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J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biography
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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
- By: J. R. R. Tolkien
- Narrated by: Terry Jones
- Length: 4 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 228
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 206
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 204
A collection of three medieval English poems, translated by Tolkien for the modern-day reader and containing romance, tragedy, love, sex and honour.
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5 out of 5 stars
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An absolute delight!
- By Shannon Slee on 07-15-18
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Tales from the Perilous Realm
- Four BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisations
- By: Brian Sibley - adaptation, J.R.R. Tolkien
- Narrated by: full cast
- Length: 4 hrs and 48 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 48
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 41
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 41
Four BBC radio dramatisations starring Michael Hordern as Tolkien, plus a special archive compilation exploring Tolkien's life and work. The tales in this collection all reflect an aspect of what Tolkien himself called 'the perilous realm of Faerie'. Adapted for radio by Brian Sibley, co-writer of the acclaimed BBC radio production of The Lord of the Rings, they are rich in myth, magic and adventure. Among the supporting cast are Brian Blessed, Nigel Planer, Sorcha Cusack, Paul Copley and James Grout.
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5 out of 5 stars
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an interesting little book. If you are a Tolkien
- By Amazon Customer on 09-03-18
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The Inklings
- C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and Their Friends
- By: Humphrey Carpenter
- Narrated by: Bernard Mayes
- Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 24
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 22
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 21
During the 1930s at Oxford, C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams - remarkable friends, writers, and scholars - met regularly to discuss philosophy and literature and to read aloud from their own works in progress. Calling themselves the Inklings, their circle grew. It was in this company that such classics as The Lord of the Rings, The Screwtape Letters, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe first found an audience.
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4 out of 5 stars
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A great find for any Inkling fan
- By TangerineZoso on 04-01-18
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The Silmarillion
- By: J. R. R. Tolkien
- Narrated by: Martin Shaw
- Length: 14 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,659
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,444
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,432
The complete unabridged audiobook of J.R.R Tolkien's The Silmarillion. The Silmarillion is an account of the Elder Days, of the First Age of Tolkien’s world. It is the ancient drama to which the characters in The Lord of the Rings look back, and in whose events some of them such as Elrond and Galadriel took part.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Finally!
- By Brian on 11-22-18
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Letters from Father Christmas
- By: J.R.R. Tolkien
- Narrated by: Derek Jacobi, John Moffatt, Christian Rodska
- Length: 2 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 628
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 571
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 568
Can you imagine writing to Father Christmas and actually getting a reply? Every year, the children of J.R.R. Tolkien would write to Father Christmas, and the letters they received told wonderful stories of his adventures at the North Pole. These humorous tales are brought to life by Derek Jacobi as Father Christmas, John Moffatt as Polar Bear, and Christian Rodska as Ilbereth the Elf, complete with specially composed music.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A fun little read.
- By James on 06-30-14
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Great Expectations
- By: Charles Dickens
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 18 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,213
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,921
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,921
One of the most revered works in English literature, Great Expectations traces the coming of age of a young orphan, Pip, from a boy of shallow aspirations into a man of maturity. From the chilling opening confrontation with an escaped convict to the grand but eerily disheveled estate of bitter old Miss Havisham, all is not what it seems in Dickens’ dark tale of false illusions and thwarted desire.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great Performance of a classic!
- By Steven on 08-18-13
-
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
- By: J. R. R. Tolkien
- Narrated by: Terry Jones
- Length: 4 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 228
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 206
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 204
A collection of three medieval English poems, translated by Tolkien for the modern-day reader and containing romance, tragedy, love, sex and honour.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
An absolute delight!
- By Shannon Slee on 07-15-18
-
Tales from the Perilous Realm
- Four BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisations
- By: Brian Sibley - adaptation, J.R.R. Tolkien
- Narrated by: full cast
- Length: 4 hrs and 48 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 48
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 41
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 41
Four BBC radio dramatisations starring Michael Hordern as Tolkien, plus a special archive compilation exploring Tolkien's life and work. The tales in this collection all reflect an aspect of what Tolkien himself called 'the perilous realm of Faerie'. Adapted for radio by Brian Sibley, co-writer of the acclaimed BBC radio production of The Lord of the Rings, they are rich in myth, magic and adventure. Among the supporting cast are Brian Blessed, Nigel Planer, Sorcha Cusack, Paul Copley and James Grout.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
an interesting little book. If you are a Tolkien
- By Amazon Customer on 09-03-18
-
The Inklings
- C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and Their Friends
- By: Humphrey Carpenter
- Narrated by: Bernard Mayes
- Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 24
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 22
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 21
During the 1930s at Oxford, C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams - remarkable friends, writers, and scholars - met regularly to discuss philosophy and literature and to read aloud from their own works in progress. Calling themselves the Inklings, their circle grew. It was in this company that such classics as The Lord of the Rings, The Screwtape Letters, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe first found an audience.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
A great find for any Inkling fan
- By TangerineZoso on 04-01-18
-
The Silmarillion
- By: J. R. R. Tolkien
- Narrated by: Martin Shaw
- Length: 14 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,659
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,444
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,432
The complete unabridged audiobook of J.R.R Tolkien's The Silmarillion. The Silmarillion is an account of the Elder Days, of the First Age of Tolkien’s world. It is the ancient drama to which the characters in The Lord of the Rings look back, and in whose events some of them such as Elrond and Galadriel took part.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Finally!
- By Brian on 11-22-18
-
Letters from Father Christmas
- By: J.R.R. Tolkien
- Narrated by: Derek Jacobi, John Moffatt, Christian Rodska
- Length: 2 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 628
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 571
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 568
Can you imagine writing to Father Christmas and actually getting a reply? Every year, the children of J.R.R. Tolkien would write to Father Christmas, and the letters they received told wonderful stories of his adventures at the North Pole. These humorous tales are brought to life by Derek Jacobi as Father Christmas, John Moffatt as Polar Bear, and Christian Rodska as Ilbereth the Elf, complete with specially composed music.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A fun little read.
