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J(ohn) R(onald) R(euel) Tolkien, 1892-1973
"Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky, Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die, One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie. One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie." The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
His Life
	J.R.R. Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892. After serving in the First World War, he embarked upon a distinguished career as a professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University. He is the renowned creator of Middle Eearth and author of the great modern classic, The Hobbit, the prelude to his epic masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings. Other works by J.R.R. Tolkien include The Silmarillion. J.R.R. Tolkien died in 1973 at the age of 81. Tolkien is a genius; there is no way to deny that. He has managed to create an entirely different world, every tree, every creature, every nuance of language, every folktale; everything that might possibly exist in Middle Earth. That is Tolkien's true genius, his ability to construct this world in his head and to let us visit it, completely and fully for his four famous books. However, maybe that is not the extent of his genius. Maybe not because Tolkien also tells a ripping good tale throughout his novels. Christian History Magazine: Spring, 2003 -Tolkien: Man Behind the Myth
Life Events 1892 Born on January 3 in Bloemfontein, South Africa, where his father worked for Lloyd's Bank 1896 Death of father, Arthur Tolkien. Family moves near Sarehole Mill, outside Birmingham 1900 Enters King Edward VI School, Birmingham 1904 Death of mother, Mabel Tolkien 1908 Meets Edith Bratt 1909 Father Francis Morgan discovers Tolkien's romance with Edith 1911 Enters Exeter College, Oxford to read Classics 1915 Obtains First Class in English Language and Literature. Commissioned in the Lancashire Fusiliers 1916 Marries Edith Bratt. Serves from July to November in the Battle of the Somme and returns to England suffering from "trench fever" 1917 Birth of son John 1920 Appointed Reader in English literature at Leeds University. Birth of son Michael 1924 Birth of son Christopher 1925 Elected to the Chair of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University 1926 Friendship with C. S. Lewis begins 1929 Birth of daughter Priscilla 1945 Takes up Chair of English Language and Literature at Oxford University. Inklings friend Charles Williams dies 1959 Retires from his work at Oxford 1963 C. S. Lewis dies 1968 Moves to Bournemouth 1971 Death of Edith Tolkien. Returns to Oxford 1973 Dies on September 2 Literary Events 1917 Begins writing tales that later become The Silmarillion 1918 Takes up work with the new Oxford English Dictionary 1925 Publishes Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 1929 Publishes Ancrene Wisse: The English Text of the Ancrene Riwle. Publishes his treatise on Hali Meithhad, or "Holy Virginity" 1930 Begins to write The Hobbit 1936 Delivers the lecture "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics" to British Academy 1937 Publishes The Hobbit. Begins a sequel that becomes The Lord of the Rings 1939 Delivers the lecture "On Fairy-Stories" 1949 Publishes Farmer Giles of Ham 1954 Publishes first two volumes of The Lord of the Rings 1955 Publishes final volume of The Lord of the Rings 1962 Publishes The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, and Other Verses from the Red Book 1964 Publishes Tree and Leaf 1965 Increasing popularity on American college campuses after Ace issues an unauthorized paperback of The Lord of the Rings 1967 Publishes Smith of Wootton Major 1976 The Father Christmas Letters published 1977 The Silmarillion, edited by Christopher Tolkien, published 1980 Unfinished Tales, edited by Christopher Tolkien, published
His Books
The Hobbit: "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort." The hobbit-hole in question belongs to one Bilbo Baggins, an upstanding member of a "little people, about half our height, and smaller than the bearded dwarves." He is, like most of his kind, well off, well fed, and best pleased when sitting by his own fire with a pipe, a glass of good beer, and a meal to look forward to. Certainly this particular hobbit is the last person one would expect to see set off on a hazardous journey; indeed, when Gandalf the Grey stops by one morning, "looking for someone to share in an adventure," Baggins fervently wishes the wizard elsewhere. No such luck, however; soon 13 fortune-seeking dwarves have arrived on the hobbit's doorstep in search of a burglar, and before he can even grab his hat, Bilbo Baggins is swept out his door and into a dangerous adventure. The dwarves' goal is to return to their ancestral home in the Lonely Mountains and reclaim a stolen fortune from the dragon Smaug. Along the way, they and their reluctant companion meet giant spiders, hostile elves, ravening wolves--and, most perilous of all, a subterranean creature named Gollum from whom Bilbo wins a magical ring in a riddling contest. It is from this life-or-death game in the dark that J.R.R. Tolkien's masterwork, The Lord of the Rings, would eventually spring.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy The Fellowship of the Ring: Those who adore epic adventure, huge stories, rich histories, and interesting places to visit will treasure this book. 'The Fellowship of the Ring' starts things off by telling the tale of 'the' ring, and giving the reader a feeling of how vast and evil the story behind the ring is. Frodo and his companion must endure a series of adventures and encounters, trying to make their way out of the Shire. The first half of the book is very much reminicent of The Hobbit, and picks up with the same spirit. The second half of the novel gathers together the party who will make the journey that is the center of the series, in The Two Towers and features one of the most famous and beloved parts of the series - Moria. Recomended for all readers, young and old.
