Tragedy struck again in 1904, when Tolkien's mother was diagnosed with diabetes, which at the time was untreatable. By the end of the year she had died and Ronald and his brother were left orphaned.

The Winter Show at the Park Avenue Armory: Quality Abounds, and Firepower, Too The Bookshelf Slow Horses Moves Fast The year 2023 marked 50 years since the death of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien ...

As far as opening lines go, few are as uniquely memorable as the ten-word opening to a book published in 1937 by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. The Hobbit explains that "In a hole in the ground ...