The Wisdom of the Shire, Noble Smith
The Wisdom of the Shire, Noble Smith
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The Wisdom of the Shire
A Short Guide to a Long and Happy Life

Author: Noble Smith, Peter S. Beagle

Narrator: Simon Vance

Unabridged: 4 hr 47 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/01/2013

Synopsis

In The Wisdom of the Shire, Noble Smith sheds light on the life-changing ideas tucked away inside the classic works of J. R. R. Tolkien and his most beloved creation—the stouthearted Hobbits.Drawing on The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and other tales of Middle-earth, Smith shows how a snug hobbit-hole is actually just a state of mind and how even the smallest person can have the valor of a Rider of Rohan. He explores subjects dear to a halfling's heart, such as beer, food, and friendship, as well as more serious concerns, such as courage, living in harmony with nature, and good versus evil.How can simple pleasures such as gardening, taking long walks, and eating delicious meals with friends make you significantly happier? Why is the act of giving presents on your birthday instead of getting them such a revolutionary idea? And how can we carry the burden of our own "Ring of Power" without becoming devoured by it? The Wisdom of the Shire holds the answers to these and more of life's essential questions.

About Noble Smith

Noble Smith is the Franchise Narrative Director of Microsoft’s legendary video game series Age of Empires from Xbox Game Studios. He is an award-winning playwright, documentary film executive producer, and author of The Wisdom of the Shire—a book about the philosophy of Tolkien’s Hobbits (translated into eight languages). And the epic historical fiction trilogy Nikias of Plataea (Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press) set in ancient Greece during the Peloponnesian War.

About Simon Vance

Simon Vance is an award-winning actor and an AudioFile Golden Voice with over fifty Earphones Awards and thirteen prestigious Audie Awards. He was named Booklist’s very first Voice of Choice in 2008 and an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009.

About Peter S. Beagle

Peter S. Beagle has won the Hugo, Nebula, Mythopoeic, and Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire awards. He is also the recipient of the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement and the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Honor. His novel The Last Unicorn has sold a reported five million copies since its initial publication. His other novels include A Fine & Private Place, The Innkeeper’s Song, Tamsin, Summerlong, and In Calabria. His short fiction has been collected in four volumes by Tachyon Publications, including The Rhinoceros Who Quoted Nietzsche, The Line Between, We Never Talk About My Brother, and Sleight of Hand.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Melody

If you are looking for a review where the reviewer overlooks niggling errors because the text is so inspiring, move on. If you are looking for a review where the reviewer fails to mention egregious errors regarding the source material, click on through- nothing to see here! If you've read many of my......more

Goodreads review by Cori

Awesome little book combining two amazing things: Tolkien and mindfulness. While some of the points the author hit on rang a little more political than I hoped for, the meat and potatoes of the message is how to simplify, slow down, and just be satisfied. I will forever be a Tolkien nerd, and to thi......more

Goodreads review by Lady

Imádtam minden sorát! Hogy-hogy nem találkoztam ezzel a könyvvel hamarabb? Igazi csemege rajongóknak, mert az önfejlesztéses- életmódváltásos tanácsokon kívül triviát, vagyis érdekes tényeket is kapunk minden fejezet végén. Persze ki mit ismer már ezekből, nekem meglepetés volt, hogy Christopher Lee......more

Goodreads review by Amanda

This is a unique and engaging self-help book, perfect for any fan of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Noble Smith encourages readers to take a step back from their hectic lives and the many problems that they deal with on a day-to-day basis, and live in a more simplistic manner, just like the h......more

Quotes

“Smith urges hobbit-wannabes to embrace the original small-is-beautiful lifestyle—grow your own food, walk everywhere. And sing. ​Even to love Tolkien-style!” USA Today

“Delves into Middle-earth to show us how Tolkien can instruct us how to live a better life on Regular-earth.” Boston Globe

“A definitive guide to Tolkien’s worldview.” Wired

“The Wisdom of the Shire is an idea whose time has unquestionably come…I’d buy it like a shot, give copies away to deserving friends, and keep it by the bed for bad nights.” Peter S. Beagle, award-winning author of The Last Unicorn

“Smith, a playwright and film producer, shrewdly connects spiritual writing to the popularity of J. R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy work…A fine companion to the Hobbit movies for the fantasy reader or spiritual seeker.” Library Journal

“How to live long and prosper, Hobbit-style…Tolkien fans breathlessly awaiting Peter Jackson’s upcoming three-part feature film will be pleasantly satiated with this self-help guide channeling the effervescent spirit and timeless morality of the much-loved Hobbit population…The author’s many comparisons between the ‘safe, warm, comfortable’ facets of Hobbit life and contemporary reality lived outside Middle-earth are creative and satisfyingly good-natured…Interwoven throughout the text are factoids about Tolkien’s life…A life-affirming, must-have morsel for Tolkien’s colossal fan base.” Kirkus Reviews

“I haven’t had too many ‘Personal Gollums’ in my life but the next time I happen upon one I will take Noble Smith’s book out and thumb through it like a manual. My only fear is that I will find someone doing the same thing to figure out how to deal with me. Such a fun book!” Ty Burrell, Emmy Award–winning star of Modern Family

“Good books transport us, great books transform us. Noble Smith was clearly transformed by reading J. R. R. Tolkien’s classic novels, and this book is the delightful result. It’s a humorous but impassioned celebration of enduring values, worthy sacrifices, and simple pleasures. You can’t beat that combination, either in the novels or in this irresistible homage.”
Mark Salzman, author of Iron and Silk

Awards

  • Publishers Weekly Top 10 Book
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