Fantastic portfolio of artwork by John Howe. I've had this since around the time that The Return of the King film came out, however only perused the Tolkien section. Recently, I went cover to cover.
I heard of John Howe, as well as Alan Lee, thanks to The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. There is also a Myth & Magic poster collection too; which features I believe 8 poster-sized images from the book.
There is a vast array of varrying material included here. Tolkien, however, receives three sections. This makes sense, as it's organized by time frame within the Middle-earth timeline. So all The Hobbit is one section, all The Lord of the Rings in another, and likewise for other tales such as The Silmarillion and The History of Middle-earth.
It is an art book, so you get mostly art. There are some annotations or descriptions here and there along the way.
I admit to getting this as well as the poster set mainly due to the Tolkien related artwork. However, as I impressed as I was by it, I was glad to see other offering's by Howe presented. Hardcover An excellent book with excellent artwork from an excellent artist. It's truly marvellous for every fantasy fan or for those who generally indulge themselves in brilliant art. Hardcover John Howe, beyond the shadow of a doubt, has a knack for art. He seamlessly knows how to connect reality with fantastic elements, almost as if his works could be real someplace, sometime. 2/3 of this book dealt with all kinds of LOTR-related lore, which I adored. 1/3 was a variety of cover and illustration artwork for other titles, which I appreciated deeply as well, but which did not have the same effect on me as the illustrations for Tolkien's works. This is definitely a worthy addition to my artwork collection. Hardcover Breathtaking. A true collector's item. Highly recommended. Hardcover A beautifully illustrated book! John Howe is definitely the master of Middle Earth's art. I loved every single page, every single painting!
Highly recommended to Toklien fans!!! Hardcover
A great artist - from a devoted Howe-fan, what else could I say? Hardcover Although Howe's vision of Middle-Earth occasionally offers an unwelcome filter for my inner eye (in fairness, I have yet to encounter an artist for whom that is not at least sometimes true), his art in the main is stunning, moving, wonderful to behold. Faerie he has certainly seen, Logres, Newford, and many other worlds besides. Howe's insistence on research, on basing fantastical imagery on the real, serves all fantasy lovers well. Hardcover Another great find on my travels and at a fraction of the cover price.
This is an amazing book which I am glad has carried on the tradition that Paper Tiger started all those years ago. The book is generously illustrated with many of John Howe's works although they are predominantly based on the worlds and works of Tolkien many of which are now famously linked to his work have become in many cases (Gandalf) synonymously the de facto image everyone knows.
However to say that Mr Howe is a Tolkien illustrator is to over look many many famous pieces of work - a lot of which I didnt realise were his although they are some of most easily identifiable works - for example his rendition of the Once and Future King is one I have know and loved for years. If anything I wish there was more of his other works so I could appreciate his true talent.
One this I would say that slightly detracts from the book and hence the loss of a star- is that the book is published by Harper Collins here in the UK and as as result they have not missed a chance to promote their editions of some of the books that are mentioned in the pages. Now this could be coincidental but even so it feels a little too convenient. That said the books are still amazing and I do love to see the original works before they are converted to the covers. In the case of John Howe its impressive seeing the original before the publisher changes it.
Hardcover It's only fair to remind everyone that John Howe did the original UK covers for many of the Robin Hobb books. So I do come to this work with a very personal admiration for the man and his work. I will freely admit extreme prejudice in his favor.
And as I contributed text to this volume, in a sense I am cheating and giving myself a five star review. But anyone who reads only the text I wrote and does not linger far longer on John Howe's art has missed the whole point of this book. Skip the part I wrote, and go to Robert Holdstock's musings on page 90.
This book is like a lovely extended conversation with and about John, with each illustration worth far more than 10,000 words. As you might expect, there are plenty of Tolkien pages. Viewers of the Peter Jackson movies of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit will see where many of those screen images began.
This is a book for looking, for discovering on each page some new and minute detail that makes art I could walk into. This is a book to own, to open again and again.
I look down and see I'm supposed to put down the date I finished this book. I won't. I'm never done with this one. Hardcover John Howe... RESPECT!!!
That's the only thing I want to say about this collection of his artwork.
It's absolutely STUNNING!!! Hardcover
Artists the world over have attempted to capture the essence of Tolkien’s Middle-earth: the passion and heroism of the characters, the heart-stopping drama of the action, the mythic grandeur of Middle-earth itself, but few have succeeded. Pre-eminent among those who have is John Howe. Now, for the first time ever, a portfolio of more than 250 of his paintings and sketches has been collected together which celebrates the breathtaking vision of one of the foremost fantasy artists working today. Myth & Magic takes the reader on a journey through John Howe’s work, from his early days as a student to his most recent paintings, and features a number of previously unseen pictures.
All of his Tolkien work inspired by The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and The History of Middle-earth is included, and this is complemented by a dazzling array of the many works of art that he has produced, ranging from books on dragons and myth and legend, children’s books that he has written as well as illustrated, to a wealth of cover paintings for some of the biggest names in fantasy. John Howe has additionally provided an entertaining and informative commentary which gives the story behind his work.
Myt h & Magic also boasts contributions from Tolkien expert and author of The Lord of the Rings Movie Guide, Brian Sibley, and top fantasy authors such as Robin Hobb and Robert Holdstock, features a revealing insight from Oscar-winning actor Sir Ian McKellen into the challenge of becoming John Howe’s ‘Gandalf’, and includes an exclusive Foreword by Peter Jackson, the directorof The Lord of the Rings Movie Trilogy. From the beloved painting of ‘Smaug’ that decorates The Hobbit, and the world famous ‘Gandalf’ picture which is synonymous with the one-volume edition of The Lord of the Rings, to the spectacular images which adorn best-selling novels around the world, this sumptuous gallery will delight all fans of Tolkien and fantasy, as it takes us on an unforgettable tour through the imagination of one of the finest artists in the world. A tour through the realms of Myth & Magic.
Myth and Magic: The Art of John Howe