Press
11.07.2012 - For a man who can’t remember the first time he read J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy classic and who freely admits that he “was not, in some ways, a stereotypical “Tolkien-nerd” as a teenager”, Corey Olsen is probably the ideal man to pen a highly detailed, in-depth guide to The Hobbit.
11.06.2012 - When we finally reach the end of Olsen’s journey through The Hobbit we cannot help but feel that we’ve grown alongside Bilbo Baggins from Bag-End. [...] Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit will equip you to become a better Tolkien reader in general, worth its weight in gold the moment you pick up The Lord of the Rings and so continue your long journey in Tolkien’s mythic world.
09.21.2012 – It’s the 75th anniversary of the publication of The Hobbit. Corey Olsen, author of the new book Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, tells us the history of how the story of Bilbo Baggins changed even after the book was published. Plus, see Tolkien’s beautiful illustrations for The Hobbit.
Read the excerpt from Professor Olsen’s book now!
09.21.2012 – As the creator of the “Tolkien Professor” podcasts, Olsen is known for aiming his scholarly insights at a general audience. The same philosophy guides his book as he delves into Tolkien themes such as the nature of evil and its hopelessness, the mystery of divine providence and human choice, and, most of all the transformation in the life of the main character, Bilbo Baggins.
09.15.2012 – New release “Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit” by Corey Olsen takes an in-depth look at Tolkien’s classic novel. In his book, Olsen goes to great lengths to give readers insight into Tolkien’s characters and story development. He has written what many consider to be a companion volume, designed to help a general audience understand and appreciate Tolkien’s novel.
09.01.2012 - A companion text to a well-known and -loved novel like The Hobbit requires a talented and qualified author. Olsen (English, Washington Coll.), who oversees the website tolkienprofessor.com, succeeds spectacularly by providing his readers with a thorough and detailed analysis of this classic….
07.02.2012 - Olsen studies Tolkien’s work chapter by chapter, illuminating details of character and plot that might otherwise escape the reader; the various versions of the work in question and the reasons why Tolkien altered his work are likewise examined. A work of love backed up by professional experience….
06.26.2012 – Olsen [...] reveals his affection for—obsession with?—Tolkien’s texts in numerous ways. He directly praises passages as “brilliantly executed” and “masterful,” but merely by giving this young people’s book the full attention of his scholarly skills, he imparts to it an elevated status….
06.24.2012 – [...] it’s still forthcoming and it won’t do to give away the best bits, but I enjoyed it quite a lot and will probably be using it for reference for a long time to come. Corey both scrutinizes specific scenes and follows the appearance of some major themes that recur throughout the book….
Community