Fifty years on from J.R.R. Tolkien’s death, his tales of Middle-earth are more popular than ever. Join us on a quest through Tolkien’s world of elves and hobbits, dark lords and enchanted forests, as we explore his masterpiece The Lord of the Rings. From the earliest stages of its composition to its impact on fantasy fiction, from its mythic roots to its modern adaptations, our talk will explore why readers still love Middle-earth – and why Tolkien’s vision still holds such power today.

John Garth is a journalist and author of the acclaimed biographical Tolkien and the Great War, winner of the Mythopoeic Award for Scholarship 2004, and was Fellow in Humanistic Studies for 2015–16 at the Black Mountain Institute, University of Las Vegas, Nevada. Other writings include the definitive study of Tolkien’s undergraduate life, Tolkien at Exeter College, nominated for the same award in 2015. He speaks regularly on Tolkien and related topics, in person and on air. John has also taught full-length and short courses on Tolkien for Oxford University’s Department for Continuing Education, for UNLV, and online for the Mythgard Institute at Signum University.