“Hobbits are an unobtrusive but very ancient people, more numerous formerly than they are today; for they love peace and quiet and good tilled earth: a well-ordered and well-farmed countryside was their favourite haunt. They do not and did not understand or like machines more complicated than a forge-bellows, a water-mill, or a hand-loom, though they were skillful with tools. Even in ancient days they were, as a rule, shy of 'the Big Folk', as they call us, and now they avoid us with dismay and are becoming hard to find.”
In the 67 years since its initial publication, over 150 million copies of The Lord of the Rings have been sold, and it’s been translated into over 38 different languages. The films together grossed over three billion dollars, and that’s not counting the physical releases and merchandise or the subsequent Hobbit films.
Often considered one of the most impactful works of the 20th century in general, The Lord of the Rings is also responsible for inspiring a huge portion of the books, films, art, and games we know and love today. And, strangely, it wouldn't be the cultural standby it is without the help of the Hippies.
I was raised in a family that loves fantasy literature, and Tolkien in particular. This topic popped into my head last week as I admired the rolling green of the California springtime, and I was thrilled to learn that my grandmother had copies of correspondence between my grandfather and JRR Tolkien himself. Thanks gramma!
So welcome back to a very special episode of Scholar Minor. Thanks as always for listening, and I hope you enjoy.
The man behind Middle Earth was John Ronald Reuel, or J.R.R., Tolkien. Born in South Africa in 1892 and raised in Hampshire, England, Tolkien was gifted with words and languages from a very early age. Throughout his life he was a practicing Catholic, he served at the Somme in the First World War, and as an adult taught English language and literature at the Leeds and Oxford Universities, specializing in Old and Middle English.
Tolkien was passionate about mythology and languages, and the universe of The Lord of the Rings was born to house the mythology and languages of his own creation. Tolkien's early world-building would later be collected and released posthumously as The Silmarillion. Inspired by epics like Beowulf, Tolkien's tales were grand and often dark, and around 1930 he began to create stories within his universe that were lighter in tone to entertain his children.
Tolkien’s first book, The Hobbit, was inspired by these tales and published by George Allen & Unwin Limited in 1937, complete with illustrations by the author. It was widely successful and received excellent reviews, selling out its first printing rapidly. Publisher Houghton Mifflin prepared an edition for release in the United States, and Allan & Unwin published another edition with color illustrations.
And then, in 1939, the German invasion of Poland marked the beginning of the Second World War. As the war raged on in the following years, resources were carefully rationed - including paper. This paper shortage meant that even though The Hobbit was a critical success, there wasn’t enough paper available to keep up with demand. Though the war had made unavailability an issue for The Hobbit, Allan & Unwin wanted Tolkien to write a sequel. And Tolkien had a lot more material.
For the next seventeen years Tolkien wrote, and the final result was the massive epic The Lord of the Rings. When it was finally ready, the publishers were incredibly nervous due to its length - and requested it be split into three parts to be published separately, to minimize risk in case it was unsuccessful. The first volume, The Fellowship of the Ring, was released in 1954. Again, Tolkien’s work was well received. Over the next 15 months the remaining volumes, The Two Towers and The Return of the King, were published with similar success.
And then, in 1965, Ballantine Books printed a paperback.
Within only a year after its release through Ballantine, The Lord of the Rings reached the top of the New York Times Paperback Best Seller List. Ballantine had decided to package all three volumes together in a box set in time for Christmas, priced at $2.85. Adjusted for inflation, that still isn’t a lot - about $25.00. It sold out ridiculously fast.
Science fiction and fantasy had enjoyed modest popularity throughout the first decades of the 20th century. Publications known as "pulp" magazines had begun to circulate as early as 1896, named for the low-quality paper on which they were printed. They were the ancestors of the paperback book.
These magazines were printed on paper made directly from wood pulp, which had a tendency to become brittle and distinctly yellowed over time. The poor paper quality, however, made it possible to print and sell copies very cheaply - sometimes for as little as 5 or 10 cents. It was also difficult to print photographs on pulp paper - leading to an explosion of incredible illustration.
Initially, pulp magazines were generally home to novels or "boys' magazines". Over time however, other types of fiction found their home in pulp printing - including fantasy and science fiction. Pulp magazine Weird Tales published the work of authors like H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, and Clark Ashton Smith. Writers like Edgar Rice Burroughs - creator of Tarzan of the Apes - Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and Ray Bradbury were also published frequently in pulp.
