John D. Rateliff is an author of roleplaying games and an independent scholar. He specializes in the study of the works of

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philology, philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was ...

, particularly his Middle-earth fantasy writings.

Early life and education

John D. Rateliff was raised in Magnolia, Arkansas. He moved to Wisconsin in 1981 to study Tolkien's manuscripts at

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, it was founded by John Henni, John Martin ...

. Rateliff is an expert in Tolkien studies, and he earned a Ph.D in 20th-century British literature from Marquette.

Career

Rateliff has helped organize several major conferences on Tolkien. He contributed essays to '' Tolkien's Legendarium: Essays on The History of Middle-earth'' (2000) and to a volume marking the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's boo ...

'', and edited '' The History of The Hobbit'' (HarperCollins, 2007), an edition of the drafting of Tolkien's '' The Hobbit'' with extensive commentary. Having written his dissertation on

Lord Dunsany Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany (; 24 July 1878 – 25 October 1957, usually Lord Dunsany) was an Anglo-Irish writer and dramatist. Over 90 volumes of fiction, essays, poems and plays appeared in his lifetime.Lanham, M ...

, Rateliff likes to describe his degree as "a Ph.D in fantasy." He worked for the game companies TSR, Wizards of the Coast, and Hasbro for a number of years, contributing to a large number of products in the Dungeons and Dragons line. In addition he worked as a freelancer for several other companies. Rateliff was the co-editor of the third edition ''D&D'' '' Player's Handbook'' and ''

Dungeon Master's Guide The ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' (''DMG'' or ''DM's Guide''; in some printings, the ''Dungeon Masters Guide'' or ''Dungeon Master Guide'') is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons''. The ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' co ...

'' (the original d20 System game rules), and worked on such titles as '' Mark of Amber'', '' Night Below'', '' Return to the Tomb of Horrors'', the Eberron core rulebook, and Decipher's ''

Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game ''The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game'', released by Decipher Inc. in 2002, is a role-playing game set in the Middle-earth of J. R. R. Tolkien's fiction. The game is set in the years between ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Fellowship of the Ring'', ...

''. He is the author of the adventures ''

Standing Stone A menhir (from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large human-made upright rock (geology), stone, typically dating from the European middle Bronze Age. T ...

'' and ''

Return to the Keep on the Borderlands Return to the Keep on the Borderlands is a 1999 adventure module for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. It is a sequel to the original ''The Keep on the Borderlands'' module (B2) from 1979. Both modules were published by TS ...

'', as well as co-editor of and contributor to ''d20 Cthulhu''.

Publications

Children's books

* ''Egypt (Children of the World)'' (with Valerie Weber and Julie Brown; Gareth Stevens Publishing) (1992)

Roleplaying

*''Player's Survival Kit/Book, Adventurer's Log, and Cards'' (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 2nd Edition) ( - March 1995) *''

'' (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons/AD&D)(1999) *'' Reverse Dungeon'' (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons/AD&D) (May 1, 2000) *''

Hero Builder's Guidebook ''Hero Builder's Guidebook'' is an accessory for the 3rd edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. Contents ''Hero Builder's Guidebook'' provides assistance to help develop player characters for 3rd edition ''Dungeons & Dr ...

'' - Dungeons & Dragons (co-author) (2000) *''

The Standing Stone ''The Standing Stone'' is an Adventure (Dungeons & Dragons), adventure module for the Editions of Dungeons & Dragons#Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition, 3rd edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. Plot summary In ''The St ...

: An Adventure for 7th-Level Characters'' (Dungeons & Dragons Adventure) (April 1, 2001) *Co-author Decipher '' The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game'' (2002) *'' EverQuest Player's Handbook'' (2002) *''

Fushigi Yûgi , also known as ''Fushigi Yûgi: The Mysterious Play'' or ''Curious Play'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yuu Watase. It tells the story of two teenaged girls, Miaka and Yui, who are pulled into ''The Universe of th ...

: Ultimate Fan Guide #1'' (September 30, 2002)

Studies of works by the Inklings

* "Early Versions of Farmer Giles of Ham" in ''Leaves from the Tree: J. R. R. Tolkien's Shorter Fiction'',

The Tolkien Society The Tolkien Society is an educational charity and literary society devoted to the study and promotion of the life and works of the author and academic J. R. R. Tolkien. It began informally in 1969, and held its inaugural meeting in 1970. It ho ...

(1991) * "Rhetorical Strategies in Charles William's Prose Play" in ''The Rhetoric of Vision: Essays on Charles Williams'' edited by

Charles A. Huttar Charles A. Huttar is an emeritus professor of English at Hope College, known for his work on the Inklings including J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Owen Barfield, and Charles Williams (British writer), Charles Williams. He has twice won the Mythopoei ...

and Peter J. Schakel (1996) * "'The Lost Road', 'The Dark Tower', and 'The Notion Club Papers': Tolkien and Lewis's Time Travel Triad" in '' Tolkien's Legendarium: Essays on The History of Middle-earth'' edited by Verlyn Flieger and

Carl F. Hostetter Carl Franklin Hostetter is a Tolkien scholar and NASA computer scientist. He has edited and annotated many of J. R. R. Tolkien's linguistic writings, publishing them in ''Vinyar Tengwar'' and ''Parma Eldalamberon''. Career NASA Carl Hostette ...

(2000) * '' The History of The Hobbit'' (2007)

References

External links

Sacnoth's Scriptorium - John D. Rateliff's Official Website
* *
Tolkien Gateway Interview of John D. RateliffAudio interview with John D. Rateliff.
National Review. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rateliff, John D. Dungeons & Dragons game designers Independent scholars Living people Marquette University alumni Tolkien Society members Tolkien studies Year of birth missing (living people)