The sheer ridiculousness of this video made me laugh out loud. Hope it does the same for you! John Howe (or, in his clay form, "Ickle John Howe") is an illustrator best known for his renderings of Tolkien’s worlds. He and Alan Lee were the chief conceptual designers for the movies based on The Lord of the Rings, hence the focus here on Balrogs, and all the references to Gandalf. Howe’s beautiful forthcoming book Lost Worlds is one of many titles we’ll be featuring on our store’s annual list of holiday gift recommendations for children and teens.

What does the not-so-ickle John Howe ACTUALLY sound like? Watch this trailer for Lost Worlds to find out.

Now go picture Gandalf without a pointy hat…