Tolkien Society Reviews of David Day’s books
Publication:Amon Hen #42,
Date: December 1979
Book: A Tolkien Bestiary by David Day
Reviewer: J. T. Morgan, Editor Amon Hen
Quote: “This is a magnificent book and covers much more than the term ‘bestiary’
requires. It will delight all those with Hobbit-like tendencies who “like to have
books filled with things that they already know, set out fair and square with no
contradictions. There are maps, tables, genealogies and two indices – one for
principal sources and one general.”
Publication: Mythlore, Vol. 7 #2
Date: Summer 1980
Book: A Tolkien Bestiary
Reviewer: Thomas M. Eagan, Editor Amon Hen
Quote: Reflecting Wonder.
“[This book] balances its beautiful prose with some of the best artwork on Tolkien’s mythic universe ever seen by fantasy fandom… On the
whole Day has done his research well… Two full pages in black and white drawings by Allan Curless are given to a truly magnificent map of Middle-earth…Day is successful in letting the reader read of Middle-earth’s sad and glorious
history from a variety of angles. Day usually offers no commentary, save for an
occasional insight. The prose is deeply satisfying – with a touch of nostalgia and
even melancholy…. Beauty, terror, pathos, and hope – an invitation to wonder
and reflect.”
Publication: Amon Hen #70
Date: November 1984
Book: Castles by Alan Lee, written by David Day.
Reviewer: Colin Davey
Quote: “Castles is quite simply a beautiful book. It carries in Lee’s now familiar, mistily
evocative colours the artist impressions of castles of myth and legend. Medieval literature and modern fantasy, linked with well written commentary by David Day, the author of the much-praised Tolkien Bestiary. A truly fine collection.”
Publication: Amon Hen #114,
Date: December 1992
Book: The Illustrated Encyclopedia by David Day
Reviewer: Sebastian Cooke
Quote: “From the complier of ‘A Tolkien Bestiary’ comes this new work of reference
covering every conceivable aspect of the world of Arda. I should first say. That
this doesn’t, nor purport to, replace Robert Foster’s ‘Complete guide to Middle-earth’…. The abundance and diversity of images keeps the book visually excitingthroughout. This coupled with the clarity and readability of the text makes thebook pleasantly browsable. To sum up, this book is designed to be as much read
and enjoyed as it is to be referred to. Whilst Robert Foster’s ‘Complete Guide’
remains the definitive work for the serious student, the ‘Illustrated Encyclopedia’
is equally desirable in its own market. It has been well written and presented and
I think will prove wholly successful.”
Publication: Mallorn #33
J.R.R. Tolkien Centenary Conference, Keble College
Date: December 1992 (1995)
Article: Explorations into the Psyche of Dwarves
Reviewer: David A. Funk
Quote: “My paper owes much to numerous authors who paved the way for me, in
particular David Day who wrote A Tolkien Bestiary and J.E.A. Tyler who compiled "The Tolkien Companion.”
Publication: Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, Vol. 14, No. 2
Date: Spring, 2003
Book: A Tolkien Bestiary
Reviewer: Charles W. Nelson
Quote: “In an earlier review, I mentioned the Tolkien class, which I have been teaching
for thirty years and listed some of the books that have proved most valuable over
the decades. David Day’s A Tolkien Bestiary is another of these volumes which my
students and I use extensively every time the class is offered…. Thoroughness is a
definite hallmark of this book… The Bestiary includes the composite map of the
Lands of Arda through the ages which was invaluable in class when we were
considering Numenor and the Undying Lands… For the novice as well as the
seasoned reader, these observations can provide direction to further successful
research. The sub-title of the Bestiary is ‘A List of the Beasts, Monsters, Races,
Deities and Fauna of Middle-earth.’ It is all that and more – an invaluable book,
which should be in the possession of all readers of Tolkien.”
Publication: Mythlore #29
Date: Spring/Summer 2011
Article: Two Rings to Rule them All: A Comparative Study of Tolkien and Wagner
Reviewer: Jamie McGregor
Quote: “[In ‘Tolkien’s Ring’] Day is undoubtedly right in pointing out that Hitler’s
perversion of Germanic mythology outraged Tolkien and may even have inspired
him to write The Lord of the Rings as a deliberate challenge to Wagner. The
advantage of this view is that it offers a thoroughly plausible explanation as to
why Tolkien might have been influenced by Wagner and yet object to having it
pointed out…. Nor is it simply a matter of the Ring. There are other apparent
‘inversions’ of Wagner that fit the same pattern. A clue to these is offered by
Day’s suggestion that Tolkien’s ‘challenge’ to Wagner mirrors that which he
makes to ‘Shakespeare’s use of myth and history in Macbeth’.”