- By James on 06-30-14
-
Great Expectations
- By: Charles Dickens
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 18 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,213
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,921
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,921
One of the most revered works in English literature, Great Expectations traces the coming of age of a young orphan, Pip, from a boy of shallow aspirations into a man of maturity. From the chilling opening confrontation with an escaped convict to the grand but eerily disheveled estate of bitter old Miss Havisham, all is not what it seems in Dickens’ dark tale of false illusions and thwarted desire.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great Performance of a classic!
- By Steven on 08-18-13
-
Tolkien and the Great War
- The Threshold of Middle-earth
- By: John Garth
- Narrated by: John Garth
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 112
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 105
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 105
Tolkien and the Great War tells for the first time the full story of how he embarked on the creation of Middle-earth in his youth as the world around him was plunged into catastrophe. This biography reveals the horror and heroism that he experienced as a signals officer in the Battle of the Somme and introduces the circle of friends who spurred his mythology to life.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Excellent Text Frustratingly Recorded
- By Timothy Ortopan on 05-09-18
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Tales from the Perilous Realm
- By: J. R. R. Tolkien
- Narrated by: Derek Jacobi
- Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 147
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 138
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 138
Combined into one volume, this is the definitive collection of Tolkien's five acclaimed modern classic 'fairie' tales in the vein of The Hobbit, read by Derek Jacobi. The five tales are written with the same skill, quality and charm that made The Hobbit a classic. Largely overlooked because of their short lengths, they are joined here in one volume which reaffirms Tolkien's place as a master storyteller for listeners young and old.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Enjoyable Tolkien short stories
- By Linda Luella on 03-28-17
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The Bloody Chamber
- By: Angela Carter
- Narrated by: Richard Armitage, Emilia Fox
- Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 628
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 582
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Story3.5 out of 5 stars 581
A collection of short stories, The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories was first published in 1979 and awarded the Cheltenham Festival Literary Prize. This Audible exclusive adaptation is narrated by legendary actors, Richard Armitage and Emilia Fox, who take on different chapters of the audiobook. Among these are 'The Bloody Chamber', 'The Courtship of Mr Lyon', 'The Tiger's Bride', 'Puss in Boots', 'The Erl-King', 'The Snow Child', 'The Lady of the House of Love', 'The Werewolf' and 'Wolf-Alice'.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Fairy tales by Angela Carter
- By Elizabeth P. Fowler on 03-20-18
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A Hobbit, A Wardrobe and a Great War
- How J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Rediscovered Faith, Friendship, and Heroism in the Cataclysm of 1914-1918
- By: Joseph Loconte
- Narrated by: Dave Hoffman
- Length: 6 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 634
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 575
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 577
The First World War laid waste to a continent and altered the political and religious landscape of the West. For a generation of men and women, it brought the end of innocence - and the end of faith. Yet for J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, the Great War deepened their spiritual quest. Both men served as soldiers, survived the trenches, and used the experience of that conflict to ignite their Christian imagination. Had there been no Great War, there would have been no Hobbits, no Lord of the Rings, no Narnia, and perhaps no conversion to Christianity by C. S. Lewis.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Delivers what the title says.
- By Zebedee on 03-10-17
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Leonardo da Vinci
- By: Walter Isaacson
- Narrated by: Alfred Molina
- Length: 17 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 8,043
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7,254
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 7,201
Leonardo da Vinci created the two most famous paintings in history, The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa. But in his own mind, he was just as much a man of science and engineering. With a passion that sometimes became obsessive, he pursued innovative studies of anatomy, fossils, birds, the heart, flying machines, botany, geology, and weaponry.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Wish the sample was not from the preface!
- By Kristopher S. on 11-13-17
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Man's Search for Meaning
- By: Viktor E. Frankl
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 4 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 17,617
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 14,531
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 14,527
Internationally renowned psychiatrist, Viktor E. Frankl, endured years of unspeakable horror in Nazi death camps. During, and partly because of his suffering, Dr. Frankl developed a revolutionary approach to psychotherapy known as logotherapy. At the core of his theory is the belief that man's primary motivational force is his search for meaning.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Read This if You're Very Sick and/or Thinking About Ending Your Life
- By Derek on 07-21-15
Publisher's Summary
The original authorised biography, and the only one written by an author who actually met J. R. R. Tolkien.
In the 25 years since Tolkien’s death in September 1973, millions have read The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion and become fascinated about the very private man behind the books.
Born in Bloemfontein in January 1892, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was orphaned in childhood, brought up in near poverty and almost thwarted in adolescent romance. He served in the First World War, surviving the Battle of the Somme, where he lost some of his closest friends, and returned to academic life, achieving high repute as a scholar and university teacher, eventually becoming Merton Professor of English at Oxford.
Then suddenly his life changed dramatically. One day while marking essay papers he found himself writing 'In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit' - and worldwide renown awaited him.
Humphrey Carpenter was given unrestricted access to all Tolkien’s papers and interviewed his friends and family. From these sources he follows the long and painful process of creation that produced The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion and offers a wealth of information about the life and work of the 20th century's most cherished author.
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- Dorothy & Joe Yeomans
- 07-29-18
An unusual character but not empathetic
The difference between his apparently narrow personality and glorious writing is very difficult to explain. I now know much more about the man than I wished, but this is not a criticism of the biography.
1 of 3 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Gabby Howse
- 09-24-18
A Tolkien Admirer
As a Tolkien admirer, I loved listening to this Book. I'm now keen to listen to other works