J. R. R. Tolkien's Sanctifying Myth: Understanding Middle-earth, by Bradley J. Birzer, Wilmington, Del.: ISI Books, 2002. xxvi + 219 pp. MUCH HAS BEEN WRITTEN of J.R.R. Tolkien's accomplishment during the past half century, with critics struggling to understand the powerful grip exercised by the English fantasist's writings upon readers. Some Tolkien-focused criticism has been enlightening, much has been repetitive, and a small but far-reaching portion has been outright silly, with commentators projecting their own fears and insecurities into Tolkien's works and his readers.