J. R. R. Tolkien: Biographies

Tolkien: The Authorized Biography, by Humphrey Carpenter. (1977)

I read this in high school and of course had my own paperback copy; I bought this old hardback copy with a slightly damaged dustjacket recently. I remember devouring this book, which painted a fairly gloomy portrait of the man, an assessment that has become more balanced of late. Tolkien was a man who recorded his sorrows rather than his joys, which are, after all, more winged experiences that invoke secretive savoring rather than obsessive analysis. It certainly helped launch Carpenter’s career; he went on to write several more works of literary biography. Groundbreaking in that it had the approval of the family and unlimited access to private documents previously unavailable.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Biography. Hardback.

The Tolkien Family Album, by John and Priscilla Tolkien. (1992)

“This biography of Tolkien looks at the family details of the author's life. It tells of his love affair with Edith Bratt, and the dramatic circumstances of their relationship and eventual marriage; of Tolkien's experiences in World War I; of the birth of his children; his academic career, and of the writing of the books that made him a household name all over the world. The book also takes a look at the often-strange fan mail that he received, and the honours bestowed upon him before and after his death.” – Amazon. I remember getting this copy at the mall on the outskirts of San Marcos. Full of photos of course; one envelope of the fan mail has a sticker of Charlie Brown saying, “I need all the friends I can get!” Ah, those hippie days of the fandom! John and Priscilla are, of course, two of Tolkien’s children.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Biography. Hardback. Album.

Tolkien: Man and Myth, by Joseph Pearce. (1998)

“A literary life.” “For Owen Barfield.” “Tolkien: Man and Myth observes the relationships that the master writer had with his closest literary colleagues. It sheds light on his unique relationship with C. S. Lewis, the writer of the Narnia books, and the roots of their eventual estrangement. In this original book about a leading literary life, Joseph Pearce enters the world that Tolkien created in the seven books published during his lifetime. He explores the significance of Middle Earth and what it represented in Tolkien's thinking. Myth, to this legendary author, was not a leap from reality but a leap into reality. The impact of Tolkien's great notoriety, his relationship with material possessions, and his deep religious faith are all examined at length in this biography, making it possible to understand both the man and the myth that he created.” – Amazon.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Biography. Literary Criticism. Hardback.

J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century, by Tom Shippey. (2001)

“Recent polls have consistently declared that J.R.R. Tolkien is "the most influential author of the century," and The Lord of the Rings is "the book of the century." In support of these claims, the prominent medievalist and scholar of fantasy Professor Tom Shippey now presents us with a fascinating companion to the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, focusing in particular on The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion. The core of the book examines The Lord of the Rings as a linguistic and cultural map and as a response to the meaning of myth. It presents a unique argument to explain the nature of evil and also gives the reader a compelling insight into the unparalleled level of skill necessary to construct such a rich and complex story. Shippey also examines The Hobbit, explaining the hobbits' anachronistic relationship to the heroic world of Middle-earth, and shows the fundamental importance of The Silmarillion to the canon of Tolkien's work. He offers as well an illuminating look at other, lesser-known works in their connection to Tolkien's life.” – Amazon.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Biography. Literary Criticism. Hardback.

Tolkien: A Celebration, Edited by Joseph Pearce. (1999)

“Anticipating the great amount of interest in Tolkien’s writings due in part to the major theatrical movie release in late Fall on his classic The Lord of the Rings, this highly readable collection of writings celebrates J.R.R.Tolkien’s great literary legacy and the spiritual values that undergird his imaginary Middle-earth. Tolkien: A Celebration includes personal recollections by George Sayer and Walter Hooper, and many fascinating pieces by authors such as James Schall, S.J., Stratford Caldecott and Stephen Lawhead, exploring the threads of inspiration and purpose in his major works. These dip into subjects such as The Sense of Time in Lord of the Rings, Tolkien: Master of Middle-earth, and Tolkien, Lewis and Christian Myth. Fourteen writers contributed to this insightful work on Tolkien, and it will be much-treasured by those who regard him as a literary hero.” – Amazon. I love the way that softcovers are put together now, and this work is certainly worthy of this great binding.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Festschrift. Softcover.

Tolkien: A Biography, by Michael White. (2001)

I got this because I forgot that I had a hardback already, and it’s such a pretty book. I’ll talk more about it when I get to that one; it’s good, but right now I’m close to the end of my day.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Biography. Softcover.

The Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary, by Peter Gilliver, Jeremy Marshall and Edmund Weiner. (2006)

