J.R.R.Tolkien (1892-1973) was a distinguished academic, though he
is best known for writing The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The
Silmarillion, plus other stories and essays. His books have been
translated into over 60 languages and have sold many millions of
copies worldwide.
Christopher Tolkien, born on 21 November 1924, is the third son of
J.R.R. Tolkien. During the Second World War he served in the Royal
Air Force and the Fleet Air Arm as a pilot. At the end of the war
he returned to Oxford University and became a Fellow and Tutor in
English of New College in 1964, lecturing in the University on
early English and northern literature. Appointed by J.R.R. Tolkien
to be his literary executor, he has devoted himself since his
father's death in 1973 to the editing and publication of
unpublished writings, notably The Silmarillion and Beowulf, and the
collections entitled Unfinished Tales and The History of
Middle-earth. Since 1975 he has lived in France with his wife
Baillie.
Alan Lee is the illustrator of the highly-successful centenary
edition of The Lord of the Rings and diamond edition of The Hobbit.
He studied graphic design and the depiction of Celtic and Norse
myths and has illustrated a wide range of books, including Faeries,
Merlin Dreams and Castles, and was conceptual designer for Terry
Jones' film Erik the Viking. He was awarded the Kate Greenaway
Medal for his illustrated edition of Black Ships Before Troy.
‘Never did [Tolkien] write a more sustained account of battle. With
dragons and fiery balrogs galore, the attack on Gondolin makes
Peter Jackson’s souped-up cinema battles look like tabletop
games.’
The Times ‘The text is rife with references to characters and
creatures that come to play a role in The Lord of the Rings… one
passage in particular seems to set up one of the most famous scenes
from the LOTR trilogy.’
Time ‘It’s a load-bearing pillar in the grander narrative that
eventually came to encompass better-known works. Tolkien explicitly
expressed his wish later in life that the three Great Tales of
Middle-earth’s early days — The Children of Húrin, Beren and
Lúthien, and The Fall of Gondolin — along with The Lord of the
Rings and other writings, should be considered as “one long Saga of
the Jewels and the Rings”.’
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