THE LETTERS OF J.R.R. TOLKIEN EDITED BY HUMPHREY CARPENTER

The comprehensive collection of letters spanning the adult life of one of the worlds greatest storytellers, now revised and expanded to include more than 150 previously unseen letters, with revealing new insights intoThe Hobbit,The Lord of the Rings,andThe Silmarillion.

J.R.R. Tolkien, creator of the languages and history of Middle-earth as recorded inThe Hobbit,The Lord of the RingsandThe Silmarillion, was one of the most prolific letter-writers of the last century. Over the years he wrote a mass of lettersto his publishers, to members of his family, to friends, and to fans of his bookswhich often reveal the inner workings of his mind, and which record the history of composition of his works and his reaction to subsequent events.

A selection from Tolkiens correspondence, collected and edited by Tolkiens official biographer, Humphrey Carpenter, and assisted by Christopher Tolkien, was published in 1981. It presented, in Tolkiens own words, a highly detailed portrait of the man in his many aspects: storyteller, scholar, Catholic, parent, friend, and observer of the world around him.

In this revised and expanded edition ofThe Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, it has been possible to go back to the editors original typescripts and notes, restoring more than 150 letters that were excised purely to achieve what was then deemed a publishable length, and present the book as originally intended.

Enthusiasts for his writings will find much that is new, for the letters not only include fresh information about Middle-earth, such as Tolkiens own plot summary of the entirety ofThe Lord of the Ringsand a vision for publishing his Tales of the Three Ages, but also many insights into the man and his world. In addition, this new selection will entertain anyone who appreciates the art of letter-writing, of which J.R.R. Tolkien was a master.

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