Smith of Wootton Major and Farmer Giles of Ham

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892, in Bloemfontein, South Africa. After serving in the First World War, he embarked upon a distinguished academic career and was recognized as one of the finest philologists in the world. He was a professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford, a fellow of Pembroke College, and a fellow of Merton College until his retirement in 1959. He is, however, beloved throughout the world as the creator of Middle-earth and author of such classic works as The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. He died on September 2, 1973, at the age of 81.Tolkien, J. R. R. is the author of 'Smith of Wootton Major and Farmer Giles of Ham', published 1986 under ISBN 9780345336064 and ISBN 0345336062.