Interest in fantasy and imagined worlds was out there, and when pulp fiction made the jump from anthology formats to paperback editions of specific works, the popularity of these genres soared. And The Lord of the Rings hit the market at the perfect time.
Paperbacks completely changed the culture of books - fiction was readily available and inexpensive, and now could be enjoyed and carried around in the coat pockets of a larger audience than ever before. The convenience and affordability of paperbacks allowed The Lord of the Rings to find one of its biggest fan bases in history: the Hippies.
The hippie counterculture movement was born in the 1960s on college campuses across the United States. Hippies rejected the status quo, feeling stifled by traditional American life, following in the rebellious footsteps of the Beat generation of the 1950s. Embittered by the country’s involvement in yet another war - the Vietnam War - the Hippie movement quickly gained traction.
Rebellion against materialism, war, Judeo-Christian religion, and the social restrictions of the Middle Class characterized the movement and appealed to artists, musicians, and other creatives. Sexual liberation and the use of hallucinogenic drugs appealed to a generation feeling alienated by the political and industrial machine.
In the midst of this era of intense social upheaval, The Lord of the Rings struck a chord with the counterculture movement. Unintentionally, Tolkien’s work thematically ticked off almost every box for the Hippies - and soon, posters of Tolkien’s map of Middle Earth and graffiti reading “Frodo Lives!” and “Gandalf for president!” were ubiquitous in dorm rooms and VW Buses across the country.
Among those Americans who purchased the Ballantine edition of The Lord of the Rings was my grandfather, who was (by my calculations) in his early 30s at the time. In the process of obtaining his Ph.D. in Chinese and Latin American History at the University of Washington, he and my grandmother had recently welcomed their eldest child, my mother.
My grandfather was an academic with a fondness for literature, probably a fairly typical example of the audience that the early editions of The Lord of the Rings drew. He adored Tolkien’s work, and exchanged several letters with him in the 1960s. And the topic of one of those conversations, and a subsequent article my grandfather co-authored, was: Why had the hippies, in particular - of which there were many in Seattle - become so enamored with Middle Earth?
Now, when it comes to determining why The Lord of the Rings appealed to the Hippies, it’s important to note that there are always exceptions to generalizations. Everyone has their own personal reasons for getting hooked on a book - or a musician, or a film, for that matter. Those that know me personally, for example, know that I am a huge fan of the Witcher series. Something about that universe in particular appeals to me - and I’d be hard pressed to explain exactly why. And if you compared me and my interests and personality to that of another Witcher fan, it’s not only possible but likely that we would be very different.
There is beauty in how specific works of art speak to specific people. That being said, there are noticeable commonalities when analyzing the fandom behind an artistic work. And for the Hippies as a cumulative movement, The Lord of the Rings satisfied almost all of the requirements that were important to the Hippie lifestyle and philosophy - albeit unintentionally.
One of the most obvious aspects of The Lord of the Rings that aligned with Hippie values was the narrative’s fundamental connection to the natural world. As my grandfather and his lifelong friend Charles Flinn observed in their 1968 article, “The Hobbit and the Hippie”: “It is no coincidence that both the hippies and Professor Tolkien feel particularly close to nature. Even those of us the hippies call ‘straight people,’ after reading the passages about the Old Forest and the Ents, come away feeling greater communion with forests in general and trees in particular.”
Central to Hippie culture was a holistic and simplified lifestyle. Vegetarian diets focused on unprocessed foods were popular, as were natural medicinal alternatives and remedies. Some hippies organized cooperative living arrangements where members would share responsibilities, and on some larger communes, farms and crafting businesses were introduced to create a self-reliant community aiming to be more "in touch" with the earth than standard society.
Certainly this love of nature and desire for a life of simple pleasures contributed to the Hippie idolization of the Hobbit folk. As also observed in “The Hobbit and the Hippie”:
“A Secretary of the best known of the hippie papers, The Oracle of San Francisco, has commented to the authors that The Lord of the Rings is ‘the most realistic fiction that has been recently published. The hobbits are very much of a sub-culture in their own time (being that of the Middle Earth period); for they like to keep to themselves, not bothering others. They enjoy living and are a very happy people.” The identification of this hobbit “sub-culture” with the hippie “sub-culture” is clear in numerous hippie statements.”
