A Long-Expected Party marks the fiftieth anniversary of J. R. R. Tolkien’s death with a rich and wide-ranging exploration of his life, works, and enduring afterlife. Bringing together established scholars and emerging voices, this interdisciplinary volume approaches Tolkien through the lenses of literature, theology, philosophy, politics, and education. By charting a deliberate middle course between popular appreciation and forbidding specialization, these essays testify to the boundary-transcending power of Tolkien’s mythopoetic imagination and invite readers into conversations that, like the Great Tales themselves, are far from finished.