A stunning portfolio of over 100 of John Howe's Tolkien and fantasy cover, calendar and exhibition paintings, with supporting notes, sketches and photographs by the artist. Includes Foreword by Peter Jackson, director of the award-winning film trilogy. For the first time ever, a portfolio of illustrated work from the award-winning artist, John Howe, which reveals the breathtaking vision of one of the foremost fantasy artists in the world. Myth and Magic is arranged into six sections, which looks at the books by J R R Tolkien that have inspired John -- The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and The History of Middle-earth -- and is complemented by a fascinating tour through the paintings that he has produced for some of the finest fantasy authors working today.From the beloved painting of Smaug which decorates The Hobbit, his numerous and bestselling calendar illustrations, the world famous ''Gandalf'' picture, which is synonymous with the HarperCollins one-volume edition of The Lord of the Rings, this large-format hardback will delight fans of Tolkien, and anyone who has been captured by the imagination of the artist who so brilliantly brings to life the literary vision of J R R Tolkien.