Turns out that Tolkien did in fact share the Hippie's love of nature and simplicity, and the hobbits were in many ways a reflection of the author. "I am in fact a Hobbit in all but size," he wrote, " I like gardens, trees, unmechanized farmlands, I smoke a pipe and like good, plain food - unrefrigerated - but I detest French cooking, I like - and even dare to wear in these dull days - handmade ornamental waistcoats. I'm fond of mushrooms out of a field, have a very simple sense of humor (which even my most appreciative critics find tiresome). I go to bed late and get up late, when possible."
Additionally, the fantasy elements of The Lord of the Rings allowed for another important coping mechanism for a harried generation - escapism. The mythology of Middle Earth was elaborate and dense, and gave fans a plethora of histories and adventures to dissect and discuss. And enjoying The Lord of the Rings in tandem with mind-altering substances including marijuana, LSD, and hallucinogenic mushrooms became a very popular activity due to the books’ tangible atmosphere and many mystical elements.
When asked about this particular trend of drug use in his Hippie fandom, Tolkien seemed to be pretty unhappy, and perhaps a little overwhelmed, by the whole thing. After my grandfather inquired about this topic, Tolkien responded, “I should, indeed, be happier not to know anything about it at present, but I reflect that one must endeavour to do one’s work in one’s own way and not be deflected. No one who publishes anything can control the effects it may have or the uses it may be put to in others minds.”
The wealth of imagination within The Lord of the Rings also inspired other creators. In the years following the release of The Lord of the Rings, the burgeoning rock and roll and metal scenes were captivated by the mysticism and imagery of Middle Earth, with artists like Rush, Uriah Heep, and Led Zeppelin releasing Tolkien-inspired songs in the 1970s. With the birth of music festivals, including the widely attended and Hippie-approved Woodstock in 1969, an even wider audience of young people were introduced to the epic fantasy of Tolkien’s creation.
In fact, in the 1960s the Beatles tried to get film rights for The Lord of the Rings: with Paul McCartney as Frodo and John Lennon as Gollum. Tolkien, however, was not into that idea and it didn't pan out.
For a long time, Tolkien denied that his time in the war had any influence on his writing. As he aged, however, he began to be more open about the influence that World War I had had on the mythology of Middle Earth. In a 1940 letter to his son, Michael, Tolkien wrote, "I was pitched into it all, just when I was full of stuff to write, and of things to learn, and never picked it all up again."
Tolkien admitted that the grim Dead Marshes - a battlefield covered in murky bogs wherein long deceased soldiers stare up at the hobbits as they pass - was inspired by his harrowing experiences in Northern France. Of Frodo's devoted companion, Sam, Tolkien wrote: "My Sam Gamgee is indeed a reflection of the English soldier, of the privates and batmen I knew in the 1914 war, and recognized as so far superior to myself."
One of the catalysts for the emergence of the Hippie movement was anger at the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War. Many Hippies viewed The Lord of the Rings as a book with an anti-war message, which is a very understandable conclusion to draw, based on Tolkien’s truly unsettling depictions of the bloodshed and sorrow of battle.
Whether The Lord of the Rings is anti-war, or simply reflective of his first-hand experiences with it remains up for debate. Tolkien's close friend and fellow author and veteran, C.S. Lewis, commented that the conflict in The Lord of the Rings "has the very quality of the war my generation knew. It is all here: the endless, unintelligible movement, the sinister quiet of the front . . . the lively, vivid friendships." Tolkien didn’t hold back in his descriptions of the horrors of war, but in the end, victory against evil was only attainable through cooperation and organized defense. Despite being outnumbered and having pre existing disagreements, Middle Earth had to come together in order to succeed.
It’s important to point out that there are professional Tolkien scholars - there is so much to analyze and so much to consider, that some folks have made an entire academic career out of studying The Lord of the Rings, how it came to be, and what it all means.
If you haven’t already, read The Lord of the Rings for yourself, and even if you aren't a hippie, some Led Zeppelin in the background can't hurt.
Many thanks, as always, for listening. Every week I am astonished to see new listeners popping up around the world and it truly gives me the warm fuzzies.
If you haven’t already, you can subscribe to Scholar Minor wherever you find your podcasts, including on YouTube - which will have some real-deal videos in addition to prior episodes in the coming weeks!
In case you missed the announcement on Instagram or in the previous episode, new episodes will now be released on Fridays to work a little better with my work schedule. I encourage you to visit my website, www.ursaminorcreations.com for additional content and updates. As always, references and links are in thr show notes.
Have a beautiful weekend and take care. Until next time.