Robert Stuart - Tolkien, Race, and Racism in Middle-Earth

Cover illustration: AF archive / Alamy Stock Photo

Cover image caption: Peter Jacksons envisaging of Tolkiens uruks, black orcs of great strength

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Ive accumulated debts during the decade and more during which Ive researched Tolkien and his times. The quietly supportive work of librarians has been invaluable. Interlibrary loan staff at the University of Western Australias Reid Library have sourced hundreds of obscure publications, always with impressive enterprise and good humour. Librarians at Oxfords Bodleian Library have repeatedly aided me in accessing that awe-inspiring repository. The British Librarys personnel have, as always, been efficient and helpful. And Bill Fliss and his associates at Marquette Universitys Raynor Memorial Library have been wonderfully supportive in guiding me through their superb Tolkien collection, while providing one of the best working-environments of any library Ive encountered. I thank them all.

Over the years, Ive several times immersed myself in the places that Tolkien knew and loved: expeditions that my wife calls our Tolkien tours. Living in Oxford has always been a joy, of course, and many people have made us feel at home there. Visits to Bournemouth and Poole, the Malverns, the Vale of Evesham, Great Haywood, the Dorset coast, Tolkien sites across Birmingham and its suburbs, the countrysides of Oxfordshire, the Cotswolds, and Berkshireall have been enriched by local people who welcomed us, and often enough pointed us towards surprising Tolkien heritage. Im grateful for their kindness.

I owe a particular debt to the History Program of the University of Western Australia, which for more than forty years has provided a stimulating, affectionate, and supportive community that has enriched and empowered my endeavours. And, since my retirement, the Universitys School of Humanities has enabled my research with a Senior Honorary Research Fellowship. This book is very much an institutional as well as an individual achievement. At the same time, friends and colleagues with an interest in Middle-earth, theoretical knowledge of racism, or expertise in Tolkiens milieu have read drafts of all or parts of this book. I would like to acknowledge Richard Bosworth, Chantal Bourgault du Coudray, Giuseppe Finaldi, John Hooper, Andrew Lynch, and Jeremy Martens. Finally, the incisive suggestions offered by my publishers reviewers have supported the final evolution of my enterprise. Generous critique, whether from friend or anonymous reader, has saved me from error, enhanced my understanding, and improved my presentation. Needless to say, faults remaining are entirely my responsibility.

Finally, family has sustained me over the many years during which Ive worked on Tolkien and his legacy. My daughters Nicole and Suzanne have a deep commitment to the Fantasy genre, and have been wonderfully supportive throughout the evolution of this project. Theyve been my Fellowship as Ive adventured in Middle-earth. But, above all, I thank Viv for her patience, humour, and kindness over the years. She has lived tolerantly with my Tolkien fixation for longer than could reasonably have been expected, given her own literary tastes. This book is for the three of them.