International Cases: Arbitrations and Incidents Illustrative of International Law As Practis... Book

"...And if after this we may not have any better idea why he wrote his books, then at least we should know a little more about the man who did write them."

"...Certainly Tolkien himself would have agreed with this. It was one of his strongest-held opinions that the investigation of an author’s life reveals very little of the workings of his mind."

A few years ago I read The Inklings: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams and Their Friends by Humphrey Carpenter and I really enjoyed it. It was an informative, but easy and very entertaining read as far as biographies go.

J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography was written in very much the same vein: it was entertaining without being didactic. Also Carpenter never acted like he was unveiling some huge mystery about a most beloved author, he simply delivers all details about his life without trying to make Tolkien out of proportions or belittle him. He shows us both the man, the scholar and the author in a pleasing balance.

Much recommended.