Tolkien in Pawneeland: The Secret Sources of Middle-earth

This second edition of Tolkien in Pawneeland (July 2016) features new essays on JRR Tolkien's use of the real-world traditions of race, including a detailed analysis of the transformation of his fairytale goblins into racialized "Mongol-type" orcs. The first edition of Tolkien in Pawneeland (December 2013) shared groundbreaking new insights on North American mythology and Middle-earth. Comparison of shared textual elements shows that Tolkien made use of a 1904 book called Traditions of the Skidi Pawnee to colorize The Book of Lost Tales, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings. This new edition of Tolkien in Pawneeland adds more detail to those insights. It greatly expands the scope of inquiry, delving into Tolkien's hobbit origin story and his knowledge of British folklore. This book illuminates JRR Tolkien's creative strategy of harvesting details from diverse mythological and folkloric traditions, reconfiguring them into his own epic tales of Middle-earth. Read more