Reddit reviews Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth

You're right about elves and dwarves not being strictly good - as you say. This was particularly true of his early writing, when he was drawing more directly on the primary source material. That said, even in the Bible, angels weren't strictly good - and some of them fell out on the side of evil, so there was precedent for this even in Tolkien's strictly-Christian frame of mind.

Much has been written and said about Tolkien, who will clearly be a subject for ongoing discussion long after I've turned up my toes, but a recent exhibit at the Bodleian addresses much of this. Fortunately for those who couldn't see the exhibit, the book published with the exhibit has some excellent essays on much of this.

Thought I'd provide some Amazon links to these fine suggestions, along with a few of my own.

J.R.R. Tolkien Companion & Guide US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0008214549/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_Jc.DCb1A3J8V6

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Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/000755690X/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_Qe.DCbHG7HWXM

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Art of the Lord of the Rings US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0544636341/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_3f.DCbB8Y2ZNZ

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Art of the Hobbit US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0547928254/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_ng.DCbCX2CT65

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Tolkien: Maker of Middle-Earth US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1851244859/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_Vg.DCbSEH99RE

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Rateliff's History of the Hobbit US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CF6AZWK/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_Dj.DCbGWY7970

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Fonstad's Atlas of Middle-Earth US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0618126996/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_Kk.DCbC2XF6NT

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Letters of JRR Tolkien US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0618056998/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_ml.DCbREBRZH4

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Carpenter's Tolkien: A Biography US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0618057021/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_xm.DCbY976PAE

https://www.amazon.com/Tolkien-Maker-Middle-earth-Catherine-McIlwaine/dp/1851244859

You can still get it on Amazon. It's a little pricey but definitely worth it since you can't take pictures of the exhibit. It's not just images, it's got a lot of good text.

Amazon have the exhibition book at £26 at the moment. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tolkien-Maker-Middle-earth-Catherine-Mcilwaine/dp/1851244859

Not sure if it's what you have in mind, but I can vouch for the fact that this book with exhibits from the recent Tolkien exhibition is stunning. I got it as a birthday present. It's large and features endless beautiful, high quality images of Tolkien's drawings, papers and family photos. There are fascinating, but accessible, essays too.