Daniel Grotta & Sally Wiener Grotta

One of this century's most beloved and enigmatic writers, J.R.R. Tolkien lived most of his life in a cloistered academic community, politely protesting that his elaborate, highly imaginative stories had no "inner meanings," and somewhat embarrassed by both the success of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and the cult that grew around them. This biography illuminates the secret corners of Tolkien's life, showing how his traumatic childhood and his experiences in the trenches during WWI helped to fuel the fertile imagination that created such wondrous tales.