The Little Book of J.R.R. Tolkien: Wit and Wisdom from the creator of Middle Earth

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A renowned scholar of the English language, Tolkien is celebrated as the father of high fantasy. Drawing on his expertise in languages, mythology, and legend, he created the alternative reality of Middle Earth, inhabited by hobbits, orcs, ents, dragons, magicians, and giant spiders. This delightful volume is packed with fascinating facts about Tolkien's life and works, including extracts from his writings, letters, and interviews, along with insights from contemporaries and admirers. It honors the writer whose imagination transformed fantasy literature. Tolkien's affinity for hobbits is evident in his own words: "I am in fact a Hobbit (in all but size). I like gardens, trees and unmechanized farmlands; I smoke a pipe, and like good plain food (unrefrigerated), but detest French cooking..." In July 1915, he participated in the Somme offensive, the bloodiest battle of the Great War. While recovering from trench fever, he penned his first Elvish word list and the initial fragments of what would become The Silmarillion. The inspiration for The Hobbit struck him unexpectedly in the summer of 1930 as he graded student essays, leading him to write, "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit."