She: a History of Adventure - a Book That Inspired Tolkien: With Original Illustrations

"She" was first published in book form in 1887. The story is an enduring classic, more than a century old. It's a fantasy adventure packed with action, mystery, wonder, supernatural marvels and beauty, along with violence and darkness. While it bears some of the now-discredited hallmarks of the era in which it was written, it remains an enthralling page-turner. Refreshingly, considering 19th century social attitudes, it features a strong woman with a complex personality as the central character. When he was growing up, JRR Tolkien greatly enjoyed reading all the works of H. Rider Haggard, the author of "She". In particular, he stated in a 1966 interview, "I suppose as a boy 'She' interested me as much as anything. . ." Many interesting parallels can be drawn between "The Lord of the Rings" and "She". Readers will find echoes of Galadriel and her mirror here, and even the literary progenitors of Frodo and The One Ring. Tolkien scholars have discussed how Ayesha - the regal, immortal protagonist - strongly influenced Tolkien's portrayal of the elf-queen Galadriel in "The Lord of the Rings". Like Galadriel, for example, Ayesha is beautiful and powerful. Like her, she gazes into a magical bowl of water to witness scenes from afar.This edition contains the original illustrations as enjoyed by JRR Tolkien.