’s major narrative works through the lens of material culture studies, this book explores the treatment of objects in Tolkien’s works and their adaptations.</b> From Galadriel’s mirror and Bilbo’s mithril coat to Aragorn’s sword Andúril and the One Ring itself, <i>Tolkien’s Material Cultures</i> looks at the creation, gifting, retention, collection, display, and destruction of Middle-earth’s articles and how they constitute a meditation on the role of things in human experience and community. Tolkien’s textual works and their multi-media adaptations are infused with people’s sentimental bonds with precious and everyday objects, which embody particular histories, values, and identities. Examining Middle-earth’s 20th- and 21st-century contexts, Marie H. Loughlin looks at post-war monuments and public commemoration; the birth of the museum; the advent of anthropology; film and televisual adaptation; digital games; licensed/unlicensed object replicas and extensions; LEGO’s Middle-earth building sets and communities in the texts from <i>The Hobbit</i> to <i>The Silmarillion</i> to Peter Jackson’s cinematic trilogies and Amazon Prime’s <i>The Rings of Power.</i>