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| The Bovadium Fragments: together with The Origin of Bovadium | |
|---|---|
| Publication Information | |
| Author | J.R.R. Tolkien |
| Foreword by | Chris Smith |
| Introduction by | Christopher Tolkien |
| Editor | Christopher Tolkien |
| Contributors | Richard Ovenden |
| Illustrator | J.R.R. Tolkien Emily Langford[1] (front cover; based on the Tolkien's King's Norton from Bilberry Hill)[2] |
| Genre | Post-apocalyptic[3] satirical[4] fantasy[5] or science fiction[6] |
| Subject | Motor Bus[7] The End of Bovadium Domine defende nos contra hos Motores bos! The Origin of Bovadium |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Released | 9 October, 2025 (UK) 18 November, 2025 (US) |
| Format | Hardcover |
| Pages | 144 |
| ISBNs | 9780008737764 9780008815134 |
| Preceded by | The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien (2024) |
As scholars pour over fragments unearthed from the archeological site at Bovadium, a handful of documents written in two languages reveal the secrets of this ancient place, which have lain buried for centuries. Evidently once upon a time a Daemon arose in nearby Vaccipratum, who by his cunning devised abominable machines, which he called Motores. The people of Bovadium first became enamoured of these machines, but soon became their slaves; and as the roads were gridlocked and the city polluted by their fumes, the end of Bovadium was nigh.
The Bovadium Fragments: together with The Origin of Bovadium is a book by J.R.R. Tolkien, edited posthumously by Christopher Tolkien. It was published on 9 October 2025.
The book presents for the first time Tolkien's The End of Bovadium, a previously unpublished story that was written between the late 1950s[8] and early 1960[9][10] with its accompanying illustrations. Also included is The Origin of Bovadium, an essay by Richard Ovenden. Around 12 October, Richard Ovenden signed copies of the book to be sold by Blackwells.[11] These signed copies were all sold out by 2 November at the latest.[12] On 12 January 2026, a deluxe slipcased edition was announced, which would contain "an exclusive foldout colour frontispiece".[13]
Contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Note to Readers
- Publisher's Note
- Introduction
- THE BOVADIUM FRAGMENTS
- Foreword
- Fragment I
- Fragment II
- Fragment III
- Postscript by the Editor
- Other Texts of Fragment II
- THE ORIGIN OF BOVADIUM
- Acknowledgments
- Works by J.R.R. Tolkien
- Endnotes
- About the Publisher
Illustrations
From the publisher
Previous overview
World first publication of a previously unknown short satirical fantasy by J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by his son, Christopher Tolkien, and accompanied by illustrations from the author together with an essay, The Origin of Bovadium, by Richard Ovenden OBE.
Overview
The first-ever publication of a previously unknown short satirical fantasy by J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by his son, Christopher Tolkien, and accompanied by illustrations from the author together with an essay, "The Origin of Bovadium," by Richard Ovenden OBE.
As Christopher Tolkien notes in his Introduction, The Bovadium Fragments was a "satirical fantasy" written by his father, which grew out of a planning controversy that erupted in Oxford in the late 1940s, when J.R.R. Tolkien was the Merton Professor of English Language and Literature.
Written initially for his own amusement, Tolkien’s tale was a private academic jest that poked gentle fun at the pomposity of archaeologists and the hideousness of college crockery. However, it was at the same time expressing a barbed cri de coeur against the inexorable rise of motor transport that was overwhelming the tranquility of his beloved city. Interest in publishing it in the 1960s ultimately foundered, and the text remained hidden for 60 years.
In this new edition, Christopher Tolkien provides notes and commentary that will enable the reader to enjoy at last this tale of an imagined Oxford viewed through the lens of future (and not wholly reliable) academic study. The text is accompanied by a small selection of illustrations by the author, some of them previously unpublished, which while not created specifically for this work, convey something of the tone and setting of the story, thereby enriching the tale.
Richard Ovenden's accompanying essay, "The Origin of Bovadium," paints a vivid portrait of Oxford during that time. Its text is illustrated with contemporary photos of the period, together with the actual plans that sparked the controversy. He also provides rich background to the casus belli which led to the furor that Tolkien witnessed firsthand, as the embers of debate between town planners and the university colleges were fanned into flame.
