''Language and Human Nature'' is a joint literature project that was begun, but never completed, between

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univers ...

and

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 ...

. In the 1940s, a news release from Lewis and Tolkien's publisher had announced that the book was to be published in 1950. However, the book was not published, and until 2009, scholars had believed that the draft of the book had never been started. In 2009, Steven A. Beebe, Regents’ Professor and Chair of the Texas State University Department of Communication Studies, discovered the beginning pages of the manuscript in the Oxford University

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...

. Professor Beebe stated: "What is exciting is that the manuscript includes some of Lewis’s best and most precise statements about the nature of language and meaning. Both Lewis and Tolkien wrote separately about language, communication, and meaning, but they published nothing collaboratively."Beebe discovers unpublished C.S. Lewis manuscript
txstate.edu, University News Service, July 8, 2009

References

C. S. Lewis Works by J. R. R. Tolkien {{UK-lit-stub