John Garth
@johngarthwriter.bsky.social
Writer, speaker, award-winner. Books in 18 languages on Tolkien’s life and work. Contact me via http://linktr.ee/johngarth. Support my work via Steady: http://bit.ly/3N191bi
Reposted by John Garth
After living through the Nazi & atomic bomb eras, Tove Jansson writings would often encompass fearful ideas about loss of a familiar world. However she would balance this with characters who encompassed #kindness & #community, even in the darkest times #WomensArt #WorldKindnessDay
November 13, 2025 at 7:07 PM
After living through the Nazi & atomic bomb eras, Tove Jansson writings would often encompass fearful ideas about loss of a familiar world. However she would balance this with characters who encompassed #kindness & #community, even in the darkest times #WomensArt #WorldKindnessDay
Reposted by John Garth
The Great War. Tanks at the Gates of Gondolin Great article by @johngarthwriter.bsky.social & brilliant illustration by #RogerGarland johngarth.wordpress.com/2016/12/09/t... If you've not read Tolkien & The Great War then you should @timbolton.bsky.social #TolkienTrewsday #TolkienTuesday #Tolkien
November 11, 2025 at 7:34 AM
The Great War. Tanks at the Gates of Gondolin Great article by @johngarthwriter.bsky.social & brilliant illustration by #RogerGarland johngarth.wordpress.com/2016/12/09/t... If you've not read Tolkien & The Great War then you should @timbolton.bsky.social #TolkienTrewsday #TolkienTuesday #Tolkien
On a fine summer day in a former age, Robert Quilter Gilson of the #TCBS made a watercolour of a Norfolk beach scene. I find it one of the most affecting of the pictures preserved in the little sketchbooks of this friend of #Tolkien. More: tinyurl.com/robgilson1914
#Remembrance
#Remembrance
For remembrance: Robert Quilter Gilson on the eve of war, 1914
On a summer day in a former age, Robert Quilter Gilson of the T.C.B.S. painted a beach scene. I find it one of the most affecting pictures by this friend of Tolkien's.
tinyurl.com
November 9, 2025 at 4:28 PM
On a fine summer day in a former age, Robert Quilter Gilson of the #TCBS made a watercolour of a Norfolk beach scene. I find it one of the most affecting of the pictures preserved in the little sketchbooks of this friend of #Tolkien. More: tinyurl.com/robgilson1914
#Remembrance
#Remembrance
Whenever I look in detail at the day-to-day events of the Second World War, so full of sorrow and horror, I'm always struck by the births of people who will go on to make the world a better place.
#remembrancesunday
#remembranceday
#remembrance
#remembrancesunday
#remembranceday
#remembrance
November 9, 2025 at 9:31 AM
Whenever I look in detail at the day-to-day events of the Second World War, so full of sorrow and horror, I'm always struck by the births of people who will go on to make the world a better place.
#remembrancesunday
#remembranceday
#remembrance
#remembrancesunday
#remembranceday
#remembrance
Reposted by John Garth
"Problems for [Tolkien's] listeners would be compounded by his tendency to pursue lines of thought like a fox dashing from covert to covert, as he does in all versions of ‘On Fairy-stories’."
- @johngarthwriter.bsky.social in the latest Journal of Inklings Studies. 15.2 (2025) open access.
- @johngarthwriter.bsky.social in the latest Journal of Inklings Studies. 15.2 (2025) open access.
October 28, 2025 at 8:11 PM
"Problems for [Tolkien's] listeners would be compounded by his tendency to pursue lines of thought like a fox dashing from covert to covert, as he does in all versions of ‘On Fairy-stories’."
- @johngarthwriter.bsky.social in the latest Journal of Inklings Studies. 15.2 (2025) open access.
- @johngarthwriter.bsky.social in the latest Journal of Inklings Studies. 15.2 (2025) open access.
