J. R. R. Tolkien in his lifetime, and was sometimes harshly disapproving. In 1946, he rejected suggestions for illustrations by Horus Engels for the German edition of "The Hobbit" as "too Disnified ... Bilbo with a dribbling nose, and Gandalf as a figure of vulgar fun rather than the Odinic wanderer that I think of". Tolkien was sceptical of the emerging Tolkien fandom in the United States, and in 1954 he returned proposals for the dust jackets of the American edition of "The Lord of the Rings": He had dismissed dramatic representations of fantasy in his essay "On Fairy-Stories", first presented in 1939: Tolkien
Reception of J. R. R. Tolkien 1960. Articles on "The Lord of the Rings" had appeared regularly since 1962 in the science fiction fanzine "Niekas", edited by Ed Meskys. Widespread organized Tolkien fandom only took off with the publication of the second hardcover edition and the paperbacks in the 1960s. The Tolkien Society (UK) was founded in the United Kingdom in 1969, and remains active as a registered charity. The society has two regular publications, a bi-monthly bulletin of news and information, "Amon Hen", and an annual journal, "Mallorn", featuring critical articles and essays on Tolkien's work. They host several annual events, including a conference held