Turns out I'll be able to fix 20 typos (which while not great, is certainly infinitely than nothing). And I got to see the text for the back cover, which is cool. What the heck, I'll post it here:
Douglas Kane minutely details the delicate task Christopher [Tolkien] undertook in stitching together elements of his father’s oeuvre . . . . Kane’s textual scholarship is rigorous and is a model not only for Tolkien scholars but for scholars of more canonical authors, whose textual study is often pursued with less enthusiasm. . . . [An] absorbing study." —Nicholas Birns, Tolkien Studies: An Annual Scholarly Review, Vol. 5
"One marvels at the amount of work Kane has invested in his project and appreciates the rigor with which it is documented. . . . [A] meticulously researched and valuable new reference work (one of all too few) on The Simarillion . . . it has the added benefit of approaching the work from the relatively new angle of considering Christopher’s role as a vigorous editor, and Kane is to be congratulated for confronting the matter directly." —Jason Fisher, Mythlore (the Journal of the Mythopoeic Society)
"This is much more than a tabulation of sources. . . . Arda Reconstructed is an important and thought-provoking work and raises serious questions about the treatment of unpublished—and unfinished—literary material. Even if one by no means agrees with all of its answers, it merits a place on the shelf of the more serious explorer of Tolkien’s imagined world." —Charles Noad, The LoTR Plaza; author of "On the Construction of The Silmarillion"
"Douglas Kane reveals, in even more detail than has previously been available, the complexity of The Silmarillion; and in doing so, also brings into focus the intractable problems Christopher Tolkien faced in making its publication a reality in a form that reflected the "Silmarillion" material in all its breadth and depth. . . . Arda Reconstructed is highly illuminating and very enjoyable to read, shedding much light on The Silmarillion." —Brian Henderson, The Tolkien Library
"Arda Reconstructed . . . is probably the most extensive analysis of The History of Middle-earth so far undertaken." —The Literary Encyclopedia
"All in all a wonderful piece of research with many insights into how The Silmarillion was put together by Christopher Tolkien. . . . [A] worthwhile purchase for the Tolkien fan and perhaps essential for the Silmarillion fan." —Robert H. Walker, Amon Hen, the bulletin of The Tolkien Society
"Arda Reconstructed is invaluable, as it gives us a sure guide to what is authorial and what is editorial in . . . The Silmarillion. . . . That scholarly usefulness is however, I believe, only part of what this book has to offer. This painstakingly detailed and accurate study is also potentially of the greatest use to those engaging creatively with Tolkien’s work. Arda Reconstructed’s ability to point to more expansive versions in the HoMe series is ideal for anyone wanting or needing more information than the often spare Silmarillion." —Ruth Lacon, The Festival of the Shire JournalDouglas Charles Kane is an attorney specializing in employment discrimination and harassment cases and co-founder of the Tolkien Internet discussion site,
http://www.thehalloffire.netCover illustration: The spirit of Míriel appearing before Mandos and Manwë, and taking a last look at Finwë. By
Anushka Mouriño. Courtesy of the artist.
Lehigh University Press
For orders and information please contact
The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200
Lanham, Maryland 20706
1-800-462-6420
www.rowmanlittlefield.com