Originally Posted by RevTKS69

I'm not a Tolkien expert, but there are a few details that always get lost in discussions about his work.

1. Tolkien was primarily a linguist; he studied the nature of languages.

2. He created entire languages, including alphabets and grammar, such as the Elvish and Dwarvish languages in particular as well as others. (And yes, there are people who speak the Elvish language...and one even served as a consultant on the movies.)

3. His books were used as a vehicle to showcase his linguistic creations.

4. His works have become the foundation upon which the modern fantasy genre is based. It is very difficult to find a modern work in the genre which is not based, or heavily influenced by Tolkien.

5. The movies, and there are three of them (Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, and Return of the King). Are based on at least four of Tolkien's books, and the books are prodigious and filled with details. The movies do an admirable job of condensing literally years of material into mere hours.