The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
Category: Books,Biographies & Memoirs,Arts & Literature
The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien Details
Amazon.com Review Scholars and fans of the great mythologist will find a rich vein of information in Humphrey Carpenter's The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien was a prodigious letter writer all his life; the sheer mass of his correspondence would give pause to even the most stalwart archivist (one shudders to think what he would have done with e-mail). But with the able assistance of Tolkien's son Christopher and a healthy dose of determination, Carpenter manages find the cream of the crop--the letters that shed light on Tolkien's thoughts about his academic and literary work, as well as those that show his more private side, revealing a loving husband, a playful friend, and a doting father. The most fascinating letters are, of course, those in which he discusses Middle-Earth, and Carpenter offers plenty of those to choose from. Tolkien discussed the minutia of his legend--sometimes at great length--with friends, publishers, and even fans who wrote to him with questions. These letters offer significant insights into how he went about creating the peoples and languages of Middle-Earth. I have long ceased to invent (though even patronizing or sneering critics on the side praise my 'inventions'): I wait till I seem to know what really happened. Or till it writes itself. Thus, though I knew for years that Frodo would run into a tree-adventure somewhere far down the Great River, I had no recollection of inventing Ents. I came at last to the point, and wrote the 'Treebeard' chapter without any recollection of any previous thought: just as it is now. And then I saw that, of course, it had not happened to Frodo at all. This new edition of letters has an extensive index, and Carpenter has included a brief blurb at the beginning of each letter to explain who the correspondent was and what was being discussed. Still, we strongly recommend buying the companion volume, J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography, in order to better understand the place these correspondents had in Tolkien's life and get a better context for the letters. --Perry M. Atterberry Read more From Library Journal The old fellow's letters to friends, family, and fans offer insight into his life and writings. Fun but not essential. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. Read more See all Editorial Reviews
Reviews
I've never been interested to read an author's personal correspondence. It's always seemed invasive and "prying," and of questionable value in locating and understanding the real sources of an author's muse. In this case though, and on the strength of other reviews, I bought the book, and am delighted to have taken the risk. It's just plain fascinating to follow the development of Tolkien's writings in his own words and thoughts, trials and setbacks, set amid all the same criteria of his larger life. An incredible read, really. Humphrey Carpenter, Tolkien's biographer, compiled this collection of personal correspondence with tact and great sensitivity and respect for J.R.R.T., and also a bulls-eye sensibility for what possible readers might find of interest.On the Kindle version, though, 1 star at best. Typos or scan errors, whichever they are, are everywhere, and egregious. It's obvious that this Kindle text was never proofed by a human editor. To find the word "orc" misspelled as "ore" four times on one page is proof enough that the publishers put very little care into preparing the text. There are many, many other errors just in the first twenty percent of the book. I am very tempted to return this Kindle version for refund and go for the hardcopy, instead.Especially at this time, when publishers and authors are clamoring for higher prices and consideration for their electronic books, I find myself more than ever inclined to just go back to hard-copy reading. It may be that the paper version of "The Letters..." contains the same quantity of really inexcusable errors, but that doesn't justify the glaring lack of editorial care in this Kindle version. These firms are obviously paying much, much less to produce the books, and yet still demanding to be paid even more, unfortunately actualizing Tolkien's own vision of the "machine" and where it was headed in his day.
