Letter to Peter Alford (February 1956): Difference between revisions

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'''Peter Alford ?Mid-February 1956''' is a [[Letters not published in "The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien"|letter]] from [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] to Peter Alford, possibly written in Mid-February [[1956]].<ref name=CG>{{CG|C}}, p. 485</ref>
On [[February]] [[1956]], [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] wrote '''[[Letters not published in "The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien"|a letter]] to Peter Alford'''. It was possibly written in Mid-February [[1956]].<ref name=CG>{{CG|C}}, p. 485</ref>


*'''Subject:''' Tolkien gives details of the titles considered for the six books of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.<ref name=CG/>
*'''Subject:''' Tolkien gives details of the titles considered for the six books of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.<ref name=CG/>
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[[Pieter Collier]] has noted that Peter Alford was a bookbinder, who had written to Tolkien asking for permission to bind his ''Lord of the Rings'' set with his own sub-titles. Tolkien approved but also detailed his preferred titles:  
[[Pieter Collier]] has noted that Peter Alford was a bookbinder, who had written to Tolkien asking for permission to bind his ''Lord of the Rings'' set with his own sub-titles. Tolkien approved but also detailed his preferred titles:  


"''I think your own choices may stand. The only real divisions are, of course, the 'books'. It may interest you to know what the titles were to have been, before the decision to publish in three parts.''
{{blockquote|I think your own choices may stand. The only real divisions are, of course, the 'books'. It may interest you to know what the titles were to have been, before the decision to publish in three parts.''<br/><br/>''I The First Journey (the Ring sets out.)''<br>''II The Journey of the Nine Companions (the Ring goes South)''<br>''III The Treason of Isengard''<br>''IV The Journey of the Ringbearer (the Ring goes east)''<br>''V The War of the Ring''<br>''VI The End of the Third Age''<br><br/>''The alternative or sub-titles in brackets would have been abandoned, I think."}}
 
''I The First Journey (the Ring sets out.)''<br>
''II The Journey of the Nine Companions (the Ring goes South)''<br>
''III [[The Treason of Isengard]]''<br>
''IV The Journey of the Ringbearer (the Ring goes east)''<br>
''V [[The War of the Ring]]''<br>
''VI [[The End of the Third Age]]''<br>
 
''The alternative or sub-titles in brackets would have been abandoned, I think.''"


Alford's set (sold by [[Sotheby's]] for GBP 32,450 in December 2001) included the following note by Tolkien:
Alford's set (sold by [[Sotheby's]] for GBP 32,450 in December 2001) included the following note by Tolkien:
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==See also==
==See also==
*[[Peter Alford 14 January 1956]]
*[[Letter to Peter Alford (14 January 1956)]]
*[[Peter Alford 1956-58]]
*[[Letter to Peter Alford (1956-58)]]
*[[Peter Alford 2 April 1958]]
*[[Letter to Peter Alford (2 April 1958)]]
{{references}}
{{references}}
{{title}}
[[Category:Letters|Alford, Peter (1956-02)]]
[[Category:Letters|Alford, Peter (1956-02)]]

Revision as of 01:41, 8 September 2021

On February 1956, J.R.R. Tolkien wrote a letter to Peter Alford. It was possibly written in Mid-February 1956.[1]

Contents

Peter Alford's set of The Lord of the Rings

Pieter Collier has noted that Peter Alford was a bookbinder, who had written to Tolkien asking for permission to bind his Lord of the Rings set with his own sub-titles. Tolkien approved but also detailed his preferred titles:

I think your own choices may stand. The only real divisions are, of course, the 'books'. It may interest you to know what the titles were to have been, before the decision to publish in three parts.

I The First Journey (the Ring sets out.)
II The Journey of the Nine Companions (the Ring goes South)
III The Treason of Isengard
IV The Journey of the Ringbearer (the Ring goes east)
V The War of the Ring
VI The End of the Third Age

The alternative or sub-titles in brackets would have been abandoned, I think."

Alford's set (sold by Sotheby's for GBP 32,450 in December 2001) included the following note by Tolkien:

"The titles of the six Books, the only proper division of The Lord of the Rings were those originally devised before its publication in three parts. Peter Alford has my approval of his own choice of sub-titles on his bindings. J.R.R. Tolkien".[3]

See also

References