complete. The book blossomed into morethan a sequel, being not a book for children, but a great saga for adults, The Lord of theRings. At the time of its first publication the book received mixed reviews. It was notuntil the late 60's and early 70's that Tolkien's popularity increased dramatically with theofficial release of the "Lord of the Rings" in the United States. During this time, there wasan international emergence of "Tolkien cults," which unfortunately delayed Tolkien's entryinto the canon of twentieth-century writers. Tolkien retired shortly after the publication ofthis work, and left Oxford for the coastal resort of Bournemouth, but when his wife,Edith, died he returned to Oxford to be with the rest of his family. He himself died twoyears later on the 2nd of September 1973, at the age of eighty-one. He was buriedalongside his wife in an Oxford cemetery, under their real names and the names of twolovers he had created, Beren and Luthien. Although Tolkien's vision was mainly channeled into his writings, he also drewmany pictures and sketches, both in ink and water colors, and produced many wonderfullydetailed maps of Middle-earth. The pictures appear as covers to some editions of hisworks, and have been gathered into a book of their own. Tolkien used a great deal ofsymbolism in his books, most noticeable is the race of small manlike creatures know asHobbits, which he uses to symbolize the people of England. Tolkien perceived his fellowEnglishmen (and Hobbits) as a simple, comfort-loving people that were surprisingly strongand resilient in times of trouble. In many of his books, Hobbits played key roles as anunlikely hero who ends up making a big difference in the world. Many people also believethat many of the events in "The Lord of the Rings," symbolize people and places in WorldWars I and II, but Tolkien denies ever intentional doing so. When approached with similarquestions about Middle-earth, Tolkien does not ...
