Fantastic Facts About J.R.R. Tolkien
“A single dream is worth more than a thousand realities.”—J.R.R. Tolkien
The majority of us know J.R.R. Tolkien for creating the world of Middle Earth, but not too much more. Did you know that he fought in World War I, or that he once had a spat with his good friend and fellow writer C.S. Lewis?
Considering the amazing creativity the author possessed, it’s no surprise that such a brilliant mind would live such an exciting and interesting life. Here are 42 fantastic facts about J.R.R. Tolkien.
Tolkien Facts
42. An Old Soul
Tolkien learned to read by the time he was four, with his mother allowing him to read as much as he wanted. He has said that he didn’t like Treasure Island or The Pied Piper of Hamelin and that he found Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland “amusing but disturbing.”
41. Take a Chance
An employee at the London publishing firm George Allen & Unwin convinced Tolkien to submit The Hobbit for publication. Adults and children alike fell for the story when it was published a year later in 1937, so much so that the publishing company requested a sequel! Tolkien had actually written The Hobbit for his own children many years prior.
40. Three’s a Crowd
The Lord of the Rings would take Tolkien ten years to create and write, and were published in three volumes between 1954 and 1955. He had originally intended them to be one novel and didn’t like that they were turned into a trilogy. Regardless, the books would go on to become some of the most popular works of the 20th century, both in sales and reader surveys.
