John Garth

Thanks Miriam. On Fairy-stories is not just a lecture – in places it's a visionary prose poem. I hope my discovery will help readers appreciate it even better.

I've identified the manuscript #Tolkien used for his landmark 1939 lecture On Fairy-stories – previously thought lost. See my featured article, available online, in the latest issue of the Journal of Inklings Studies! www.euppublishing.com/journal/ink

‘Mounted on the monster’: Tolkien and the motor-car To mark the publication of The Bovadium Fragments, let’s explore the background to Tolkien’s satire on the motor-car and Oxford…

To mark the publication of Tolkien's Bovadium Fragments, join me as I explore the background to his satire on the motor-car and Oxford…
#tolkien #oxford #bovadium
tinyurl.com/tolkienmotors

Tolkien and the Great War
by @johngarthwriter.bsky.social
t.co/RwYqQykkry

The Worlds of JRR Tolkien
by @johngarthwriter.bsky.social
amzn.to/4nDXBd0

The Letters of JRR Tolkien
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Pity Power & Tolkien's Ring
by @alas-not-me.bsky.social
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The Fantasy of JRR Tolkien
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Tolkien & the Great War
by by John Garth
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Lord of the ring road — JRR Tolkien’s war against the motor car In the posthumously published satire The Bovadium Fragments, the Hobbit creator inveighs against car culture

As #Tolkien became professor of Anglo-Saxon in Oxford century ago, the city’s Morris Motors became Britain’s biggest car maker. There's a certain inevitability he would flourish a poison pen on the topic. I review THE BOVADIUM FRAGMENTS in today's Times. www.thetimes.com/culture/book...

During the month of October @princetonupress.bsky.social has @johngarthwriter.bsky.social's excellent book "The Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien" available for 70% off! If you don't have it already, this is a great opportunity.

The day Tolkien became a WW2 air raid warden The day Tolkien enrolled as a Second World War air-raid warden has been revealed in a previously unseen image from Oxford’s city archives…

Did you know J.R.R. Tolkien was an air raid warden in the Second World War while writing The Lord of the Rings? Now a previously unseen archive image reveals the date he joined. I have thoughts on why…
tinyurl.com/tolkienwarden
#Tolkien #WW2 #Oxford #LotR

That's amazing! A primary school teacher changed my life by reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to us when I was seven – instantly turning me into an avid reader.

Reread The Hobbit – and maybe you'll want to venture further this time.

That's the first copy I read too, passed on by my big sisters.

Happy Hobbit Day everyone! On this day in 1937, J.R.R. Tolkien gave us The Hobbit, our doorway into Middle-earth. Inside he hid a gift to his favourite aunt. My latest blog post will put you in the picture! tinyurl.com/hobbitongrange
#Tolkien #HobbitDay #Hobbit

Tolkien’s hidden gift to his favourite aunt Tolkien hid all kinds of personal jokes and messages in his stories and – it turns out – in his pictures. Here's a newly discovered one in his famous image of Hobbiton.

Tolkien hid all kinds of personal jokes and messages in his stories and – it turns out – in his pictures. Here's a newly discovered one in his famous image of Hobbiton. tinyurl.com/hobbitongrange
#Tolkien #Hobbit #Hobbiton #inspiration #Nottinghamshire

At his talk in Cork, @johngarthwriter.bsky.social talked about the influence of the Tuatha de Danann on the elves. This whole sequence reminds me a bit of another part of Irish mythology, the Colloquy of the Ancients.

"Stop! Hey, wait a minute Mr. Publican…"

By my calculations, he was 6,517 at the time of the Council of Elrond. Only 9 years to go before he'd reach the 64-year mark for the 102nd time! But "When I'm 6,528" doesn't quite have that McCartney touch, does it?

Holy smoke!

Elrond's song title is great, but I think he's lost count.

Moria Medley:
Yrch Blues
Hey Balrog
Get Back (I Am the Servant of the Flame of Anor)

One for each hobbit! Sam’s and Pippin’s are hilarious.

Catchy, eh?

Excellent Bombadil point! And The Wight Album 💀

What do you think the #Beatles might have sung if they'd made their #LotR movie? I'll start…
Carry That Weight
Shelob’s You
Elanor Gamgee
I Am The Man Who Wrote The Oxford English Dictionary Etymology For The Word “Walrus”

[Gary B and Gary D 🥲 also contributed. No AI was used in this image.]

What do you think the #Beatles might have sung if they'd made their #LotR movie? I'll start…
Carry That Weight
Shelob’s You
Elanor Gamgee
I Am The Man Who Wrote The Oxford English Dictionary Etymology For The Word “Walrus”

[No AI was used in this image. Gary B and Gary D 😢 contributed.]

My new article with @petermgilliver.bsky.social, in the newly announced Tolkien Studies 21, sheds light on a hazy but crucial period of Tolkien's life – at the end of his WW1 soldiering and the start of his OED work. kalimac.blogspot.com/2025/08/tolk...

#tolkien #oed #ww1 #tolkienstudies

New fan and new follower here. For the past few days, I've been listening to you narrate your amazing Before Mars, several hours a day. Meanwhile you've been going through the absolute mill. Get well as soon as can be!

To be fair, Marcel, I *occasionally* live the good life.

The unexpected joys of teaching a Tolkien course in Tolkien's old Oxford college, Merton… My room is in a 16th-century building and the view from the windows might be of some nook of Minas Tirith. Outside in the street someone is talking about Tolkien. It's deep immersion!

Long before hobbits, #Elves were at the heart of #Tolkien's mythology. From Lúthien to Legolas, they continue to enchant us. This Tuesday, online or at Brixton's Blues Kitchen, I explore their inspirations, lore and lessons for us all. Plus tips on Elvish! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/tolkiens-e...

YouTube video by The Wonder of Tolkien How Tolkien Created Middle-earth in a World at War | John Garth

The latest conversation was with leading Tolkien scholar @johngarthwriter.bsky.social - we talked about Tolkien's life, the process of research and the impact of Middle-earth! This was a treat.

youtu.be/SPJu_VyeIw4