So I sat down to read C.S. Lewis’s All My Road Before Me, his 1922–1927 diary. It promises a deep dive into the period when he met Tolkien. But five pages in, I had to put the book down. I had been attacked by a Screwtapian demon of distraction…
tinyurl.com/allmyroad
#cslewis
tinyurl.com/allmyroad
#cslewis
Why I had to stop reading C.S. Lewis’s diary
Lewis's "All My Road Before Me" promises to be a splendid read. But the distracting thrill of a coincidence uncovered means almost all of it still lies before me.
tinyurl.com
October 25, 2025 at 1:11 PM
So I sat down to read C.S. Lewis’s All My Road Before Me, his 1922–1927 diary. It promises a deep dive into the period when he met Tolkien. But five pages in, I had to put the book down. I had been attacked by a Screwtapian demon of distraction…
tinyurl.com/allmyroad
#cslewis
tinyurl.com/allmyroad
#cslewis
I've identified the manuscript #Tolkien used for his landmark 1939 lecture On Fairy-stories – previously thought lost. See my featured article, available online, in the latest issue of the Journal of Inklings Studies! www.euppublishing.com/journal/ink
October 16, 2025 at 7:05 PM
I've identified the manuscript #Tolkien used for his landmark 1939 lecture On Fairy-stories – previously thought lost. See my featured article, available online, in the latest issue of the Journal of Inklings Studies! www.euppublishing.com/journal/ink
To mark the publication of Tolkien's Bovadium Fragments, join me as I explore the background to his satire on the motor-car and Oxford…
#tolkien #oxford #bovadium
tinyurl.com/tolkienmotors
#tolkien #oxford #bovadium
tinyurl.com/tolkienmotors
‘Mounted on the monster’: Tolkien and the motor-car
To mark the publication of The Bovadium Fragments, let’s explore the background to Tolkien’s satire on the motor-car and Oxford…
tinyurl.com
October 11, 2025 at 1:16 PM
To mark the publication of Tolkien's Bovadium Fragments, join me as I explore the background to his satire on the motor-car and Oxford…
#tolkien #oxford #bovadium
tinyurl.com/tolkienmotors
#tolkien #oxford #bovadium
tinyurl.com/tolkienmotors
Reposted by John Garth
Reposted by John Garth
The Worlds of JRR Tolkien
by @johngarthwriter.bsky.social
amzn.to/4nDXBd0
The Letters of JRR Tolkien
amzn.to/3ISIRYy
Pity Power & Tolkien's Ring
by @alas-not-me.bsky.social
amzn.to/3VQex3Q
The Fantasy of JRR Tolkien
amzn.to/435Vnuz
Tolkien & the Great War
by by John Garth
amzn.to/42qOLqr
by @johngarthwriter.bsky.social
amzn.to/4nDXBd0
The Letters of JRR Tolkien
amzn.to/3ISIRYy
Pity Power & Tolkien's Ring
by @alas-not-me.bsky.social
amzn.to/3VQex3Q
The Fantasy of JRR Tolkien
amzn.to/435Vnuz
Tolkien & the Great War
by by John Garth
amzn.to/42qOLqr
October 4, 2025 at 9:27 PM
The Worlds of JRR Tolkien
by @johngarthwriter.bsky.social
amzn.to/4nDXBd0
The Letters of JRR Tolkien
amzn.to/3ISIRYy
Pity Power & Tolkien's Ring
by @alas-not-me.bsky.social
amzn.to/3VQex3Q
The Fantasy of JRR Tolkien
amzn.to/435Vnuz
Tolkien & the Great War
by by John Garth
amzn.to/42qOLqr
by @johngarthwriter.bsky.social
amzn.to/4nDXBd0
The Letters of JRR Tolkien
amzn.to/3ISIRYy
Pity Power & Tolkien's Ring
by @alas-not-me.bsky.social
amzn.to/3VQex3Q
The Fantasy of JRR Tolkien
amzn.to/435Vnuz
Tolkien & the Great War
by by John Garth
amzn.to/42qOLqr
As #Tolkien became professor of Anglo-Saxon in Oxford century ago, the city’s Morris Motors became Britain’s biggest car maker. There's a certain inevitability he would flourish a poison pen on the topic. I review THE BOVADIUM FRAGMENTS in today's Times. www.thetimes.com/culture/book...
