The Corner

Geeks Like Me

This morning, I’ve discovered the joys of the new NRODT archive: I’ve looked up every single article in NR’s 50-year history that mentions Tolkien, and I’ve printed out a pile of them, including young Ricky Brookhiser’s review of The Silmarillion in 1977; I’ve read Frank Meyer’s (too short) review of Russell Kirk’s novel The Old House of Fear; and I’ve searched for references to “MENDOOOOZAAAAA!” (strangely, there are none). There do seem to be a few kinks to work out (I’ve struggled to find a couple of articles that definitely exist), but all in all this is a treasure trove of material for conservative geeks like me. It will be a minor miracle if I can pull myself away before lunchtime.

John J. Miller, the national correspondent for National Review and host of its Great Books podcast, is the director of the Dow Journalism Program at Hillsdale College. He is the author of A Gift of Freedom: How the John M. Olin Foundation Changed America.
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