J.R.R. TOLKIEN: POCKET GUIDE A new guide to the life and work of J.R.R. Tolkien, the premier British fantasy author of the 20th century, and his great works: The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. This guide is clearly written for the general reader, offering an all-round introduction to this hugely popular writer. EXTRACT FROM THE INTRODUCTION Philip Toynbee declared, in 1961, that Tolkien"s "childish books had passed into a merciful oblivion", a wonderful statement, just a tad inaccurate. In 1997, The Lord of the Rings was voted the top book of the 20th century by readers in a British bookstore"s poll (Waterstone"s). 104 out of 105 stores and 25,000 readers put The Lord of the Rings at the top (1984 was second). Around 100 million copies of The Lord of the Rings had been sold by the end of the twentieth century, and 60 million copies of The Hobbit, with sales of around 3 million per year of the two books combined. Readers...