約翰·羅納德·魯埃爾·托爾金（1892—1973）　牛津大學教授，古英語專傢。童年傢境窘迫，12歲時成瞭孤兒。1911年到牛津大學的埃剋塞學院學習古英語、日耳曼語係、威爾士語與哥特語，顯示齣令人矚目的語言學天纔。一次大戰中赴法參戰，後因病迴國。曾在裏茲大學、牛津大學任教，1959年退休。托爾金的著作不多，1937年齣版《霍比特人》，立即獲得成功；其後又耗時16年成就瞭魔幻小說巨著《魔戒》，獲得極大的成功，崇拜者趨之若鶩，影響大大超齣瞭作者和齣版者的預想。1973年9月托爾金去世，與妻子閤葬在牛津北郊的一個公墓裏。

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drafts, this book is the culmination of a tireless thirty-year endeavor by him to bring J.R.R.Tolkien's vast body of unpublished work to a wide audience.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.