The only authorised biography, and the only one written by an author who actually met J.R.R. Tolkien, with a redesigned cover to match the distinctive paperback editions of The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales. In the 25 years since Tolkien's death in September 1973, millions have read The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion and become fascinated about the very private man behind the books. Born in Bloemfontein in January 1892, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was orphaned in childhood, brought up in near-poverty and almost thwarted in adolescent romance. He served in the First World War, surviving the Battle of the Somme, where he lost some of his closest friends, and returned to academic life, achieving high repute as a scholar and university teacher, eventually becoming Merton Professor of English at Oxford. Then suddenly his life changed dramatically. One day while marking essay papers he found himself writing 'In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit' -- and worldwide renown awaited him. Humphrey Carpenter was given unrestricted access to all Tolkien's papers, and interviewed his friends and family. From these sources he follows the long and painful process of creation that produced The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion and offers a wealth of information about the life and work of the twentieth century's most cherished author.

J.R.R. Tolkein: A Biography

Biographies & Memoirs

Humphrey Carpenter

Arts & Literature

Harpercollins

J R R TOLKIEN A Biography

HARPER/COLLINS

Secret gardens: A study of the golden age of children's literature

SECRET GARDENSHumphrey CarpenterTowards the end of the nineteenth century children's literature in England entered a Golden Age. Within the space of seventy years some of the greatest classics were written; from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, to The Wind in the Willows, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh and The Tales of Beatrix Potter.Humphrey Carpenter, co-author of The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature and author of several highly acclaimed biographies, reassesses the achievements of this fascinating group of writers whose work has delighted generations and has been as influential in its way as that of the romantics or modernists.Mr Carpenter is an enthusiast whose book is as filled with entertaining ideas and information as any fan of children's books could wish. Rachel Billington, Evening Standard.His book is completely engrossing and valuably reshapes its subject. John Carey, Sunday Times.I found it a most enjoyable book.Naomi Lewis, The Observer.His critical manner is in many respects exemplary: sharp, resourceful, diverting and illuminating.Patricia Craig, London Review of Books.

Secret Gardens: A Study of the Golden Age of Children's Literature

Literature & Fiction

British & Irish

Unwin Paperbacks

W. H. Auden disapproved of literary biography. Or did he? The truth is more equivocal than it at first appears. Humphrey Carpenter himself neatly summarizes Auden's ambiguity: 'Here, as so often in his life, Auden adopted a dogmatic attitude which did not reflect the full range of his opinions, and which he sometimes flatly contradicted.' Although Carpenter's biography, first published in 1981, was unauthorized, he did receive the co-operation of the Auden Estate, and the results remain of unimpeachable merit. "Carpenter is a model biographer - diligent, unspeculative, sympathetic, and extremely good at finding out what happened when and with whom". (John Bayley, Listener). "An illuminating book; full of information, unobtrusively affectionate, it describes with unpretentious elegance the curve of a great poet's life and work". (Frank Kermode, Guardian). "A deeply interesting book about a deeply interesting life". (Roy Fuller, Sunday Times).

W.H Auden, a biography

HarperCollins Publishers, Ltd

J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography

Mr Majeika on the Internet

Penguin??Books

Mr Majeika Joins the Circus

Jesus

Religion & Spirituality

Oxford University Press

A comprehensive collection of letters spanning the adult life (1914-1973) of one of the world's most famous storytellers. 'It is not possible even at great length to "pot" The Lord of the Rings in a paragraph or two. It was begun in 1936, and every part has been written many times! the labour has been colossal; and it must stand or fall, practically as it is.' J.R.R. Tolkien was one of the most prolific letter writers of this century. Over the years he wrote to his publishers, his family, to friends (including C.S. Lewis, W.H. Auden and Naomi Mitchison) and to fans of his books. The letters present a fascinating and highly detailed portrait of the man in many of his aspects: as storyteller, scholar, Catholic, parent and observer of the world around him. They also shed much light on his creative genius and grand design for the creation of a whole new world -- Middle-earth. This collection will appeal not only to the legions of Tolkien fans, but will entertain anyone who appreciates the art of letter-writing, of which Tolkien was a master. 'I am nearly always written to as Tolkein (not by you): I do not know why, since it is pronounced by me always -keen.'

The Letters of J.R.R.Tolkien: a Selection

Essays & Correspondence

Firebird Distributing

C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and their friends were a regular feature of the Oxford scenery in the years during and after World War II. They drank beer on Tuesdays in the "Bird and Baby" and on Thursday nights they met in Lewis's Magdalen College rooms to read aloud from the books they were writing: jokingly they called themselves "The Inklings". C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien first introduced "The Screwtape Letters" and "The Lord of the Rings" to an audience in this company. This biography draws upon unpublished letters and diaries to tell their story.

The Inklings : C.S.Lewis, J.R.R.Tolkien, Charles Williams and Their Friends

Harcolscifi&Fantasy

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Books by Humphrey Carpenter