Letters not published in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
The The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien is a large collection of letters of Tolkien, but it is far from complete. Below are some letters that did not make it into the collection, or only partially.
Individual letters
- August 8th, 1904 to Father Francis Morgan
- 19??, to Joseph Wright
- 1932, A Philologist on Esperanto
- March 16th, 1933 to Kenneth Sisam
- September 7, 1937 to George Allen & Unwin
- September 22, 1937 to Jane Neave
- May 28th, 1938 to Kenneth Sisam
- August 3, 1943 to Leila Keene and Pat Kirke
- August 2, 1946 to Przemyslaw Mroczkowski
- March 11, 1949 to Miss Turnbull
- June 4th, 1949 to Pauline Baynes
- November 12th, 1949 to Miss How
- 1951 to Milton Waldman
- November 25, 1951 to Iona and Peter Opie
- January 29th, 1954 to the Liège University
- September 9th, 1954 to the Liège University
- October 18th, 1954 to the Liège University
- November 6th, 1954 to Robert Burchfield
- March 2nd, 1955 to Mr Derrick Parnum
- May 2nd, 1955 to Miss Turnbull
- May 19th, 1955 to W.N. Beard
- May 19th, 1955 to Miss Turnbull
- August 22nd, 1955 to John Roberts
- September 1955 to Mr(s?) Souch
- 1956, to unknown fan
- January 1st, 1956 to Mr Polet
- September 19, 1956 to Terence Tiller
- December 20, 1956 to Deirdre Levinson
- 1956-58, to Peter Alford (four letters)
- 1957, to Przemyslaw Mroczkowski
- June 26, 1957 to Deirdre Levinson
- November 17th, 1957 to Dr. Herbert Schiro
- 1958, to Przemyslaw Mroczkowski (two letters)
- May 27th, 1958 to Nancy Smith
- October 14th, 1958 to Rhona Beare
- October 26th, 1958 to Mrs L.M. Cutts
- December 1959, to Przemyslaw Mroczkowski
- 196?, to Przemyslaw Mroczkowski
- 196? to Dorothy
- Late 1960s, to Michael Blashka
- June 1, 1961 to Jan Broberg
- June 8, 1961 to Rhona Beare
- November 14, 1962 to Captain H. Cotton Minchin
- October 21, 1963 to Mrs Munby
- c. December 16, 1963 to Baronne A. Baeyens
- Christmas 1963 to Nancy Smith
- January 20-26, 1964 to Przemyslaw Mroczkowski
- March 5, 1964 to Eileen Elgar
- May 30th, 1964 to J. Sibley
- June 13-15, 1964 to Mr. W.R. Matthews
- July 10th, 1964 to Alan White
- July 15th, 1964 to Miss J.L. Curry
- December 31st, 1964 to Miss Ingeborg Korff
- Late 1964 or early 1965 to Joan O. Falconer
- October 20th, 1965 to Timothy J. Wheeler
- January 7, 1966 to Roger Shaw
- January 10th, 1966 to Timothy J. Wheeler
- February 20th, 1966 to Donald A. Wollheim
- 1966 to Rod Jellema
- March 9, 1966 to Roger Verhulst
- March 21st, 1966 to George Sayer
- April 8, 1966 to Roger Verhulst
- May 3, 1966 to Roger Verhulst
- May 6th, 1966 to Martin M. Snapp, Jr.
- May 30th, 1966 to Nancy Smith
- July 29, 1966 to Michael George Tolkien (see also Letter 289)
- November 7, 1966 to Gene Wolfe
- c. 1966-67 to Dick Plotz
- c. 1967-70 to Evelyn B. Byrne
- August 28, 1967 to Mr Joukes
- September 18, 1967 to Elise Honeybourne
- December 4, 1967 to Roger Verhulst
- December 21, 1967 to Elise Honeybourne
- January 29, 1968 to Humphrey Carpenter
- January 29, 1968 to Ken Jackson
- August 1968, to Ingrid Pridgeon
- October 16, 1968 to Niall Hoskin
- March 20, 1969 to Amy Ronald
- April 10, 1969 to Mrs Mroczkowska
- May 28, 1969 to Anthony D. Howlett
- June 20, 1969 to Mr Paul Bibire
- August 1st, 1969 to Mr Burrows
- ?Early November 1969 to Leslie Holloway
- 1971 to Hilary Tolkien
- June 21, 1971 to Brian Miller
- December 24, 1971 to Eileen Elgar
- December 26, 1971 to Joy Hill
- February 6, 1972 to Vera Chapman and the Tolkien Society
- May 23, 1972 to sir Patrick Browne
- April 20, 1973 to Dr. Denis Tolhurst
- June 5, 1973 to James A.H. Murray
- July 8, 1973 to Canon Norman Power
- 19?? to Clyde Kilby
- 19?? to Richard Lupoff
Unexposed collections and rumours
Wheelbarrows at Dawn
Similarly to what was done in the Black & White Ogre Country: The Lost Tales of Hilary Tolkien, glimpses of the correspondence between J.R.R. Tolkien and his brother Hilary were supposed to be published in late 2010 in Wheelbarrows at Dawn: Memories of Hilary Tolkien. However, the publication of the latter book was cancelled, and the letters remain unpublished (as of November 2010).
