John Garth
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johngarthwriter.bsky.social
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
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
November 9, 2025 at 9:31 AM
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
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
September 22, 2025 at 10:33 AM
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.]
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
August 28, 2025 at 11:56 AM
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
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
Yes, I was just looking at the map then and now. Almost the whole view (looking from bottom left to top right on the map) now must be suburbia.
May 24, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Here's the cover of Tolkien's satire on Oxford and the motor car, THE BOVADIUM FRAGMENTS, out on 9 October. The painting is Tolkien's … but actually it doesn't show Oxford at all. So here's my quiz question for you. Where and when did he paint it?
#tolkien #bovadium #oxford
May 24, 2025 at 12:41 PM
I’m bringing my epic history of #Tolkien's #LotR to Liverpool next week! Book now for a fantastic evening on Wednesday 21 May at Boxpark Liverpool. With Q&A and book signing. Tickets going fast, so get yours at tinyurl.com/lpool-tolkien
@boxpark.bsky.social
May 13, 2025 at 7:15 AM
May 3, 2025 at 4:32 PM
This week: Middle-earth comes to #Ireland. Join me, “an exceptional guide”, “the leading #Tolkien critic of the present generation” for his epic life + #LotR, #Irish visits + fairy inspirations, writings on St Brendan + even Finnegans Wake! #Cork #Dublin #Limerick #Kilkenny Links in reply.
May 3, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Thanks to the great audience for my talk on the Epic History of #LotR at Oxford's Saïd Business School with Seed Talks last night. And thanks to all those who came to chat with me and buy my books. I had a blast and I hope you all did too. Perfect set-up for my Ireland tour next week! #Tolkien
April 29, 2025 at 7:20 PM
My 2024 #Tolkien tour with Seed Talks kicks off on Monday in his own city – Oxford. Come and join me at the University's Saïd Business School with Seed Talks as I unfold the epic history of #LotR. Also coming up: Cork, Dublin, Limerick, Liverpool, Brixton… www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-epic-h...
April 24, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Spotted: cheeky review of Katya Seberson's "Essential Speed Reading Techniques: How to Become a Better, Faster Reader"
April 16, 2025 at 2:54 PM
#Tolkien in 1955 on being asked what made him tick: "I don't tick, I am not a machine. (If I did tick, I should have no views on it, and you had better ask the winder.)"
What would he have said about #AI and creativity in 2025? I have thoughts … steadyhq.com/en/john-gart...
March 30, 2025 at 10:20 PM
Do you know if the English language acquired a rush of new smell words after 1935 @petermgilliver.bsky.social? This was when the Smell Society was formed with that purpose (among others). Founded by #GeorgeBernardShaw, #HGWells and one Ambrose E. Appelbe, who wrote in the Times…
February 18, 2025 at 7:23 PM
I was pretty quiet online in 2024 but extremely busy researching and writing on #Tolkien. Until late September, when disaster struck – literally. Read about my year of Tolkien and tribulation here … and please consider supporting my work. tinyurl.com/2cjsaebk

Happy New Year!
December 31, 2024 at 1:52 PM
Wishing all my friends and followers a rejuvenating Yuletide. (Forochel scene with thanks to the very late Olaus Magnus.)
December 27, 2024 at 10:10 PM
The perils of auto-translate.
December 27, 2024 at 2:27 PM
”… the deep blue sky of evening opened once more, and a few pallid stars appeared, like small white holes in the canopy above the crescent moon.
‘It’s good to be able to see again,’ said Frodo, breathing deep. ‘Do you know, I thought for a bit that I had lost my sight?‘“
November 21, 2024 at 10:33 PM