Tolkien spent much of his life studying, translating and teaching the great epic stories of northern Europe, filled with heroes, dragons, trolls, dwarves and magic. He was hugely influential for his advocacy of Beowulf as a great work of literature and, even if he had never written The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

Andy Orchard (Translator)
Andy Orchard is an academic focusing on Old English, Norse, and Celtic literature. He is Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford, the same position once held by J.R.R. Tolkien. He lives in Oxford with his wife and children.