The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien: Difference between revisions
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{{book | {{book | ||
|title=The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien | |title=The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien | ||
|image=[[Image: | |image=[[Image:Tolkien Letters 1981.jpg|225px]] | ||
|author= | |author=[[J.R.R. Tolkien]] | ||
| | |editor=[[Humphrey Carpenter]], [[Christopher Tolkien]] | ||
|publisherUK=[[George Allen and Unwin]] | |||
|publisherUS=[[Houghton Mifflin]] | |||
|date=[[20 August]] [[1981]] | |date=[[20 August]] [[1981]] | ||
|format= | |format=Hardcover; paperback | ||
|pages= | |pages=463 | ||
|isbn= | |isbn=0048260053 | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''''The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien''''' is a | '''''The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien''''' is a book of a collection of 354 letters, excerpts from letters, drafts, and endnotes by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]. It was published in [[1981]], edited by his son [[Christopher Tolkien]] and his biographer [[Humphrey Carpenter]]. | ||
From the [[1995]] edition an expanded index has been added by [[Wayne G. Hammond]] and [[Christina Scull]]. | |||
==Contents== | ==Contents== | ||
The selection contains 354 letters, dating between October [[1914]], when Tolkien was an undergraduate at the [[University of Oxford]], and [[29 August|August 29]] | The selection contains 354 letters, dating between October [[1914]], when Tolkien was an undergraduate at the [[University of Oxford]], and [[29 August|August 29]] [[1973]], four days before his death. | ||
The letters can be roughly divided in four categories: | The letters can be roughly divided in four categories: | ||
#Personal letters to [[Edith Tolkien]], Christopher Tolkien and his other children | #Personal letters to [[Edith Tolkien]], Christopher Tolkien and his other children | ||
#Letters about Tolkien's career as a professor of Anglo-Saxon | #Letters about Tolkien's career as a professor of Anglo-Saxon | ||
#Letters to his publishers at [[Allen and Unwin]] explaining his failing to meet the deadline and related topics | #Letters to his publishers at [[Allen and Unwin]] explaining his failing to meet the deadline and related topics | ||
#Letters about [[Middle-earth]] | #Letters about [[Middle-earth]] | ||
The last category is especially of interest to Tolkien fans, as it provides a lot of information about Middle-earth which cannot be found | The last category is especially of interest to Tolkien fans, as it provides a lot of information about Middle-earth which cannot be found elsewhere in the works published by Tolkien himself. | ||
It is remarked thus: | |||
{{Blockquote|During the composition and the publication process of his literary works, J.R.R. Tolkien continually corresponded with friends, family members, colleagues, and his publishers, and for years after the publication of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', with his readers as well. Indeed, many of his letters are direct (inasmuch as Tolkien strove to be direct) answers to questions about which people had written to him. His letters contain much background and expository material that never made it to publication, and also a great deal of explanation of his intent or purpose. He often went to great lengths to clear up readers' misunderstandings. In a few instances, however, Tolkien didn't actually provide a clear, if any, answer to the question (for example, "Who is [[Tom Bombadil]]?" or "What happened to the [[Entwives]]?"), although he did address these topics in his letters, thus leaving us with at least the final word on the subject from the author himself.|Mike Brinza<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130606024118/http://mysite.verizon.net/aznirb/mtr/lettersfaq.html Tolkien Letters FAQ] at [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine Wayback Machine] (accessed 3 June 2022)</ref>}} | |||
==Publication history and gallery== | |||
;UK Editions | |||
{{Gallery | |||
|width=125 | |||
|height=125 | |||
|lines=2 | |||
|File:Tolkien Letters 1981.jpg|1981 edition | |||
|File:Tolkien Letters 1990.png|1990 edition | |||