Playful, arch, erudite, and ultimately tragically moving, The Bovadium Fragments is like nothing else that J.R.R. Tolkien wrote, and its themes remain both provocative and timely. Within its lines may be found a concern for the fragility of our natural world, a love of which was shared by both father and son. As Christopher Tolkien’s final presentation of his father’s work, it is therefore perhaps fitting that The Bovadium Fragments should be their coda.
Possible errata & typos
Several sections of the book were written in Latin by Tolkien, and these parts do not seem to have been proofread as carefully as the rest of the text: there are a few spelling mistakes and typos left in the final published book. For instance, “Mortori” instead of “Motori” (p. 14), “periculum morris” instead of “periculum mortis”, or “Cresar” for “Caesar” (p. 50-51) and “redificia” for “aedificia” (p. 51). Moreover, the diphtong æ (ae) is not always (i.e. inconsistently) ligatured (e.g. “diversae [sic] factæ sunt linguæ eorum”, p. 50).[source?]
Publication history and gallery
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2025 hardcover
-
2026 deluxe slipcased edition
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- HarperCollins hardcover (2025), pp. 144. ISBN 9780008737764
- HarperCollins hardcover with slipcase (2026), ISBN 9780008815134
References
- ↑ Trotter, "The Bovadium Fragments: Together with ‘The Origin of Bovadium’", archived from the original at Guide, on 14 May 2025. Retrieved 17 November 2025
- ↑ Shaun Gunner, "New Tolkien book – The Bovadium Fragments – is satire on industrialisation" 27 June 2025, The Tolkien Society, accessed 3 July 2025
- ↑ John Garth, "Lord of the ring road — JRR Tolkien’s war against the motor car" 3 October 2025, The Times, accessed 4 October 2025
- ↑ Clyde S. Kilby, Tolkien & The Silmarillion, II. "Summer with Tolkien", "Some Notes on “Smith of Wootton Major”", p. 36
- ↑ Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond (2006), The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide: I. Chronology, p. 563 (entry "25 October 1960")
- ↑ AngryFrozenWater, "The Bovadium Fragments" October 2025, Reddit - The heart of the internet, accessed 18 November 2025
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 Urulókë, onthetrail, Trotter, and Mr. Underhill, "The Bovadium Fragments: TolkienGuide review" 3 October 2025, Tolkien Collector's Guide, accessed 4 October 2025
- ↑ Dalya Alberge, "Morris Motors boss may have inspired Tolkien villain" May 30, 2025, The Telegraph, accessed 30 May 2025
- ↑ Humphrey Carpenter, J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography, "IV. 1925-1949(i): 'In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit'", Chapter VI: The Storyteller, p. 163 (footnote)
- ↑ Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond (2006), The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide: II. Reader's Guide, "Environment", pp. 255-6 ("The Machine")
- ↑ The late Stu, "The Bovadium Fragments: Together with ‘The Origin of Bovadium’" 12 October 2025, Tolkien Collector's Guide, accessed 17 November 2025
- ↑ Laurin, "The Bovadium Fragments: Together with ‘The Origin of Bovadium’" 2 November 2025, Tolkien Collector's Guide, accessed 17 November 2025
- ↑ Druss, "The Bovadium Fragments: Together with 'The Origin of Bovadium'" 12 January 2026, Tolkien Collector's Guide, accessed 12 January 2026
- ↑ onthetrail, "The Bovadium Fragments: Together with ‘The Origin of Bovadium’" 22 October 2025, Tolkien Collector's Guide, accessed 22 October 2025
External links
- Andrew Ffrench, "'Secret' Tolkien story focuses on car maker William Morris" 2 June 2025, Oxford Mail, accessed 2 June 2025
- Eye_of_the_Black_Tower, "The Bovadium Fragments: Together with ‘The Origin of Bovadium’" 12 September 2025, Tolkien Collector's Guide, accessed 12 September 2025
- TolkienGuide, "Richard Ovenden OBE talks Tolkien and The Bovadium Fragments" 3 October 2025, YouTube, accessed 6 October 2025