ESSENTIAL TOLKIEN The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring

In 1952 Tolkien recorded these selections on an old-fashioned tape recorder. Unsurprisingly, the quality of the recording is not strong; the poems, songs, and selections are not announced; and the author's sometimes rushed delivery is accented with the creaks of his wooden office chair. However, the raw authenticity of the reading bewitches the listener in a way that polished, processed audio sometimes cannot. Tolkien delivers his poems with passion and sweetness. In reading THE HOBBIT selection, he sounds like a British fairy-tale grandfather, and he belts out every word of his songs with an exuberance that transports the listener to a Middle-Earth tavern. Any fan of Tolkien will appreciate hearing the famous words spoken as the author intended and take special joy from such an unaffected listening experience. A.H.A. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 08]