A reissue of the literary detective work examining Tolkien's sources and inspiration, beautifully illustrated by the lead conceptual artist for the LOTR film trilogy, of whom Peter Jackson said "His art captured what I hoped to capture with the films." J. R. R. Tolkien had a great knowledge of, and love for, world mythology when he wrote his beloved trilogy of Middle Earth. This authoritative work shows how The Lord of the Rings is the result of an ancient storytelling tradition that dates back to the dawn of western cultures, and how, by drawing upon the world's primary myths and legends, Tolkien created his own mythology for the 20th century. In particular, the symbol of the Ring has a rich and fascinating heritage, and just as Gandalf sets out to discover the history of the Hobbit's Ring, so the author searches out the history and descent of Tolkien's Ring, and how the Ring quest tradition first came into being among tribal peoples before written records were kept. Beautifully illustrated throughout by the acclaimed artist Alan Lee—creator of the illustrated The Lord of the Rings—this is an extraordinary journey through the most magical and potent of stories.