“Bright is the ring of words, when the right man rings them.” - Robert Louis Stevenson. “Tolkien's first job, on returning home from World War I, was as an assistant on the staff of the OED. He later said that he had "learned more in those two years than in any other equal part of his life." The Ring of Words reveals how his professional work on the Oxford English Dictionary influenced Tolkien's creative use of language in his fictional world. Here three senior editors of the OED offer an intriguing exploration of Tolkien's career as a lexicographer and illuminate his creativity as a word user and word creator. The centerpiece of the book is a wonderful collection of "word studies" which will delight the heart of Ring fans and word lovers everywhere. The editors look at the origin of such Tolkienesque words as "hobbit," "mithril, "Sméagol," "Ent," "halfling," and "worm" (meaning "dragon"). Readers discover that a word such as "mathom" (anything a hobbit had no immediate use for, but was unwilling to throw away) was actually common in Old English, but that "Mithril," on the other hand, is a complete invention (and the first "Elven" word to have an entry in the OED). And fans of Harry Potter will be surprised to find that "Dumbledore" (the name of the Hogwarts headmaster) was a word used by Tolkien and many others (it is a dialect word meaning "bumblebee"). Few novelists have found so much of their creative inspiration in the shapes and histories of words. Presenting archival material not found anywhere else, The Ring of Words offers a fresh and unexplored angle on the literary achievements of one of the world's most famous and best-loved writers.” – from the publisher.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Language. Tolkien. Hardback.

Tolkien: A Biography, by Michael White. (2001)

“Tolkien: A Biography by Michael White is a comprehensive, in-depth, and entertaining biography of one of the greatest and most influential fantasy authors of modern time, J.R.R. Tolkien.” – GoodReads. The best thing about this book is that White appears to have no ax to grind, no theory to prove about Tolkien or his work. It’s a straight-out recounting of recorded facts with very little personal judgement. Photos.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Biography. Literary. Hardback.

Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle-Earth, by John Garth. (2003)

“To be caught in youth by 1914 was no less hideous an experience than in 1939 . . . By 1918 all but one of my close friends were dead.” So J.R.R. Tolkien responded to critics who saw The Lord of the Rings as a reaction to the Second World War. Tolkien and the Great War tells for the first time the full story of how he embarked on the creation of Middle-earth in his youth as the world around him was plunged into catastrophe. This biography reveals the horror and heroism that he experienced as a signals officer in the Battle of the Somme and introduces the circle of friends who spurred his mythology to life. It shows how, after two of these brilliant young men were killed, Tolkien pursued the dream they had all shared by launching his epic of good and evil. John Garth argues that the foundation of tragic experience in the First World War is the key to Middle-earth’s enduring power. Tolkien used his mythic imagination not to escape from reality but to reflect and transform the cataclysm of his generation. While his contemporaries surrendered to disillusionment, he kept enchantment alive, reshaping an entire literary tradition into a form that resonates to this day. This is the first substantially new biography of Tolkien since 1977, meticulously researched and distilled from his personal wartime papers and a multitude of other sources. “Very much the best book about J.R.R. Tolkien that has yet been written.” — A. N. Wilson.” – Amazon.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Biography. Literary. Hardback.

J. R. R. Tolkien: A Critical Biography, by Ivor and Deborah Rogers. (1980)

Has a terrible cover that looks like the artist might have once glanced at a Hildebrandt calendar. I can’t say I remember gleaning a single new fact from this book, but the authors do make interesting connections between LOTR and other works of literature. Deborah Rogers (then Deborah Webster) once received a letter from Tolkien in answer to her queries, and therein lies her claim to fame, I guess.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Biography. Literary Criticism. Softcover.

J. R. R. Tolkien: Architect of Middle Earth, by Daniel Grotta-Kurska. (1976, but not this edition)

Why did I get another copy of this second-rate biography? Well, it was a different, softcover, inexpensive, second-hand copy. And looking into it, I find that it used to belong to John’s friend, William Halbardier! What are the odds.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Biography. Softcover.

J. R. R. Tolkien: The Man Who Created ‘The Lord of the Rings’, by Michael Coren. (2001)

A Scholastic Book. A biography of Tolkien aimed at juveniles, it tends to talk down a bit and make asides the author believes will appeal to younger readers. But it does adequately cover the broad facts of Tolkien’s life, and is generously illustrated with photos, not all of which are the usual suspects.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Biography. Literary. Softcover

Myth Maker: J. R. R. Tolkien, by Anne E. Neimark. Illustrations by Brad Weinman. (1998)

Another juvenile biography of Tolkien. Rated for Grades 3 -5. “Neimark offers no clues as to her sources for information, so that credible situations include dialogue that—barring information to the contrary—seems invented. Tolkien's fans will find this to be a serviceable look at his life, no more.” – Kirkus Reviews.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Biography. Hardback.

J. R. R. Tolkien, by Catherine R. Stimpson. (1969)

In a series, Columbia Essays on Modern Writers. Ol’ Stimpy, as I call her, and just as bright as the cartoon cat. A scholar whose opinions make her maybe not quite the most congenial analyst for Tolkien’s work.

Ranking: I suppose, sometime, I might need some toilet paper.

File Code: Essay. Freudian Balderdash. Softcover.

The J. R. R. Tolkien Miscellany, by Robert S. Blackham. (2012)

“This miscellany explores the fascinating and enigmatic world of J.R.R. Tolkien, examining his place in literary history, his books and his iconic characters. The reader can explore facts and trivia from Tolkien’s life and works, including his early life in southern Africa and Birmingham, Tolkien on the silver screen, his role in the two world wars and his friendship with C.S. Lewis, as well as the places that inspired his fictional world of Middle-earth.” – Goodreads. Includes a few photos of Tolkien I haven’t seen elsewhere.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Miscellany. Biography/History. Hardback.