John D. Rateliff is a published scholar. He acquired his Ph.D. at Marquette University. Rateliff has authored titles on the works of J. R. R. Tolkien. His "The History of The Hobbit' won the 2009 Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies. John is the author or co-author of many other books and role-playing games including The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game (2002), EverQuest Player's Handbook (2002), Egypt-Children of the World (1992), and Hero Builder's Guidebook - Dungeons & Dragons (2000). Rateliff has worked for TSR Inc., Wizards of the Coast, and Hasbro contributing to a large number of products in the Dungeons and Dragons line. In addition he has freelanced for Decipher Inc., Green Ronin, White Wolf, Guardians of Order, and Chaosium.