How well known was Tolkien in scholarly circles before publishing The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings? How do academics view his contributions to philology and Anglo Saxon studies today? Does his fame rest solely on his literary achievements or would he be a noteworthy scholar even if he'd never written any fantasy literature? Thanks in advance! :)
While there's always more that can be said, you might enjoy reading these earlier answers from the awesome /u/sunagainstgold!