|File:Tolkien Letters 1995.png|1995 edition | |||
|File:Tolkien Letters 2006.jpeg|2006 edition | |||
}} | |||
*[[George Allen and Unwin]] hardcover ([[1981]]), pp. 463. ISBN 0048260053 | |||
*[[Unwin Paperbacks]] paperback ([[1990]]), ISBN 0044406649 | |||
*[[HarperCollins]] paperback ([[1995]]), pp. 480. ISBN 0261102656 | |||
*[[HarperCollins]] paperback ([[2006]]), ISBN 0261102656 | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Line 30: | Line 51: | ||
*[[Letters not published in "The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien"|Letters not published in "The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien"]] | *[[Letters not published in "The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien"|Letters not published in "The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien"]] | ||
*''[[J.R.R. Tolkien's Letters to Rhona Beare]]'' | *''[[J.R.R. Tolkien's Letters to Rhona Beare]]'' | ||
*''[[J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography]]'' | |||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
*[http://www.hammondandscull.com/addenda/letters.html Corrigenda to the Index to ''Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien'' (1999)] | |||
*[https://www.nytimes.com/books/01/02/11/specials/tolkien-letters.html Concerning Hobbits and Philip Marlowe] New York Times Review | |||
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130606024118/http://mysite.verizon.net/aznirb/mtr/lettersfaq.html FAQ-Like Guide to the Letters] (archived 6 June 2013) | |||
{{references}} | |||
{{letters}} | {{letters}} | ||
{{Publishedmajorbooks}} | |||
{{title|italics}} | {{title|italics}} | ||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien}} | ||
[[Category:Reference books]] | [[Category:Reference books]] | ||
[[Category:Books by J.R.R. Tolkien]] | [[Category:Books by J.R.R. Tolkien]] | ||
[[Category:Posthumous publications]] | |||
[[Category:Books by Christopher Tolkien]] | [[Category:Books by Christopher Tolkien]] | ||
[[Category:Books by Humphrey Carpenter]] | [[Category:Books by Humphrey Carpenter]] |
Revision as of 16:59, 9 August 2022
The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien | |
---|---|
Author | J.R.R. Tolkien |
Editor | Humphrey Carpenter, Christopher Tolkien |
Publisher | George Allen and Unwin (UK) Houghton Mifflin (US) |
Released | 20 August 1981 |
Format | Hardcover; paperback |
Pages | 463 |
ISBN | 0048260053 |
The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien is a book of a collection of 354 letters, excerpts from letters, drafts, and endnotes by J.R.R. Tolkien. It was published in 1981, edited by his son Christopher Tolkien and his biographer Humphrey Carpenter.
From the 1995 edition an expanded index has been added by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull.
Contents
The selection contains 354 letters, dating between October 1914, when Tolkien was an undergraduate at the University of Oxford, and August 29 1973, four days before his death.
The letters can be roughly divided in four categories:
- Personal letters to Edith Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien and his other children
- Letters about Tolkien's career as a professor of Anglo-Saxon
- Letters to his publishers at Allen and Unwin explaining his failing to meet the deadline and related topics
- Letters about Middle-earth
The last category is especially of interest to Tolkien fans, as it provides a lot of information about Middle-earth which cannot be found elsewhere in the works published by Tolkien himself.
It is remarked thus:
During the composition and the publication process of his literary works, J.R.R. Tolkien continually corresponded with friends, family members, colleagues, and his publishers, and for years after the publication of The Lord of the Rings, with his readers as well. Indeed, many of his letters are direct (inasmuch as Tolkien strove to be direct) answers to questions about which people had written to him. His letters contain much background and expository material that never made it to publication, and also a great deal of explanation of his intent or purpose. He often went to great lengths to clear up readers' misunderstandings. In a few instances, however, Tolkien didn't actually provide a clear, if any, answer to the question (for example, "Who is Tom Bombadil?" or "What happened to the Entwives?"), although he did address these topics in his letters, thus leaving us with at least the final word on the subject from the author himself.
