J. R. R. Tolkien ─ The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings

J. R. R. Tolkien is arguably the most influential and popular of all fantasy writers. Although his position and status have long been controversial, his popularity has not faded. His best-loved works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, have sold millions of copies around the world and continue to enthral readers young and old.

This lively collection of original essays examines The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings in the light of children's literature theory and approaches, as well as from adult and fantasy literature perspectives. Exploring issues such as gender, language, worldbuilding, and ecocriticism, the volume also places Tolkien's works in the context of a range of visual media, including Peter Jackson's film adaptations.

Peter Hunt is Professor Emeritus at Cardiff University, UK, where he was the first specialist in Children's Literature to be appointed full Professor of English in a British university. He has written or edited 26 books and over 150 articles on children's literature. In 1995 the International Society for the Fantastic in the Arts presented him with their Distinguished Scholarship Award, and in 2003 he was awarded the Brothers Grimm Award for services to children's literature, from the International Institute for Children's Literature, Osaka, Japan.