Correspondence between Tolkien and R.W. Burchfield
During the years 1953-72, Tolkien corresponded with R.W. Burchfield. The collection of letters is kept at the Bodleian Library:
- "Correspondence between J.R.R. Tolkien and R.W. Burchfield, 1953-72. / Shelfmark: MS. Eng. c. 7284, fols. 1-16. / Extent: 16 leaves. / Comprises ten manuscript, and typescript letters, and one copy letter from Tolkien to Burchfield, relating to Burchfield's attendance at tutorials, his search for housing in Oxford, his application for funding for his research, his search for an academic post, his congratulations on the publication of The Fellowship of the Ring, an extension for his work on 'Ormulum', and Tolkien's edition of Ancrene Wisse: The English Text of the Ancrene Riwle, and one letter from Burchfield to Tolkien relating to the printing of Ancrene Wisse. Also a description of the letters by Elizabeth Burchfield, widow of R.W. Burchfield. / Acquisition: Bequest of R.W. Burchfield, per Elizabeth Burchfield, Dec. 2004."
- ― Guard-book of miscellaneous items, 19th-20th cent., retreived June 28, 2010
Letters to Simonne d'Ardenne
John and Priscilla Tolkien mention briefly in The Tolkien Family Album that Simonne d'Ardenne: "was especially close to Priscilla, up until her death in 1986. She entrusted to Priscilla a great bundle of letters she had received from J.R.R.T. over a period of forty years." (p.68). This large collection of letters seems never to have reached a publication.
The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien (expanded edition)
On February 2nd, 2004, TheOneRing.net featured an article on the Tolkien Convention in Brussels. An expanded edition of The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien was promised:
"...on the occasion of TFY's presentation on January 19, Marco Respinti and Oronzo Cilli, in the presence of Elisabetta Sgarbi (Editorial Director of Bompiani), spoke of the possibility of a revision of the Italian edition of Tolkien's letters, gathered by his son Christopher and his official biographer, Humprey Carpenter. Bompiani decided to publish a new edition, revised and enlarged, and the Italian Tolkien Society is in contant with an english publisher to have an international version of the book. The volume will be introduced by an essay of Priscilla Tolkien and it will boast contributions by Tolkien experts as Mike Foster, Christopher Garbowski, Brian Rosebury, Andrew McMurry, Paolo Paron, Gianfranco de Turris, Adolfo Morganti, Marco Respinti, Oronzo Cilli, Stefano Giuliano, Jimmy Chavez, Jeroen Van Den Berg, David Beatene and many others. In fact Cilli has managed to obtain from the British Public Record Office the rights to the publication of some documents regarding Tolkien's experience in the First World War. The new edition might include these new documents (never published before in any book) and a short essay on Tolkien and the war."
The Tea Towel Letter
The web site Tolkien Collector's Guide has an article (on a rare tea towel) with a reference from a supposedly unpublished letter. The background is that George Allen and Unwin in 1971 commissioned the towel, featuring a map by Pauline Baynes, on the occasion of a celebration. The author of the article says: "[...] it is clear Tolkien was there, since I read in an (unpublished) letter he himself had received such a teatowel at the 'party' or 'meeting' and was very happy with it."
- External link: Tea Towel
Hoaxes
The Letters, Part II
Throughout the early issues of Vinyar Tengwar, there was reference to "The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien part II", but it was revealed to be a hoax.
Dr. Higgins and possible eBay frauds
The forum of the renowned website Tolkien Collector's Guide contains discussions (in which Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull have taken part) on a circulation on eBay of possible fraud Tolkien letters. Among these are said to be letters adressed to a "Dr. Higgins". Many of these contested letters are typewritten, with a signature by J.R.R. Tolkien in blue ink.
