What was J.R.R. Tolkien’s first published academic work, released in 1922?

J.R.R. Tolkien’s first published academic work, released in 1922, was A Middle English Vocabulary. He prepared it with Kenneth Sisam, a scholar and former colleague from the University of Leeds.

The book was a practical aid for students reading Middle English texts. Its subject reflects Tolkien’s professional background in philology, the historical study of languages and their written records. Middle English was the form of English used roughly from the late eleventh century to the late fifteenth century.

Tolkien’s later scholarship became better known through studies of Old English and medieval literature. His 1936 lecture “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics” became particularly influential, while his essay “On Fairy-Stories” helped shape modern discussions of fantasy and imaginative literature.

A Middle English Vocabulary is sometimes confused with Tolkien’s later books and lectures because bibliographies group his academic writing together. It also predates his best-known fiction. The work is valuable evidence of the linguistic scholarship that underpinned his creative career.