TOLKIEN fans poured into Blackwell’s as the bookstore staged a special day to celebrate the fantasy author.

The day of fun activities was staged to celebrate the Bodleian’s Weston Library exhibition next door.

Tolkien: Maker of Middle Earth is the biggest display on the Oxford author for a generation and original manuscripts from The Lords of the Rings are on show.

Expert on the author John Garth gave a talk in the Broad Street bookshop’s Norrington Room.

He told his audience on Saturday that he was delighted to be back in the bookshop he used to frequent as an undergraduate.

He added: “I would come in here as a skint student in my black jeans and spend hours looking at the books.”

Mr Garth’s book Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle Earth was first published in 2011 and was praised by critics.

He spoke to his audience about Tolkien’s early life and his time as a student at Exeter College.

While adult fans of the fantasy author’s work were in the Norrington Room younger readers gathered in the children’s books section for craft activities.

Among them were Ryan Bergmann, six and his brother Tristan, seven, who were at the shop with their dad Jeroen Bergmann, an associate professor at Oxford University’s Faculty of Engineering Science.

He said: “I read all Tolkien’s books when I was very young and events like this are great for getting kids interested in the stories.

“Oxford has such a rich history of fantasy authors and while The Lord of the Rings films are very good the books allow you to visualise the scenes with your own imagination.”

Blackwell’s staff member Cassia Morrice, 25, from Thame, said the Weston Library exhibition and the Tolkien Day have boosted sales of Tolkien books and memorabilia.

She added: “I have read the books but the exhibition reminded me that Tolkien was a really good artist and I couldn’t resist buying a cushion with one of his illustrations on.

“I watched The Lord of the Rings films first and then read the books which is perhaps the wrong way round but it’s such a great story.”

The Bodleian exhibition, which runs until October 28, features manuscripts, artwork, maps, letters and artefacts. Amazon Studios has secured the rights to turn Tolkien novels into a TV series in a record-breaking deal with the author’s estate, reaching $250m.