"The prime motive was the desire of a tale-teller to try his hand at a really long story that would hold the attention…"

"Some who have read the book, or at any rate have reviewed it, have found it boring, absurd, or contemptible; and I ha…"

"The most critical reader of all, myself, now finds many defects, minor and major, but being fortunately under no obli…"

"I rarely remember a book about which I have had such violent arguments. Nobody seems to have a moderate opinion: eith…"

"To present the conflict between Good and Evil as a war in which the good side is ultimately victorious is a ticklish …"

"One of Tolkien's most impressive achievements is that he succeeds in convincing the reader that the mistakes which Sa…"

"In the highest and most complimentary sense, this is escapist fiction at its finest, yet at the same time it has prof…"

"In its fundamental conception, as well as in many of the significant details of its working out, Lord of the Rings is…"

"Tolkien's Middle-earth gleams with the light of an ancient hope: peace between peoples, and with nature, and before t…"

"I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to d…"