Letter to Carole Ward
On 10 August 1964, J.R.R. Tolkien wrote a letter to Miss Carole Ward (a freelance writer).[1][2]
- Subject: Tolkien replies to a question on a dramatization of The Lord of the Rings for BBC 2.
- Publication: Quotes from the letter appeared in Christie's 20th-Century Books and Manuscripts 6 December 2002.[3]
From an auction
THE POTENTIALLY 'DESTRUCTIVE' EFFECTS OF TELEVISED VERSION OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS: 'I am delighted to hear of your great enjoyment of my book. As for Television, however, I am personally averse to dramatizations of my work, especially of The Lord of the Rings, which is too long for reproduction without severe cutting and editing: in my view destructive, or at best severely damaging to a complicated but closely-woven story'. He regards this mainly as a concern of his publishers, however, and suspects that they would be willing to consider proposals; he directs his correspondent therefore to contact Allen & Unwin: 'Of course if there is a prospect of a television plan being agreed, I should desire very much to see you and consult you later'.[3]
References
- ↑ Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond (2006), The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide: I. Chronology, p. 621
- ↑ "20th-Century Books and Manuscripts. 2002", TolkienBooks.net (accessed 2 January 2012)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Sale 9489 Lot 29", Christie's (accessed 2 January 2012)
