Tolkien loved Wales, and he drew extensively on both the country and its language in creating his fantasty world.

On the first of April there will be published a book called Tolkien and Wales: Language, Literature and Identity. This book explores how that love influenced Tolkien's ideas about language, many aspects of his creative writing, and his sense of an English identity.

It describes more fully than before the extent and depth of Tolkien's debt to Welsh language and literature, and argues that Tolkien's love of Wales and Welsh is inseparable from his love of, and sense of belonging to, England.

The book gives detailed attention to both JRR Tolkien's fiction and his scholarly writings, including some relatively neglected texts. Wales and Welsh were seminal influences on the writings of the twentieth century's most popular writer and this book reveals the range and depth of these influences.

Since the book is published by a univeristy press it is quit expensive, luckily there will also be printed a paperback - but only 30 days after the hardcover.