Revealed: Tolkien’s 1939 lecture on fairy-stories

I've identified the manuscript Tolkien used for his landmark 1939 lecture On Fairy-stories – a manuscript previously thought lost.

It was a major piece of sleuthing, drawing not only on my expertise in Tolkien (and his handwriting!) but also my experience in newspaper journalism. I think it’s important because now we know the exact form of Tolkien’s definitive statement on fairy-stories in 1939 and in 1943. Between those points, he was writing The Lord of the Rings from Rivendell to Isengard – and reshaping the very idea of what fairy-story can be.

My paper is the featured article in the latest issue of the Journal of Inklings Studies (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) – and it’s available in full online.

This took a great deal of work and would hardly have been possible without the wonderful people who support me via this Steady crowdfunder. You know who you are. Here’s a big thanks to all of you!