Tom Bombadil seems to be the most ridiculous, parenthetical character in all of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. However, in a way that I imagine Tolkien found rather humorous, in taking a closer look, Tom Bombadil becomes the load-bearing Krusty the Clown poster of the entire story. Without him, the whole tale falls apart.

He was smiling at me like he was trying to be friendly. But not showing teeth. Not with his eyes either. Something about it didn’t look right. It was more like the skin was pulling back from his mouth.

Excerpt from “Burly Bush Man,” my book about my time tree planting in Ontario and B.C.

Montaillou: The Promised Land of Error is one of a kind

An insider’s look into this fascinating subculture.

Chapter One

First two chapters