Thanks Miriam. On Fairy-stories is not just a lecture – in places it's a visionary prose poem. I hope my discovery will help readers appreciate it even better.

Tolkien and the Great War
by @johngarthwriter.bsky.social
t.co/RwYqQykkry

The Worlds of JRR Tolkien
by @johngarthwriter.bsky.social
amzn.to/4nDXBd0

The Letters of JRR Tolkien
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Pity Power & Tolkien's Ring
by @alas-not-me.bsky.social
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The Fantasy of JRR Tolkien
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Tolkien & the Great War
by by John Garth
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That's amazing! A primary school teacher changed my life by reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to us when I was seven – instantly turning me into an avid reader.

Reread The Hobbit – and maybe you'll want to venture further this time.

That's the first copy I read too, passed on by my big sisters.

At his talk in Cork, @johngarthwriter.bsky.social talked about the influence of the Tuatha de Danann on the elves. This whole sequence reminds me a bit of another part of Irish mythology, the Colloquy of the Ancients.

"Stop! Hey, wait a minute Mr. Publican…"

By my calculations, he was 6,517 at the time of the Council of Elrond. Only 9 years to go before he'd reach the 64-year mark for the 102nd time! But "When I'm 6,528" doesn't quite have that McCartney touch, does it?

Holy smoke!

Elrond's song title is great, but I think he's lost count.