John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was Merton professor of English language and literature for more than a decade and was recognized as an authority on Old and Middle English. He is perhaps best known for the popular novels based on his own mythology: "The Hobbit," and "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. However, Tolkien also published a number of philological and critical studies.
The recordings below were made in 1952. Both excerpts are from "The Fellowship of the Ring," the first book in the trilogy. The first one, "Verse of the Ring" is from Book 1, Chapter 2, "The Shadow of the Past." The second excerpt is Tolkien's rendition of Sam Gamgee's "Rhyme of the Troll" from Book 1, Chapter 12, "Flight to the Ford."
Listen to these extraordinary recordings of Tolkien reading from "The Fellowship of the Ring," courtesy of Harper Audio.
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