60-second Marquette on Dr. Bill Fliss and the Tolkien Collection

60-second Marquette is a documentary video series from the Office of University Relations focused on interesting Marquette people and stories, told in 60 seconds or less. The latest video features Dr. Bill Fliss, manuscripts archivist, and the J.R.R. Tolkien Collection, housed within Raynor Library.

The collection of Tolkien, professor of Old and Middle English language and literature at Oxford University, contains the original manuscripts and multiple working drafts for three of the author’s most celebrated books, “The Hobbit” (1937), “Farmer Giles of Ham” (1949), and “The Lord of the Rings” (1954-1955), as well as the original copy of the children’s book “Mr. Bliss” (published in facsimile form in 1982). The collection includes books by and about Tolkien, periodicals produced by Tolkien enthusiasts, audio and video recordings, and a host of published and unpublished materials relating to Tolkien’s life, fantasy writings, and the fandom that sprang up around his legendarium.

If you have an idea for a visually interesting person, research project, or story affiliated with Marquette that could be the subject an upcoming 60-second Marquette video documentary, email Lauren Burke, director of video in the Office of University Relations.