Lord of the Rings Books, CDs and DVDs

Gollum: How We Made Movie Magic, by Andy Serkis - Andy Serkis tells his own story about how a three-week commission to provide a voiceover for Gollum grew into a five-year commitment to breathe life and soul into The Lord of the Rings' most challenging creation. Fully illustrated with more than 100 exclusive behind-the-scenes photos and drawings, and with contributions from the many designers and animators who brought Gollum to life. Amazon price $9.95.

The Art of The Fellowship of the Ring, Gary Russell - Featuring everything from pencil sketches to the finished objects, this book spotlights the hundreds of paintings, sketches, and models used to construct the film's sets, design costumes, build props, and more. Includes 500 exclusive paintings and drawings from The Fellowship of the Ring. Amazon price: $23.80.

The Art of The Return of the King, Gary Russell - Like its FOTR and TTT predecessors, this book illustrates the creative development of The Return of the King from sketch to special effect and features 600 images, most appearing nowhere else. To accompany this wealth of imagery, detailed and informative commentaries appear by all the featured artists and designers, together with a special afterword by Peter Jackson. Amazon price: $23.80.

The Art of The Two Towers, Gary Russell - Packed with more than 500 full-color images, many exclusive to this volume, showing the development of the imagery in The Two Towers from concept drawings to wide-screen glory. Detailed captions tell the story of the images in the words of the artists and designers responsible for the look of the film, including the renowned artists Alan Lee and John Howe, and contributions from Peter Jackson, Richard Taylor, Grant Major, Ngila Dickson, Paul Lasaine, and others. Amazon price: $23.80.

The Fellowship of the Ring Visual Companion, Jude Fisher - Students of Tolkien will notice that the Visual Companion series follows the films, not the books. Still, they provide movie viewers with good background about Middle Earth, the ancient history of the rings of power, and the main characters and creatures in J. R. R. Tolkien's work. In this volumen, readers will learn the history of the free peoples of Middle Earth: hobbits, elves, dwarves, and men. The book ends with the Istari, an Elvish term meaning an order or brotherhood of wizards; Gandalf the Grey and Saruman the White. Beautiful still shots from the film. Amazon price: $13.97.

The Making of the Movie Trilogy, by Brian Sibley - Forward by Sir Ian McKellen. A book whose scope matches the films: 200 pages, over 300 photographs (many exclusive to the book), and a behind-the-scenes, definitive account of the creation of the three Lord of the Rings movies. Interviews and intricate details about work done by the hundreds of dedicated artists, craftspeople and cast and crew members. Amazon price: $12.57.

The Return of the King Visual Companion, Jude Fisher - Introduction by Viggo Mortensen. Designed to provide background material for movie-goers, this volume covers the paths of the dead, Kingdom of Gondor, Osgiliath, stewards of the Kings, Battle of the Pelennor fields, and the Black Gate. Over 100 color photographs, including a spectacular two-page spread of Gandalf and company staring at Mordor and the fires of Mount Doom. Amazon price: $13.27.

The Two Towers Visual Companion, Jude Fisher - Introduction by Viggo Mortensen. Designed to provide background material for movie-goers, the book explains events, gives tours of the Dead Marshes, Ithilien and Rohan, and provides maps of Rohan and Gondor. Over 100 color photographs, including exclusive images of Gollum, Treebeard and the battle of Helm's Deep. Amazon price: $13.27.