Letter 330a

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
Letter 330a
Recipient	Michael Tolkien
Date	8 November 1971
Subject(s)	Unfinished works, Film rights

Letter 330a is a letter written by J.R.R. Tolkien and published in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien: Revised and Expanded edition.

Summary

Tolkien writes to his son Michael expressing frustration over the lack of time he had for writing, acknowledging that although some of the unfinished work held significant potential, he was advised not to stress over it. He mentioned that publishing these works could lead to financial ruin due to the high taxes imposed on his earnings.

Tolkien also discussed the status of the film rights to his works, which had been purchased by United Artists. He explained that while the company was still obligated to make instalment payments for these rights, they were currently unable to fund the production of a film that would justify their investment. He noted that United Artists had about 14 years remaining to produce a film before their rights would expire, but he was relieved that there was no immediate prospect of a film being made.