Lord of the ring road — JRR Tolkien’s war against the motor car
In the posthumously published satire The Bovadium Fragments, the Hobbit creator inveighs against car culture
www.thetimes.com
October 4, 2025 at 10:05 AM
As #Tolkien became professor of Anglo-Saxon in Oxford century ago, the city’s Morris Motors became Britain’s biggest car maker. There's a certain inevitability he would flourish a poison pen on the topic. I review THE BOVADIUM FRAGMENTS in today's Times. www.thetimes.com/culture/book...
Reposted by John Garth
During the month of October @princetonupress.bsky.social has @johngarthwriter.bsky.social's excellent book "The Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien" available for 70% off! If you don't have it already, this is a great opportunity.
October 3, 2025 at 5:14 PM
During the month of October @princetonupress.bsky.social has @johngarthwriter.bsky.social's excellent book "The Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien" available for 70% off! If you don't have it already, this is a great opportunity.
Did you know J.R.R. Tolkien was an air raid warden in the Second World War while writing The Lord of the Rings? Now a previously unseen archive image reveals the date he joined. I have thoughts on why…
tinyurl.com/tolkienwarden
#Tolkien #WW2 #Oxford #LotR
tinyurl.com/tolkienwarden
#Tolkien #WW2 #Oxford #LotR
The day Tolkien became a WW2 air raid warden
The day Tolkien enrolled as a Second World War air-raid warden has been revealed in a previously unseen image from Oxford’s city archives…
tinyurl.com
September 28, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Did you know J.R.R. Tolkien was an air raid warden in the Second World War while writing The Lord of the Rings? Now a previously unseen archive image reveals the date he joined. I have thoughts on why…
tinyurl.com/tolkienwarden
#Tolkien #WW2 #Oxford #LotR
tinyurl.com/tolkienwarden
#Tolkien #WW2 #Oxford #LotR
Happy Hobbit Day everyone! On this day in 1937, J.R.R. Tolkien gave us The Hobbit, our doorway into Middle-earth. Inside he hid a gift to his favourite aunt. My latest blog post will put you in the picture! tinyurl.com/hobbitongrange
#Tolkien #HobbitDay #Hobbit
#Tolkien #HobbitDay #Hobbit
September 22, 2025 at 10:33 AM
Happy Hobbit Day everyone! On this day in 1937, J.R.R. Tolkien gave us The Hobbit, our doorway into Middle-earth. Inside he hid a gift to his favourite aunt. My latest blog post will put you in the picture! tinyurl.com/hobbitongrange
#Tolkien #HobbitDay #Hobbit
#Tolkien #HobbitDay #Hobbit
Tolkien hid all kinds of personal jokes and messages in his stories and – it turns out – in his pictures. Here's a newly discovered one in his famous image of Hobbiton. tinyurl.com/hobbitongrange
#Tolkien #Hobbit #Hobbiton #inspiration #Nottinghamshire
#Tolkien #Hobbit #Hobbiton #inspiration #Nottinghamshire
Tolkien’s hidden gift to his favourite aunt
Tolkien hid all kinds of personal jokes and messages in his stories and – it turns out – in his pictures. Here's a newly discovered one in his famous image of Hobbiton.
tinyurl.com
September 12, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Tolkien hid all kinds of personal jokes and messages in his stories and – it turns out – in his pictures. Here's a newly discovered one in his famous image of Hobbiton. tinyurl.com/hobbitongrange
#Tolkien #Hobbit #Hobbiton #inspiration #Nottinghamshire
#Tolkien #Hobbit #Hobbiton #inspiration #Nottinghamshire
Reposted by John Garth
At his talk in Cork, @johngarthwriter.bsky.social talked about the influence of the Tuatha de Danann on the elves. This whole sequence reminds me a bit of another part of Irish mythology, the Colloquy of the Ancients.
September 7, 2025 at 8:22 AM
At his talk in Cork, @johngarthwriter.bsky.social talked about the influence of the Tuatha de Danann on the elves. This whole sequence reminds me a bit of another part of Irish mythology, the Colloquy of the Ancients.
