约翰·罗纳德·鲁埃尔·托尔金（1892—1973）　牛津大学教授，古英语专家。童年家境窘迫，12岁时成了孤儿。1911年到牛津大学的埃克塞学院学习古英语、日耳曼语系、威尔士语与哥特语，显示出令人瞩目的语言学天才。一次大战中赴法参战，后因病回国。曾在里兹大学、牛津大学任教，1959年退休。托尔金的著作不多，1937年出版《霍比特人》，立即获得成功；其后又耗时16年成就了魔幻小说巨著《魔戒》，获得极大的成功，崇拜者趋之若鹜，影响大大超出了作者和出版者的预想。1973年9月托尔金去世，与妻子合葬在牛津北郊的一个公墓里。

The first complete book by J.R.R. Tolkien in three decades -- since the publication of The Silmarillion in 1977 -- The Children of Hurin reunites fans of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings with Elves and Men, dragons and Dwarves, Eagles and Orcs. Presented for the first time as a complete, standalone story, this stirring narrative will appeal to casual fans and expert readers alike, returning them to the rich landscape and characters unique to Tolkien. The Children of Hurin, begun in 1918, was one of three 'Great Tales' J.R.R. Tolkien worked on throughout his life, though he never realized his ambition to see it published. Though familiar to many fans from extracts and references within other Tolkien books, it has long been assumed that the story would forever remain an unfinished tale. Now reconstructed by Christopher Tolkien, painstakingly editing together the complete work from his father's many drafts, this book is the culmination of a tireless thirty-year endeavor by him to bring J.R.R.Tolkien's vast body of unpublished work to a wide audience. Having drawn the distinctive maps for the original The Lord of the Rings more than 50 years ago, Christopher has also created a detailed new map for this book. In addition, it will include a jacket and color paintings by Alan Lee, illustrator of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Centenary Edition and Academy Award-winning designer of the film trilogy.