Wheaton, Illinois: Tolkien's Desk: An Unexpected Location

In addition to Tolkien's desk, they also have a wardrobe owned by C.S. Lewis that was an inspiration for the Narnia wardrobe. There are fur coats inside, and the lady at the desk told me that if I reached in far enough I would feel the cold.

J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth is filled with unforgettable destinations that look a lot like New Zealand. When you think about the desk where he wrote these adventures, you think of Oxford University in England, where he lived and worked. Tolkien's wife, Edith, purchased the desk in 1927. In 1972 he donated the desk, on which he had authored all of "The Hobbit" and much of "The Lord of the Rings," to the Help the Aged Housing Association. It was sold at auction for 340 pounds.

In 1987 a graduate of Wheaton College spotted the desk at a book fair, informed the owner that the Marion E. Wade Center of Wheaton College might be interested in purchasing it, and soon thereafter the desk made its unexpected journey from England to Illinois.

There are other interesting literary artifacts on display at the Wade Center, such as Tolkien's pen and the wooden wardrobe that probably inspired C.S. Lewis's "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe."

The Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College contains a wealth of information on seven British authors - Owen Barfield, G.K. Chesterton, C.S. Lewis, George MacDonald, Dorothy L. Sayers, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams. Highlights of the Center include the wardrobe that was the inspiration for C.S. Lewis' "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe" and the writing desk used by J.R.R. Tolkien when penning "The Hobbit" and portions of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.