What do you think the #Beatles might have sung if they'd made their #LotR movie? I'll start…
Carry That Weight
Shelob’s You
Elanor Gamgee
I Am The Man Who Wrote The Oxford English Dictionary Etymology For The Word “Walrus”
[Gary B and Gary D 🥲 also contributed. No AI was used in this image.]
Carry That Weight
Shelob’s You
Elanor Gamgee
I Am The Man Who Wrote The Oxford English Dictionary Etymology For The Word “Walrus”
[Gary B and Gary D 🥲 also contributed. No AI was used in this image.]
September 4, 2025 at 8:46 PM
What do you think the #Beatles might have sung if they'd made their #LotR movie? I'll start…
Carry That Weight
Shelob’s You
Elanor Gamgee
I Am The Man Who Wrote The Oxford English Dictionary Etymology For The Word “Walrus”
[No AI was used in this image. Gary B and Gary D 😢 contributed.]
Carry That Weight
Shelob’s You
Elanor Gamgee
I Am The Man Who Wrote The Oxford English Dictionary Etymology For The Word “Walrus”
[No AI was used in this image. Gary B and Gary D 😢 contributed.]
September 4, 2025 at 8:43 PM
My new article with @petermgilliver.bsky.social, in the newly announced Tolkien Studies 21, sheds light on a hazy but crucial period of Tolkien's life – at the end of his WW1 soldiering and the start of his OED work. kalimac.blogspot.com/2025/08/tolk...
#tolkien #oed #ww1 #tolkienstudies
#tolkien #oed #ww1 #tolkienstudies
August 28, 2025 at 11:56 AM
My new article with @petermgilliver.bsky.social, in the newly announced Tolkien Studies 21, sheds light on a hazy but crucial period of Tolkien's life – at the end of his WW1 soldiering and the start of his OED work. kalimac.blogspot.com/2025/08/tolk...
#tolkien #oed #ww1 #tolkienstudies
#tolkien #oed #ww1 #tolkienstudies
The unexpected joys of teaching a Tolkien course in Tolkien's old Oxford college, Merton… My room is in a 16th-century building and the view from the windows might be of some nook of Minas Tirith. Outside in the street someone is talking about Tolkien. It's deep immersion!
July 16, 2025 at 4:09 PM
The unexpected joys of teaching a Tolkien course in Tolkien's old Oxford college, Merton… My room is in a 16th-century building and the view from the windows might be of some nook of Minas Tirith. Outside in the street someone is talking about Tolkien. It's deep immersion!
Long before hobbits, #Elves were at the heart of #Tolkien's mythology. From Lúthien to Legolas, they continue to enchant us. This Tuesday, online or at Brixton's Blues Kitchen, I explore their inspirations, lore and lessons for us all. Plus tips on Elvish! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/tolkiens-e...
July 13, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Long before hobbits, #Elves were at the heart of #Tolkien's mythology. From Lúthien to Legolas, they continue to enchant us. This Tuesday, online or at Brixton's Blues Kitchen, I explore their inspirations, lore and lessons for us all. Plus tips on Elvish! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/tolkiens-e...
Reposted by John Garth
The latest conversation was with leading Tolkien scholar @johngarthwriter.bsky.social - we talked about Tolkien's life, the process of research and the impact of Middle-earth! This was a treat.
youtu.be/SPJu_VyeIw4
youtu.be/SPJu_VyeIw4
How Tolkien Created Middle-earth in a World at War | John Garth
YouTube video by The Wonder of Tolkien
youtu.be
June 3, 2025 at 4:46 PM
The latest conversation was with leading Tolkien scholar @johngarthwriter.bsky.social - we talked about Tolkien's life, the process of research and the impact of Middle-earth! This was a treat.
youtu.be/SPJu_VyeIw4
youtu.be/SPJu_VyeIw4
Reposted by John Garth
The BIG painting is finished! It was visiting Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland that inspired JRR Tolkien to create the concept of middle-earth. I know this because my drawing of the same view was used to illustrate a book about Tolkien by John Garth. #Tolkien
January 11, 2025 at 5:47 PM
The BIG painting is finished! It was visiting Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland that inspired JRR Tolkien to create the concept of middle-earth. I know this because my drawing of the same view was used to illustrate a book about Tolkien by John Garth. #Tolkien