Into the Archive: On the Shoulders of Hobbits

On the Shoulders of Hobbits: The Road to Virtue with Tolkien and Lewis, by Louis Markos (Moody Publishers, 2012, 234 pp.)

With a Foreword by Peter Kreeft, and with a blurb by Holly Ordway, which helped recommend it to me. This has been on and off my Wish List for years, since at least 2020. Seeing a recent YouTube video with Ordway and Markos convinced me to go ahead and order it; my first ‘Tolkien’ book of the year. The title is obviously a play on the phrase ‘on the shoulders of giants’. I ordered it on the 8th, and it's here on the 10th. I think that's the fastest I ever got something.

‘The world of J. R. R. Tolkien is filled with strange creatures, elaborately crafted lore, ancient tongues, and magic that exists only in fantasy; yet the lessons taught by hobbits and wizards speak powerfully and practically to our real lives. Courage, valor, trust, pride, greed, and jealousy--these are not fictional virtues [or vices]. This is the stuff of real life, the Christian life. Professor and author Louis Markos takes us on the road with Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, with looks at selected classic works of literature as well, to show how great stories bring us so much more than entertainment. They inspire and convict, imparting truth in unforgettable ways. Rediscover the virtue of great storytelling and the power of fantasy to transform our reality.’ – Amazon.