Tag Archives: Tolkien research

Teaching Tolkien in Las Vegas

Posted on 7 October 2016 by

Vegas brought out my worst vices. Handed carte blanche to indulge recklessly and obscenely for twelve months, I borrowed books from the university library in such numbers that when it came to returning them, I had to use a suitcase. I even … Continue reading →

Posted in Book news and reviews, John Garth’s writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Tolkien’s death of Smaug: American inspiration revealed

Posted on 9 December 2014 by

My latest article for the Guardian: As well as its familiar roots in Icelandic mythology, this Middle-earth story also has some surprising transatlantic sources The dragon soars overhead, its underside armoured with gems from its hoard. The bowman has one … Continue reading →

Posted in 100 years of Middle-earth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Middle-earth turns 100

Posted on 24 September 2014 by

It is 100 years since Middle-earth began. The earliest glimpse of any character or situation from his mythology was in a poem, ‘The Voyage of Éarendel the Evening Star’, which J.R.R. Tolkien dated 24 September 1914. He wrote it at … Continue reading →

Posted in 100 years of Middle-earth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 35 Comments

Secrets of The Hydra: how Tolkien research uncovered lost Wilfred Owen magazines

Posted on 17 June 2014 by

Historic missing issues of a magazine edited by First World War poet Wilfred Owen have been found and donated to archives in Oxford, in a move hailed as ‘a stunning discovery’. When copies also went to an Edinburgh university, it … Continue reading →

Posted in Research tangents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments