Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics J. R. R. Tolkien OUP 1971 Reprint

Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics J. R. R. Tolkien OUP 1971 Reprint

Author: J. R. R. Tolkien
Title: Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Year: 1971 (lithographic reprint)
Format: Softcover pamphlet, original grey card wrappers
Pages: 53
Printed at: The University Press, Oxford (Vivian Ridler, Printer to the University)

Description

Offered here is an original Oxford University Press lithographic reprint (1971) of J. R. R. Tolkien’s seminal lecture Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics, first delivered in 1936 as the Sir Israel Gollancz Memorial Lecture to the British Academy.

This edition was reprinted from the sheets of the first edition, as stated, and retains the original academic pamphlet format. It is not a later essay collection but the standalone publication as issued by OUP.

The booklet is complete, clean, and well-preserved, with original grey wrappers intact.

Condition

• Clean grey card wrappers

• Internally clean: no writing, highlighting, or library markings

• Staples sound, pages tight

• One small flaw only: a tiny closed tear at the very bottom of the spine

• Overall a strong, attractive copy for its age and format

Edition Notes

• OUP lithographic reprint listing reprints of 1958, 1960, 1963, and 1971

• Priced “30p net” on the wrapper (confirming the 1971 issue)

• Printed from first-edition sheets, as issued

About J. R. R. Tolkien

J. R. R. Tolkien (1892–1973) was Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford and one of the most influential literary scholars of the 20th century. While best known as the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien was first and foremost a medievalist.

Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics is widely regarded as one of the most important works of literary criticism ever written on Beowulf. In it, Tolkien transformed the academic understanding of the poem by arguing that its monsters are central to its artistic and thematic meaning, rather than marginal folklore elements. This essay reshaped Beowulf studies and remains essential reading for scholars and students alike.

Why This Copy Matters

• Standalone Tolkien scholarly publication

• Original OUP academic issue, not a modern reprint

• Increasingly scarce in clean condition

• Sought after by Tolkien collectors and medieval literature scholars