0393: The Lord of the Rings » Prologue » Mathoms

What did we miss in the Foreword and Prologue to The Lord of the Rings?

In Episode 393 of The Tolkien Road, John goes back through some fascinating “mathoms” from Do Not Be Hasty—from Tolkien’s rejected Silmarillion and savage early reviews to allegory, Sarehole Mill, the origins of “Hobbit” and “Dwarves,” the meaning of Middle-earth, and more.

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CHAPTERS

00:00 — Introduction

00:44 — What Is a Mathoms Episode?

01:49 — Tolkien and the “Impression of Depth”

03:29 — Why Publishers Rejected The Silmarillion

04:52 — Could Silmarillion Stories Become Novels?

07:23 — The Worst Early LOTR Reviews

09:23 — “Juvenile Trash”?

11:00 — Tolkien Was Supposedly Already Forgotten