An overview of the book and author

 Born 1882, South Africa  Moved to Britain as a boy  Developed an interest in fantasy, fairy tales, and languages  Became a professor of Anglo-Saxon and English Language and Literature at Oxford University

 Fell in love at 16, but had to wait until he was done with school to pursue the relationship  Married Edith Mary Bratt  Served in WWI; became ill with trench fever

 First real job: definitions for the OED  Became a professor at Oxford  Wrote stories for his 4 children  Member of the Inklings  Friend of C.S. Lewis & W.H. Auden

 During exams: “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.”  Published in 1937 Designed early covers and maps  Possible influences: World War I Anglo-Saxons Beowulf Norse mythology

 Quickly became a bestseller  Tolkien’s publisher asked for a sequel  Tolkien submits The Silmarillion  The publisher asks for more hobbit stories  Tolkien pens The Lord of the Rings series  Tolkien edits The Hobbit

 In 1951, Tolkien adjusted the outcome of a riddle game in the book  Tolkien uses a preface to explain the change as dishonesty on the part of Bilbo, a hobbit  In 1966, a 3 rd edition of the book is released with edited narration

 Translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, from Old English to contemporary English  “Beowulf: the Monsters and the Critics”, a lecture on Beowulf  The Lord of the Rings trilogy

 As a child, Tolkien was bitten by a baboon spider, a type of tarantula  When his wife Edith died in 1971, he had “Luthien” added after her name on their gravestone. It means “blossom”  He had “Beren”, meaning “brave”, added after his name. Tolkien died in 1973, age 81.  In Tolkien’s legendarium, Beren is a warrior who falls in love with the elf Luthien.

 1977: animated 78-minute production Made many changes from the text Criticized by many for “poor animation”  Peter Jackson’s version Two-part film December 2010, December 2011