It is not often that a reader can pick up a novel and be transported into a world where they can feel, smell, see, and live the story unfolding around them.  Stories so rich in history and culture could only be created by the world-renowned author, J.R.R. Tolkien.  His works, including "The Silmarillion", "The Hobbit", and the famous trilogy "The Lord of the Rings", have been read by millions of people across the globe.  Tolkien's stories take place against a background of measureless depth that is ever-present in the creator's mind, and gives his characters a three-dimensional reality that is seldom found in imaginative fiction.  In writing these stories he created a fantasy world brimming with elements of high adventure, suspense, mystery, and poetry that has yet to be surpassed by any author of this age.  His tales...