A chronology of J.R.R. Tolkien's life.
1892: John Reuel Tolkien born 3rd January of Brittish parents in Bloemfontein, South Africa. Brother, Hilary born 1894.
1895: Mother (Mabel Tolkien) takes children back to Birmingham, England. Father (Arthur Tolkien) dies in South Africa.
1900: Ronald begins to attend King Edward's Grammar school.
1904: Mother dies of diabetes, aged 34.
1908: Orphaned boys move to Aunt's home in Birmingham.
1913: Ronald begins first term at Oxford.
1914: Ronald is betrothed to child hood sweetheart Edith Bratt. Great War declared. Returns to Oxford to complete his degree.
1915: Awarded First Class Honours degree in English language and Literature. - Commissioned in Lancashire Fusiiers.
1916: Married Edith Bratt. Goes to war in France. Sees action on the Somme as second lieutenant. Returns to England suffering from shell shock.
1917: While convalescing begins writing "The Simarillion". Birth of first son, John.
1918: Promoted to full lieutenant, posted to Staffordshire. War ends. Returns with family to Oxford, joins staff of New English Dictionary.
1919: Works as a freelance tutor in Oxford
1920: Appointed Reader in English Language at Leeds University. Birth of second son, Michael.
1924: Becomes professor of English Language at Leeds. Third son, Christopher, is born.
1925: Tolkien and E.V. Gordon publish "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight". Tolkien elected Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford.
1926: Friendship with C.S. Lewis begins
1929: Fourth child, Priscilla, is born.
1936: Tolkien completes "The Hobbit". Delivers his lecture "Beowulf": "The Monsters and the Critics".
1937: "The Hobbit" is published. Tolkien begins to write a sequel, which eventually becomes "The Lord of the Rings".
1939: Tolkien delivers his lecture on "Fairy stories". Works on "The Lord of the Rings" fitfully throughout the war years.
1945: War ends. Tolkien elected Merton professor of English Language and Literature at Oxford.
1947: Draft of "The Lord of the Rings" sent to publishers.
1948: "The Lord of the Rings" is completed.
1949: Publication of "Farmer Giles of Ham".
1954: Publication of "The Lord of the Rings", volumes One and Two.
1955: Publication of "The Lord of the Rings", volume Three.
1959: Tolkien retires his professor ship.
1962: Publication of "The adventures of Tom Bombadil".
1964: Publication of "Tree and Leaf".
1965: American paper back editions of "The Lord of the Rings" are published and campus cult of the novel begins.
1967: Publication of "Smith of Wooton Major", and "The Road goes ever on".
1968: The Tolkiens move to Poole near Bournemouth.
1971: Edith Tolkien dies, aged 82.
1972: Tolkien returns to Oxford. Receives CBE from the Queen.
1973: 2nd September, J.R.R. Tolkien dies aged 81.
The following is a complete listing of J.R.R. Tolkiens works.
Principal works:
Title: The Hobbit | Published: 1937 | ISBN: 0-395-28265-9
Title: The Annotated Hobbit | Published: 1988 | ISBN: 0-395-47690-9
Title: The Lord of the Rings | Published: 1954-55 | ISBN: n.a.
Title: The Fellowship of the Ring | Published: 1987 | ISBN: 0-395-27223-8
Title: The Two Towers | Published: 1987 | ISBN: 0-395-27222-X
Title: The Return of the King | Published: 1987 | ISBN: 0-345-33973-8
Title: Lord of the Rings, Centennary edition | Published: 1991 | ISBN: 0-395-60423-0
Middle earth related:
Title: The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien | Published: 1981 | ISBN: 0-395-31555-7
Title: The Road Goes Ever On | Published: 1967, 1978 | ISBN: 0-04-784011-0
Title: A Tolkien Compass | Published: 1980 | ISBN: 0-345-28855-6
Title: The Silmarillion | Published: 1983 | ISBN: 0-395-34646-0
Title: Unfinished Tales | Published: 1980 | ISBN: 0-345-35711-6
Histories of middle earth:
Title: The Book of Lost Tales | Published: 1984 | ISBN: 0-395-35439-0
Title: The Book of Lost Tales, Part Two | Published: 1984 | ISBN: 0-395-36614-3
Title: The Lays of Beleriand | Published: 1985 | ISBN: 0-395-39429-5
Title: The Shaping of Middle-earth | Published: 1986 | ISBN: 0-395-42501-8
Title: The Lost Road and Other Writings | Published: 1987 | ISBN: 0-395-45519-7
Title: The Return of the Shadow | Published: 1988 | ISBN: 0-395-49863-5
Title: The Treason of Isengard | Published: 1989 | ISBN: 0-395-51562-9
Title: The War of the Ring | Published: 1990 | ISBN: 0-395-56008-X
Title: Sauron Defeated | Published: 1992 | ISBN: n.a.
Children's stories:
Title: Bilbo's Last Song | Published: 1992 | ISBN: 0-679-82710-2
Title: The Father Christmas Letters | Published: 1977, 1991 | ISBN: 0-395-59698-X
Title: Mr. Bliss | Published: 1983 | 0-04-823215-7 | ISBN: 0-395-32936-1
Title: Oliphaunt | Published: 1989 |ISBN: 0-8092-4353-9
Short stories:
Title: Farmer Giles of Ham | Published: 1950, 1978 | ISBN: 0-395-57645-8
Title: The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm's Son | Published: 1953 | ISBN: n.a.
Title: Tree and Leaf | Published: 1965, 1989 | ISBN: 0-395-50232-2
Title: The Tolkien Reader | Published: 1966 | ISBN: 0-345-29881-0
Title: Smith of Wooton Major | Published: 1967 | ISBN: 0-395-57646-6
Title: Smith of Wooton Major and Farmer Giles of Ham | Published: 1969 | ISBN: 0-345-33606-2
Title: Poems and Stories | Published: 1980 | ISBN: 0-04-823174-6
Poems:
Title: The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Verses From the Red Book | Published: 1963 | ISBN: 0-395-57647-4
Go Back to Beginning of Tolkien
References
Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien. Ed. Humphrey Carpenter with the assistance of Christopher Tolkien.
George Allen and Unwin, London, 1981.
The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays. Christopher Tolkien.
George Allen and Unwin, London, 1983.
The Tolkien Society
