Tolkien was English, and thought of himself as such. His immediate paternal ancestors were middle-class craftsmen … See more

Tolkien's Catholicism was a significant factor in C. S. Lewis's conversion from atheism to Christianity, and it has been suggested that Tolkien was dismayed that Lewis chose to join the Church of England (although there seems to b… See more

Tolkien's fantasy books on Middle-earth, especially The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, drew on a wide array of influences, including his philological interest in language, Christianity, medievalism, mythology… See more

Both Tolkien's academic career and his literary production are inseparable from his love of language and philology. He specialized in English philology at university and in 1915 graduated with Old Norse as his special sub… See more

Tolkien learnt to paint and draw as a child and continued to do so all his adult life. From early in his writing career, the development of his stories was accompanied by drawings and paintings, especially … See more