Again.....in memorium

[Child of the 7th Age]

Another one of the early commentators on Tolkien has passed away. J. E. A. Tyler died on October 28, just eleven days after he received a diagnosis of cancer.

Tyler is the author of the Tolkien Companion published in 1976. That book has gone through multiple revisions and reprintings, the latest in 2002. It is one of the few print guides that lists name from HoMe in addition to Silm, Hobbit, and LotR. Many days, I grab for the volume if there's a name in a post I don't recognize. Tyler also wrote a number of other books including a good one on the Beatles that I own.

In the final edition of his book, Tyler had this to say about JRRT:

Middle-earth has been described as the 'most perfectly conceived and detailed example of literary sub-creation ever accomplished, and few would argue with that assessment, least of all myself. I first read The Lord of the Rings in 1966; and today, nearly forty years later, the sense of wonder and delight is every bit as keen, while my admiration has deepened beyond measure. If I have managed to convey even a little of this in The Complete Tolkien Companion, I shall be satisfied.

A polite thank you to James Edward Anthony Tyler for putting the time in on this book.