Congratulations to Corey Olsen, the Tolkien Professor, on his being profiled in the Washington Post yesterday. Prof. Olsen has been in my Recommended Sites section for several months now for his ongoing efforts to bring a scholarly understanding of J.R.R. Tolkien’s works to the masses. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m currently a member of his Silmarillion discussion group and am having a great time learning from him and the other participants.
I highly recommend Prof. Olsen’s free podcast series, which includes a full semester’s worth of lectures on Tolkien he gave to an undergraduate class at Washington College in the spring of 2010. And if you’re looking for a good book on Tolkien to read, try Tom Shippey’s J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century. (I’m assuming, of course, that you have already read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. If not, read them first!)
The Western Tradition 