—Mike Brinza[1]
Publication history and gallery
- UK Editions
|
- George Allen and Unwin hardcover (1981), pp. 463. ISBN 0048260053
- Unwin Paperbacks paperback (1990), ISBN 0044406649
- HarperCollins paperback (1995), pp. 480. ISBN 0261102656
- HarperCollins paperback (2006), ISBN 0261102656
See also
- Letter receivers
- Letters not published in "The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien"
- J.R.R. Tolkien's Letters to Rhona Beare
- J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography
External links
- Corrigenda to the Index to Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien (1999)
- Concerning Hobbits and Philip Marlowe New York Times Review
- FAQ-Like Guide to the Letters (archived 6 June 2013)
References
- ↑ Tolkien Letters FAQ at Wayback Machine (accessed 3 June 2022)
The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien | |
---|---|
1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7* · 8* · 8a · 8b · 8c · 9 · 10 · 11* · 11a · 11b · 11c · 12 · 13 · 14 · 15* · 15a · 15b · 16 · 17* · 18* · 18a · 19* · 20 · 21* · 22* · 23 · 24 · 25 · 26 · 27* · 28 · 29 · 30 · 31 · 32 · 33 · 34 · 35 · 36 · 36a · 36b · 37 · 38 · 38a · 39 · 40 · 40a · 41 · 42 · 42a · 42b · 42c · 43* · 43a · 44* · 45* · 46 · 47 · 48 · 49 · 49a · 49b · 49c · 49d · 49e · 50 · 51 · 51a · 51b · 52* · 53* · 53a · 53b · 54* · 55 · 55a · 56* · 56a · 57 · 58* · 59 · 59a · 60 · 61 · 62 · 63 · 64 · 65 · 66* · 67* · 68 · 69 · 70 · 71 · 72 · 73 · 73a · 74* · 74a · 75 · 76 · 77* · 78 · 79 · 80 · 80a · 80b · 81 · 82 · 83* · 84 · 85 · 86 · 87 · 88 · 88a · 89 · 89a · 90* · 91 · 91a · 91b · 91c · 92* · 93 · 94* · 94a · 94b · 94c · 95 · 96* · 97 · 97a · 97b · 97c · 98 · 98a · 99 · 100 101 · 102 · 102a · 103 · 104 · 105 · 106 · 107 · 107a · 108 · 109 · 110 · 111 · 111a · 112 · 113 · 114 · 115 · 116 · 117 · 118 · 119 · 120 · 121 · 122 · 122a · 123* · 124 · 125 · 126* · 127* · 128 · 128a · 129 · 130 · 130a · 131* · 132 · 132a · 133 · 134 · 134a · 135 · 135a · 135b · 135c · 135d · 136 · 137 · 137a · 137b · 137c · 137d · 137e · 138 · 139 · 140 · 140a · 140b · 140c · 141 · 141a · 141b · 141c · 141d · 142* · 142a · 143 · 143a · 143b · 143c · 143d · 143e · 144 · 144a · 145 · 146 · 146a · 147 · 148* · 148a · 149* · 150 · 151* · 152* · 153 · 154 · 155 · 156 · 157 · 158 · 158a · 159 · 160 · 161 · 162 · 162a · 163 · 164 · 165 · 165a · 165b · 166 · 166a · 166b · 167 · 168 · 168a · 169 · 170 · 171 · 172 · 173 · 174* · 175 · 176 · 177 · 178 · 179 · 179a · 179b · 179c · 180 · 181 · 182 · 183 · 184 · 185 · 186 · 187* · 188 · 188a · 189 · 190 · 191 · 192 · 193 · 194 · 194a · 194b · 195 · 195a · 195b · 196* · 196a · 197 · 198 · 199 · 200 · 200a 201* · 202 · 203 · 204 · 204a · 205 · 205a · 205b · 206 · 207 · 208 · 209 · 210 · 211 · 212 · 212a · 213 · 214 · 214a · 214b · 215 · 215a · 216 · 217 · 218 · 219 · 220 · 220a · 221 · 222 · 222a · 222b · 222c · 222d · 222e · 222f · 223 · 224 · 225 · 226* · 227 · 228 · 228a · 229 · 230 · 231 · 231a · 232 · 233 · 234 · 235 · 236 · 237 · 238* · 239* · 239a · 240 · 241 · 241a · 241b · 242 · 242a · 243 · 244 · 245 · 246 · 247 · 248 · 249 · 249a · 250 · 251 · 252 · 253 · 254 · 254a · 255 · 256 · 257 · 258 · 259 · 260 · 261 · 262 · 263 · 264 · 265 · 266 · 267 · 268 · 269 · 270 · 271 · 272 · 273 · 274 · 274a · 275 · 275a · 276* · 277 · 277a · 278 · 279 · 280 · 281 · 282 · 282a · 283 · 283a · 283b · 284 · 284a · 285 · 286 · 287 · 288 · 289 · 289a · 289b · 289c · 289d · 290 · 290a · 291 · 292 · 293 · 293a · 293b · 294 · 294a · 294b · 295 · 295a · 295b · 296 · 297 · 298 · 298a · 299 · 300 301 · 302 · 303 · 304 · 305 · 305a · 306 · 307 · 307a · 308 · 309 · 309a · 310 · 311 · 312 · 313 · 314 · 315 · 315a · 315b · 316 · 317 · 318 · 319 · 319a · 320 · 321 · 322 · 323 · 324 · 324a · 325 · 326 · 327 · 328 · 329 · 330 · 330a · 331* · 331a · 331b · 332 · 333 · 334 · 334a · 335 · 336 · 337 · 338 · 338a · 339 · 339a · 340 · 341 · 342 · 343 · 343a · 344 · 345 · 346 · 347 · 347a · 347b · 348 · 348a · 349 · 349a · 350 · 351 · 352 · 353 · 354 Unpublished letters | |
Letters marked with a (*) are updated and expanded in the new edition. |