Glen Howard GoodKnight (October 1, 1941 – November 3, 2010) was the founder of theMythopoeic Society and the editor of its journal,Mythlore between 1970 and 1998; in that time the publication grew from being a fan magazine to apeer-reviewed academic journal. He was an expert on and collector of the works ofJ. R. R. Tolkien and his fellowInklings,C. S. Lewis andCharles Williams.
Glen Howard GoodKnight III was born inLos Angeles on October 1, 1941 to Glen GoodKnight, an odd-job man, and his wife Mary Bray. The family surname had been anglicized from Gutknecht, a German name. He read history atCalifornia State University, Los Angeles. There, in 1967, he organized his first Tolkien event, a playful picnic in the city's Highland Park, with the theme of theHobbits,Bilbo andFrodo Baggins. The success of that event led him to found theMythopoeic Society for the study of the work of Tolkien and other fantasy authors. He organised its conferences; the first Mythcon was held in 1970, and one has been held annually thereafter.[1][2][3][4] He edited its journal,Mythlore between 1970 and 1998; in that time the publication grew from being a fan magazine to a peer-reviewed academic journal.[5] Alongside that was a monthly newsletter,Mythprint.[1][2][3][4]
His "day job" was as an elementary school teacher, but he was an expert on and enthusiastic collector of the works ofJ. R. R. Tolkien and his fellowInklings, the Oxford literary group aroundC. S. Lewis and like-minded writers such asCharles Williams. He travelled to England in 1975 and metPriscilla Tolkien, the author's daughter; from her, he bought a substantial collection of first editions oftranslations of Tolkien's books. He built up his collection to some 700 volumes of Inklings works. He was a distinctive character at Mythopoeic Society events; Valerie Nelson ofThe Los Angeles Times reports that he "would sometimes show up dressed in the flowing robes ofElrond", theElf-lord ofRivendell described in Tolkien'sThe Lord of the Rings.[1][2][3][4]
He had a daughter, Arwen (named forElrond's daughter), by his second wife, Bonnie, whom he married at the 1971 Mythcon. He died on 3 November 2010 in Monterey Park, California, survived by his partner Ken Lauw.[1] His family donated his collection of rare books on the Inklings toAzusa Pacific University.[6][7]
the refereed scholarly journal Mythlore
Per the Deeds of Gift, the Goodknight Collection was donated for the benefit of the APU University Libraries
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
