Seen as the precursor to modern-day fantasy literature,ℓThe House of the Wolfings is thought to be the first novel toℓcombine a fantasy realm with elements of the supernatural. WilliamMorris' novel was first published in 1889 and was mentioned on a list of "truly inspiring works" that J. R. R. Tolkien wrote just after publishing hisℓThe Lord of the Rings.