From a childhood inventing new languages in the sylvan landscape of the Severn valley, through a First World War that saw him witness the horrors of the Somme, to academic success founded on a passion for Old English tales, the life of J. R. R. Tolkien is traced. Celebrating the enduring influence of the world's most revered fantasy writer, this book offers a readable, absorbing structure, dividing J. R. R. Tolkien's life and cultural contribution into 60 brief, easily digestible portions. The book looks at the way in which Tolkien's life informed his creation of imaginary worlds so intricately mapped that modern readers, writers, and artists continue to explore them in a quest for their myths, monsters, and meaning.