Bilbo's Last Song FROM OUR EDITORS
The Barnes & Noble Review
Fans of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy can read Bilbo's farewell to Middle-earth in this beautifully illustrated book that's as heart-touching as it is magical.
In 32 pages with paintings by Pauline Baynes -- one of Tolkien's favorite artists -- Bilbo's song closes one epic chapter while opening up the journey to the Undying Lands: "Day is ended,/Dim my eyes,/but journey long/before me lies." Making way for the ship bound westward, Bilbo assembles a group of Elves of the High Kindred to accompany him on the trip, meets Gandolf and Círdan the Shipwright for the voyage, and bids adieu to Middle-earth friends, including Merry and Pippin. After the crew has boarded, the mighty ship finally sails westward, leaving Bilbo to sing homage to his exciting past: "Farewell to/Middle-earth at last,/I see the Star/above your mast!" As a perfect accompaniment to the text, Baynes's large, glorious illustrations on right-hand pages portray Bilbo's departure, while smaller paintings underneath the text (on the left) show scenes from The Hobbit. Also included in the back are essential Notes on the Pictures, which tell where the ideas for the pictures originated, what each illustration shows, and references to Tolkien's works (book and page number).
A small book that yields large closure for Rings enthusiasts, Bilbo's Last Song combines Tolkien's powerful words and Baynes's exquisite paintings into a brilliant package, creating a fantastical framework for Bilbo's journey. A handsome work that will complete any Tolkien collection.
Matt Warner
ANNOTATION
The hobbit Bilbo Baggins bids farewell to his friends and to the world of Middle-earth as he sets forth on his last journey.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Bilbo's Last Song is considered by many to be Tolkien's epilogue to his classic work The Lord of the Rings. As Bilbo Baggins takes his final voyage to the Undying Lands, he must say goodbye to Middle-earth. Poignant and lyrical, the song is both a longing to set forth on his ultimate journey and a tender farewell to friends left behind.
Pauline Baynes's jewel-like illustrations lushly depict both this final voyage and scenes from The Hobbit, as Bilbo remembers his first journey while he prepares for his last.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
When it first appeared in 1990, PW called Bilbo's Last Song by J.R.R. Tolkien, illus. by Pauline Baynes, "a must for all fans of Tolkien's vast, epic fantasy." The poem, purportedly written by Bilbo Baggins (hero of The Hobbit) just before he takes ship from Middle-earth to the Undying Lands at the end of The Lord of the Rings, gives rise to Bayne's medieval-flavored paintings. "The effect is stirring, the mood elegiac and the imagery riveting," said PW. (Sept.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
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