Category Archives: Uncategorized

Goblin caves, ancient scripts and Tolkien’s gift for invention

Posted on 24 December 2023 by John Garth

Goblin caves at the North Pole! The Father Christmas letters penned by Tolkien tell us some surprising things about the Arctic. They borrow penguins from Antarctica and feature a polar bear who can speak, write and draw. The North Pole … Continue reading →

Posted in Chronology of composition, Research tangents, Tolkien’s creative spirit, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The dream of Geoffrey Bache Smith

Posted on 18 October 2021 by John Garth

It’s not often you stumble upon a piece of writing by a key member of Tolkien’s school circle, the T.C.B.S. Today I am pleased as Punch to be able to present such a piece by G.B. Smith, to mark his … Continue reading →

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Oxford and the Olympics

Posted on 25 July 2021 by John Garth

[This was published in Oxford Today, the university’s alumni magazine, ahead of the 2012 London Olympics. The most dated things about it are the reference to a certain Mayor of London by the name of Boris, and Oxford Today itself, … Continue reading →

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The Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien: The Places that Inspired Middle-earth

Posted on 26 January 2021 by John Garth

‘Magnificent. The commentary is great, really thoroughly researched; the pictures are stunning’ — Tom Shippey, author of The Road to Middle-earth and J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century From world-renowned Tolkien expert John Garth comes the authoritative exploration of the … Continue reading →

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The perils of enchantment: Tolkien’s Lay of Aotrou and Itroun

Posted on 1 June 2019 by John Garth

The encounter between mortal man and immortal enchantress is always fateful in Tolkien’s Middle-earth. In The Lord of the Rings, for instance, Boromir fears the Elf-queen Galadriel and ignores her wisdom, then dies for his sins. The Lay of Aotrou … Continue reading →

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Tolkien at Exeter College: Birth of a legend

Posted on 14 April 2017 by John Garth

In which I blow my own trumpet… When you picture J.R.R. Tolkien, it’s probably as a member of Oxford’s Inklings, writing The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings in the 1930s and ’40s, or in old age when fame … Continue reading →

Posted in 100 years of Middle-earth, Book news and reviews, John Garth’s writing, Tolkien in the First World War, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments