Hither Shore, the German Tolkien Society's peer-reviewed annual, says: Hooker “displays a thorough knowledge of linguistics, etymology, and history, and is also very well versed with even obscure sources of literature. … All in all, this book is a highly interesting and worthwhile read for anyone interested in speculating about how and why Tolkien used language the way he did, and it is invaluable for someone interested in Tolkien translation. Even if you already know much about these subject, you are bound to learn quite a few new things and/or find that new vistas for research have opened up for you.” Volume #6 (2009), pp. 242-243.

Read the whole review by Dr. Rainer Nagel of Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz here.

An early review by The Lord of the Rings Fanatics Plaza of the analysis of the origin of the name Tom Bombadil appearing in The Hobbitonian Anthology ranks it as “the best explanation yet of how the name Tom Bombadil came into being.”

A review on Amazon.com says: "Anyone interested in exploring either JRRT's literary techniques or interested in the technicalities of translation will find this fascinating."

Another review on Amazon.com says: "Someone who is not as 'into' languages as I am--my undergraduate degree was in Classical & Romance Languages--might find parts of this book dull and technical. Because most of the chapters were originally composed as separate papers or articles there is some repitition. However, anyone interested in exploring either JRRT's literary techniques or interested in the technicalities of translation will find this fascinating."

"A Beginner's Guide to Tolkien Criticism" says "Hooker's work often uncovers small, overlooked linguistic details."