Brandon Sanderson Shares a Look Into Tolkien's Life as a Professor Before He Authored The Lord of the Rings

Brandon Sanderson, known for his work on The Cosmere universe and as a Tolkien expert, shared a fascinating tidbit during his annual Tolkien lecture at Oxford. During a recent conversation on his podcast, Sanderson mentioned discovering an illustration of Helm's Deep on the back of a student paper while grading papers over the summer.

The sketch, which the student had used half of the page for, was a testament to J.R.R. Tolkien's habit of using any available space for notes and sketches during his tenure as a professor at Oxford. Tolkien, who became a professor at Oxford in 1925, is credited with writing The Hobbit and the first two books of the Lord of the Rings trilogy during his time at the college.

The Hobbit, published in 1937, marked the beginning of Tolkien's legendary journey in shaping the fantasy genre. Despite his significant contributions, it's easy to overlook the years of meticulous planning and development that went into crafting Middle-earth. Fans who wish to explore more of Tolkien's works can find illustrated editions of The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion available in both standard and deluxe formats.