“You can trust us to stick to you through thick and thin – to the bitter end. And you can trust us to keep any secret of yours – closer than you yourself keep it. But you cannot trust us to let you face trouble alone, and go off without a word. We are your friends, Frodo. Anyway: there it is. We know most of what Gandalf has told you. We know a good deal about the ring. We are horribly afraid–but we are coming with you; or following you like hounds.”

English writer and academic philologist

J. R. R. Tolkien was an English writer and academic philologist. He is best known for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, two works that helped define modern high fantasy. Tolkien wrote both books in the middle of the 20th century, with The Hobbit appearing in 1937 and The Lord of the Rings published in 1954 and 1955. His work is closely associated with invented worlds, languages, and epic storytelling, and his influence on fantasy literature remains enduring.