J.R.R. Tolkien: The Father of Modern Fantasy
Pocket Portraits series
Hardcover | Kindle Edition | Audiobook
By Don Marshall; illustrated by Kim Arrington
Publisher: Adams Media
Release Date: November 25, 2025

While grading exam papers one day in 1930, J.R.R. Tolkien jotted down what would became one of the most famous literary opening lines of all time: “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” Inspired by Norse mythology and fairy stories, the then-professor spun a tale from that single line that became his first published work, 1937’s The Hobbit, which introduced the masses to his fantasy world of Middle-earth.

In J.R.R. Tolkien: The Father of Modern Fantasy, one of three Pocket Portraits mini-biographies released this year by Adams Media, author Don Marshall explores what motivated the most influential fantasy writer of modern times to craft an entire universe, complete with its own geography, creatures, histories, and invented new languages, such as Elvish.

Another holiday season is almost upon, which means another great reason to buy and gift all things books! And there are some truly beautiful offerings from the publishing world this year, such some new illustrated editions of J.R.R. Tolkien works and Game Of Thrones/House Of The Dragon tomes, as well as Star Wars box sets; tie-ins for Star Trek, Stranger Things, and the Marvel and DC universes; graphic novel collections; hard rock and heavy metal memoirs; book-related gifts; fun, pop-culture-themed cookbooks, and much more!

Check out our Holiday Gift Guide 2022 for Books, eBooks, and Audiobooks for our favorite holiday gift picks for the readers in your life.

Last month we saw an “official trailer” for Tolkien, a J.R.R. Tolkien biopic. But that trailer was much more of a teaser at less than a minute long. Now Fox Searchlight has released a proper official trailer, which runs over two minutes long.

The movie stars Nicholas Hoult as the The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings author, and he’s joined on the cast by Lily Collins, Colm Meaney, Anthony Boyle, Patrick Gibson, Tom Glynn-Carney, Craig Roberts, Laura Donnelly, Genevieve O’Reilly, Pam Ferris, and Derek Jacobi.

Continue below for a synopsis for Tolkien, and to check out the new trailer for the movie.

Fox Searchlight has released an official trailer for Tolkien, a movie about The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien and some of the events in his life which helped inspire his works.

While dubbed an “official trailer,” this one is definitely closer to a teaser trailer or even a TV spot at well under a minute in length. But with Shazam! releasing a teaser trailer that was almost three minutes long, I honestly have no idea what the hell is going on anymore and I just try to enjoy whatever is shared with us.

You can find more on Tolkien including a brief synopsis, and check out the trailer below.