This edition of Rackham's images, widely regarded as the greatest representations of Wagner's drama, comprises 64 full-page color illustrations and 9 vignettes from Siegfried, The Twilight of the Gods, The Rhinegold, and The Valkyrie.

This book forms part of a series, dedicated to the artwork of Arthur Rackham ­(1867 – 1939), one of the most celebrated artists of the British Golden Age of Illustration. Over his long and illustrious career, he contributed to over 150 books, magazines and periodicals, resulting in a vast array of original artworks. Whether producing whimsical children’s images or murkier, foreboding drawings for adults, Rackham’s unique style of illustration was (and still is) admired by countless collectors, critics and the general public. For the first time, this book brings together the entirety of Rackham’s stunning images, sourced from rare and original books, in order that the modern reader may fully appreciate his art. This first volume comprises of over 340 black and white and colour illustrations by Rackham from his works dating from 1896 – 1910, and includes images from The Zankiwank and the Bletherwitch (1896), Tales From Shakespeare (1899) Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1907), Grimm’s Tales (1909) and Wagner’s Ring Cycle (1910) – to name but a few. The book also contains a biography of Rackham’s personal, professional and artistic life, as well as an introduction to the fascinating ‘Golden Age’ period of illustration.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

The Ring of the Niblung by Richard Wagner and illustrated by Arthur Rackham. Translation by Margaret Armour.Some critics mention that The Lord of the Rings was directly and heavily derived from Richard Wagner's opera cycle, Der Ring des Nibelungen.This edition includes:- The Rhinegold- The Valkyrie- Siegfried- Twilight of the GodsDer Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from the Norse sagas and the Nibelungenlied.The cycle is a work of extraordinary scale. Perhaps the most outstanding facet of the monumental work is its sheer length: a full performance of the cycle takes place over four nights at the opera, with a total playing time of about 15 hours, depending on the conductor's pacing. The first and shortest work, Das Rheingold, typically lasts two and a half hours, while the final and longest, G�tterd�mmerung, takes up to five hours, excluding intervals. The cycle is modelled after ancient Greek dramas that were presented as three tragedies and one satyr play. The Ring proper begins with Die Walk�re and ends with G�tterd�mmerung, with Rheingold as a prelude. Wagner called Das Rheingold a Vorabend or "Preliminary Evening", and Die Walk�re, Siegfried and G�tterd�mmerung were subtitled First Day, Second Day and Third Day, respectively, of the trilogy proper.The plot revolves around a magic ring that grants the power to rule the world, forged by the Nibelung dwarf Alberich from gold he stole from the Rhine maidens in the river Rhine. The Ring itself as described by Wagner is a Rune-magic taufr ("tine", or "talisman") intended to rule the feminine multiplicative power by a fearful magical act termed as 'denial of love' ("Liebesverzicht"), which is probably an allusion to ritual circumcision.

The Eisner Award-winning series, finally collected in one volume, presents one of the grandest stories of Western civilisation, one of the most explosive epics in the history of comics. Giants plot against gods, who in turn tear human lovers apart, the lives of great warriors are ruined and countless people are slain in the name of love and gold. This re-telling of the Ring Cycle marks a new high point in the career of this true artist's artist, and features a lavish index of production notes, sketches and commmentaries.

The great Rackham is at his most radiant in this beguiling collection of more than 80 otherworldly illustrations from magazines, periodicals, and novels such as Milton's Comus and Hawthorne's Wonder Book.

Wagner's Ring has baffled and confused critics because of the highly complex meaning of its text and music. The diverse range of commentaries written on the subject since the first performance over one hundred years ago reveals just how little critics have understood The Ring. Deryck Cooke displays his masterly common sense in this study of how and why The Ring took the shape it did. This volume represents only a portion of the enormous book he had planned--his untimely death prevented him from writing a full analysis of the music. Even as it stands, I Saw The World End will give fresh understanding and appreciation to every lover of Wagner's music. -- PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION.

Tolkien famously rejected comparison of his Ring with Wagner's, though there is good evidence that Tolkien knew much more about Der Ring des Nibelungen than he let on after the publication of The Lord of the Rings. Analysis of that work from a Wagnerian point of view enables consideration of it in a new way. By exploring the parallels between Wagner's Ring and Tolkien's, a fresh interpretation of Tolkien's work emerges, one that hinges on associating Gandalf with Wotan. Like Wagner's god, Gandalf has to find a way of solving the problems posed by the Ring and like Wotan he cannot succeed without other people. When the plots of The Lord of the Rings (and The Hobbit) are examined in this way it becomes apparent how much they owe to Wagner's music-drama, and the role of Gandalf is opened to new explanation.

Once tainted by association with Hitler and Nazism, Richard Wagner's work has experienced an international cultural renaissance in the last 25 years. His magnum opus, Der Ring des Nibelungen, which took him over 20 years to finish, is a complex tale with themes of greed, corruption and loss, spun out in more than 16 hours of powerfully moving opera. This book, with provocative essays for both the uninitiated and the seasoned fan, examines Wagner's Ring cycle from a wide array of modern perspectives. Divided into six parts, this anthology first offers a foundation for the Ring, with a chronology and an introduction, along with a look at Wagner as an enterprising marketer. Part Two explores different interpretations of the Ring, with reference to politics, romanticism and international inspirations. Part Three studies the complex relationship between Wagner's Ring and Germany, with a summary of the opera's influence on German culture and a discussion of its Munich premiere. Part Four offers a production history, including studies of the Ring's effects in America and its influence on world literature. Part Five provides a technical examination of language in the Ring, as well as an interview with the famous Wagnerian soprano Jane Eaglen. The book concludes with an essay on the trouble with Wagnerian opera and an overview of the recorded Ring on disc, video and print.