J.R.R. Tolkien is the author of the massively popular Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit. Everyone knows that. He needs no introduction.

[See also: The Fascinating History of the Ring in the LOTR, Explained]

Though he died several decades ago, it can be fun to see the man behind the books. Here are a few recordings, both video and audio, of the great English author.

Enjoy!

1) On The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit

He has quite the accent, so good luck understanding what he’s saying…

2) BBC special

Part 1:

– At 2:47, he explains how he got the idea for The Hobbit

– At 3:34, he explains how he intentionally set out to write a long narrative for the Lord of the Rings trilogy

– At 5:18, you can see him walking around outside and talking about his writing

– At 7:20, he talks about his inspiration for Ents

– At 12:15, he says that writing is so tied to his smoking habit that he can’t write without smoking

Part 2:

– At 2:24, he talks about his perspective on the U.S.A.

– At 4:03, he talks about the languages he invented for his books

[See also: The Confusing Mythology of Lord of the Rings Explained in One Video]

3) Reads the “One Ring” poem

4) Reads a poem in Elvish

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