Editors' Introduction

This is the fourth issue of Tolkien Studies, a refereed journal dedicated to the scholarly study of the works of J. R. R. Tolkien. Tolkien Studies is the first academic journal solely devoted to Tolkien. As editors, our goal is to publish excellent scholarship on Tolkien as well as to gather useful research information, reviews, notes, documents, and bibliographical material.

In this issue we are pleased to re-publish "The Name Nodens," an essay by Tolkien that served as an appendix to Report on the Excavation of the Prehistoric, Roman and Post-Roman Site in Lydney Park, Gloucestershire (1932), by R.E.M. Wheeler and T. V. Wheeler, which comprised No. IX of the Reports of the Research Committee of the Society of Antiquaries of London.

With this exception, and that of the lead article (which was solicited from an expert in the field), all articles have been subject to anonymous, external review. All required a positive judgment from the Editors before being sent to reviewers, and had to receive at least one positive evaluation from an external referee to qualify for publication. In the cases of articles by individuals associated with the journal in any way, each article had to receive at least two positive evaluations from two different outside reviewers. All identifying information was removed from the articles before they were sent to the reviewers, and all reviewer comments were likewise anonymously conveyed to the authors of the articles. The Editors agreed to be bound by the recommendations of the outside referees.