See large photo The Two Towers: Frodo and his Companions of the Ring have been beset by danger during their quest to prevent the Ruling Ring from falling into the hands of the Dark Lord by destroying it in the Cracks of Doom. They have lost the wizard, Gandalf, in a battle in the Mines of Moria. And Boromir, seduced by the power of the Ring, tried to seize it by force. While Frodo and Sam made their escape, the rest of the company was attacked by Orcs. Now they continue the journey alone down the great River Anduin -- alone, that is, save for the mysterious creeping figure that follows wherever they go. In the continuing saga of The Fellowship of the Ring, the bond of the "Nine" characters proves their loyalty and unselfishness to the Ring and it's bearer. Though they are torn apart, the "Nine" do not break their friendship. All still play a great part in the threatening mission of destroying the Ring. If you have already read The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers will take you to places you've never been, into doom or glory. Will the bond of the Fellowship save Middle Earth from destruction? Find out! Read this book of mystery, magic, love and sacrifice.
See large photo The Return of the King: As the Shadow of Mordor grows across the land, the Companions of the Ring have become involved in separate adventures. Aragorn, revealed as the hidden heir of the ancient Kings of the West, has joined with the Riders of Rohan against the forces of Isengard, and takes part in the desperate victory of the Hornburg. Merry and Pippin, captured by Orcs, escape into Fangorn Forest and there encounter the Ents. Gandalf has miraculously returned and defeated the evil wizard, Saruman. Sam has left his master for dead after a battle with the giant spider, Shelob; but Frodo is still alive -- now in the foul hands of the Orcs. And all the while the armies of the Dark Lord are massing as the One Ring draws ever nearer to the Cracks of Doom. The ring that is a neat little trick in The Hobbit (it grants the wearer the benefit of invisibility) is suddenly so much more than a very handy parlor trick. It is THE ring; crafted ages ago in elven halls with unspeakable power and unfightable draw. Men kill for it, dwarves kill for it, everyone would kill for it and suddenly you are swept off on another adventure with another unsuspecting hobbit that covers all of middle earth and includes the fate of the world...all over this little unassuming ring that must be destroyed. The journey you take in these books will not easily be forgotten, here I am getting chills thinking about the epic battles between good and evil that spring up like weeds around the path of this little ring and Frodo, the hobbit who is charged with destroying it.
Reviews of the Books:
"Here are beauties which pierce like swords or burn like cold iron." C. S. Lewis "One of the great fairy-tale quests in modern literature" Time Magazine "A work of immense narrative power that can sweep the reader up and hold him enthralled for days and weeks." Newsweek "Among the greatest works of imaginative fiction of the twentieth century." Sunday Telegraph
The Movies
Movie opened Dec. 19, 2001 "THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING Tolkien's otherworldly trilogy gets off to an expensive start--but will it be Hobbit-forming? "One ring to rule them all..." The incantation is enough to start fans of the Lord of the Rings trilogy drooling. At least that's what New Line Cinema hopes for its Fellowship of the Ring, the first of three movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasies. The cast--which includes Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett, Liv Tyler, and Elijah Wood as Ring leader Frodo Baggins--spent more than a year in New Zealand filming the pictures back-to-back. Those unacquainted with Baggins' merry crew will soon be: The studio is honing an exhaustive marketing campaign--which began with a lavish Internet site launched in May 1999--for the $270 million trilogy, set to open during three consecutive Christmas seasons. At the center of all this frenzy: director Peter Jackson, whose biggest flick to date is 1996's $16.8 million-grossing The Frighteners. New Line, however, has full confidence in the longtime Tolkien freak. "This is a life's work for him," says Michael Lynne, the studio's president and COO. "He really is a horse to be able to do it at all--it's an incredible undertaking." Of mythic proportions." (Dec. 19) Entertainment Weekly, Jan 26, 2001 p38+

Websites: Christian History Magazine: Spring, 2003 -Tolkien: Man Behind the Myth The One Ring Net: Forged by and for Fans of J. R. R. Tolkien Lord of the Rings (New Line Cinema)

J(ohn) R(onald) R(euel) Tolkien, 1892-1973