All right, who doesn't know who J.R.R. Tolkien is? If you call yourself a fantasy buff and don't know who he is, you should be shot. J.R.R. Tolkien is, basically, the father of modern fantasy. He was a professor of languages at Oxford for a time, during which he toyed with making languages of his own. This is where he came up with the various languages he used in his books, such as Quenya and Sindarin (two elven languages). He also served a brief period of military service during WWI in the Lancashire Fusiliers, but returned after a few months with shellshock. Mostly, though, he is known for the many books he has written.
Books by Tolkien:
The Hobbit
The Silmarillion
Unfinished Tales
The Book of Lost Tales Part I
The Book of Lost Tales Part II
The Tolkien Reader
Sir Gawain & The Green Knight
Smith of Wootton Major & Farmer Giles of Ham
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
TheFellowship of the Ring
The Two Towers
The Return of the King
It is for this last trilogy that Tolkien is most well known. His Lord of the Rings trilogy was the first popular story of its genre. It opened up a world of new opportunities and fresh ideas for the writers of the time.
And now for some Tolkien links--more in the works, so be patient!
Good all-around basic information site
I can't remember exactly what all this one has on it, but it's cool
Some good fantasy/scifi graphics and other links
The most comprehensive Tolkien site I've ever seen
The Tolkien Archives
