↑Tolkien pronounced his surname /ˈtɒlkiːn//ˈtɒlkiːn/, see his phonetic transcription published on the illustration in The Return of the Shadow: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part One. [Edited by] Christopher Tolkien. London: Unwin Hyman, [25 August] 1988. (The History of Middle-earth; 6) ISBN0-04-440162-0. In General American the surname is also pronounced /ˈtoʊlkiːn//ˈtoʊlkiːn/. This pronunciation no doubt arose by analogy with such words as toll and polka, or because General American speakers realise /ɒ/ as [ɑ], while often hearing British /ɒ/ as [ɔ]; thus [ɔ] or General American [oʊ] become the closest possible approximation to the Received Pronunciation for many American speakers. Wells, John. 1990. Longman pronunciation dictionary. Harlow: Longman, ISBN0-582-05383-8
↑"Middle-earth" is derived via Middle English middel-erthe, middel-erd from middangeard, an Anglo-Saxon cognate of Old Norse Miðgarðr, the land inhabited by humans in Norse mythology.
↑The Oxford companion to English Literature calls him "the greatest influence within the fantasy genre. (Sixth edition, 2000, page 352. Ed. Margaret Drabble.)