J. R. R. Tolkien

Awards & Honours

Awards Won

Honours

Rankings

Covers

Records

J.R.R. Tolkien's achievements in fantasy literature are unmatched. His epic The Lord of the Rings was voted the UK's best-loved book in the BBC's 2003 Big Read and the greatest book of the century in a 1997 Waterstone's/Channel 4 survey. In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked it the number one fantasy book of all time. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1972 and received honorary doctorates from Oxford, the National University of Ireland, and the University of Liège. His posthumous works, especially The Silmarillion, have won multiple awards and continue to sell millions of copies worldwide.

AwardsTolkien won the International Fantasy Award in 1957 for The Lord of the Rings. His children's book The Hobbit received an Honor Book award from the New York Herald Tribune in 1938. Posthumously, The Silmarillion won the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel in 1978 and the Mythopoeic Award in 1978. In 1974 he was named Grand Master of Fantasy by the Gandalf Awards. The Lord of the Rings was inducted into the Prometheus Hall of Fame in 2009.

Honours & Distinctions

Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)

British Government·1972

Appointed by Queen Elizabeth II for services to literature.

Honorary Doctorate of Letters

University of Oxford·1973

Awarded for his contributions to scholarship and literature.

Honorary Doctorate

National University of Ireland·1954

Recognized for his academic work.

Honorary Doctorate

University of Liège·1954

Honorary degree from the Belgian university.

Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature

Royal Society of Literature·1957

Elected as a Fellow.

Fellow of Pembroke College, Oxford

Pembroke College, Oxford·1925

Elected as a Fellow upon his appointment as Professor.

Fellow of Merton College, Oxford

Merton College, Oxford·1945

Elected as a Fellow upon his appointment as Merton Professor.

Rankings & Lists

100 Best Fantasy Books

Rolling Stone·2023

The Big Read – Nation's Best-loved Book

BBC·2003

Greatest Book of the Century

Waterstone's/Channel 4·1997

#Included

100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005

TIME Magazine·2007

Magazine Covers

TIME Magazine

September 29, 1967

The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings

TIME Magazine

December 8, 2001

The Lord of the Rings: The Movie Event of the Year

Rolling Stone

December 2001

The Return of the Ring

Records & Feats

First author to have both a book and its sequel ranked #1 in national reading surveys decades apart

Literary Achievement·2003

The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings have topped multiple national reading surveys in the UK, including the BBC's Big Read in 2003.

Most translated author of a single fictional universe

Literary Achievement·2024

The works of Middle-earth have been translated into over 80 languages, making Tolkien one of the most translated authors in history.