Tolkien, J. R. R.

J R R  Tolkien (1892–1973) is best known as the author of the fantasy novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. He was born in South Africa but brought up in rural England. His love of this country life being reflected in his writings. Tolkien’s skill for languages ensured a scholarship to Oxford to read philology, the study of language. After graduating in 1915 he was enlisted in the First World War. His experiences in the Somme trenches may have contributed to the battles and trauma described in The Lord of the Rings. On his return to England Tolkien become a professor and respected scholar of medieval languages. He continued to contribute to the study of Anglo-Saxon literature and poetry with the recognised essay, “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics”. Tolkien died in 1973 and his son, Christopher posthumously completed his Middle Earth fantasy novel, The Silmarillion. His books are now highly collectable with rare Lord of The Rings first editions and signed copies being highly sought after.

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