Earth and the rest of the solar system formed about 4.6 billion years ago from a huge, spinning cloud of gas and dust.

Generations of critics have studied Tolkien’s sources in minute detail, but none has integrated information and insights with visuals as elegantly as John Garth has done in the lavishly illustrated The Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien. "—Sandra Miesel, Catholic World Report earth planet, Earth Environmentally friendly Natural environment, Earth,protect the Earth, globe, environmental, recycling png 5512x5499px 29.96MB saturn illustration, Earth Saturn Planet Natural satellite, earth, hat, solar System, pluto png 900x434px 305.95KB What John Garth adds to the ever-proliferating pile of Tolkien-related media is a careful eye and steady step. [In The Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien,] [h]e explores the intersections between this world and that of Tolkien’s 'legendarium'. He traces inspirations from what the author saw, and how they may likely have evolved into what can be gleaned from his tales, letters, drafts, and sketches. . . . Whether new to Middle-Earth or a veteran pilgrim, anyone will learn much in this book."—John L. Murphy, New York Journal of Books This book takes you to the places that inspired J. R. R. Tolkien to create his fictional locations in The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and other classic works. Written by renowned Tolkien expert John Garth, The Worlds of J. R. R. Tolkien features a wealth of breathtaking illustrations, including Tolkien’s own drawings, contributions from other artists, rare archival images, and spectacular color photos of contemporary locations across Britain and beyond, from the battlefields of World War I to Africa.

Paleontologists, geologists, and other scientists divide Earth’s history into time periods. The largest time period is the supereon, and only applies to one unit of time, the Precambrian. Eons, eras, and periods are smaller units of geologic time. Earth has one natural satellite, the moon. Earth is the only planet in the solar system to have one moon. Venus and Mercury do not have any moons, for example, while Jupiter and Saturn each have more than a dozen. The Worlds of J. R. R. Tolkien] is beautifully designed and produced . . . It’s a magical book, one is both intricately researched and filled with gems of wonder."—Lorena Carrington, The Bone Lantern

A fascinating, gorgeously illustrated and thought-provoking examination of the landscapes, cities and architecture that inspired Tolkien during his lifelong creation of Middle-earth. . . . Garth, a journalist as well as a Tolkien scholar, proves an exceptional guide to Middle-earth . . . [A] masterful book."—Elizabeth Hand, Washington Post The Mesozoic era began about 251 million years ago. This was the era when dinosaurs flourished. The Mezozoic has three periods: the Triassic, the Jurassic, and the Cretaceous.

Eventually, Earth began to cool and its materials began to separate. Lighter materials floated upward and formed a thin crust. Heavier materials sank toward Earth’s center. Eventually, three main layers formed: the core, the mantle, and the crust. John Garth’s beautifully illustrated volume, The Worlds of J. R. R. Tolkien, reconstructs and theorizes Tolkien’s earthly sources for Middle-earth. He leaves breadcrumbs for scholars of all stripes. Whether your curiosities lie in Switzerland or South Africa, in the Aeneid or The Great Wave off Kanagawa, something is bound to reel you in."—Bécquer Seguín, Public Books Earth’s physical environment is often described in terms of spheres: the magnetosphere, the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, and the lithosphere. Parts of these spheres make up the biosphere, the area of Earth where life exists. The Complete Guide to Middle-earth has been compiled to enhance the reader’s enjoyment of Tolkien’s books by bringing together in an A-Z sequence all the key facts and information about names, places, languages and events from The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. J.R.R. Tolkien’s works of epic adventure and fantasy, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion have delighted many millions of fans since they were first published, and are now more popular than ever before.