John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973), Anglo-Saxon scholar and writer

Sitter in 5 portraits
Graduated in Classics and English at Oxford before the First World War, J.R.R Tolkien served at the Battle of the Somme and was invalided home with trench fever. He taught at Leeds University and was elected Professor of Anglo-Saxon (1925) and English Language and Literature (1945) at Oxford. Best known for his international bestsellers The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954-5) he also wrote scholarly publications including a study on Chaucer (1934) and an edition of Beowulf (1937). His later works include The Silmarillion (1977) presenting the mythological beginnings of Middle Earth and the posthumous Unfinished Tales (1980) edited and completed by his son Christopher.