Farmer Giles of Ham: And Other Stories [Abridged, Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

J. R. R. Tolkien (Author), Derek Jacobi (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1999

A Collection of short stories: Farmer Giles of Ham Smith Of Wootton Major Leaf by Niggle Farmer Giles of Ham is one of Tolkien's most popular stories, full of wit and humour, set in the days when giants and dragons walked the earth. He did not look like a hero. He was fat and red-bearded and enjoyed a slow, comfortable life. Then one day a rather deaf and short-sighted giant blundered on to his land. More by luck than skill, Farmer Giles managed to scare him away. The people of the village cheered: Farmer Giles was a hero. His reputation spread far and wide across the kingdom. So it was natural that when the dragon Chrysophylax visited the area it was Farmer Giles who was expected to do battle with it! Two further stories in this collections are Smith of Wooton Major which tells of the preparation of the Great Cake to mark the Feast of Good Children, and the strange events which follow, and Leaf by Niggle, which recounts the strange adventures of the painter, Niggle.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'A fabulous tale of the days when giants and dragons walked the kingdom' Sunday Times

About the Author

J.R.R. TOLKIEN (1892-1973) was the creator of Middle-earth and author of such classic and extraordinary works of fiction as The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and The Children of H�rin. His books have been translated into more than forty languages and have sold many millions of copies worldwide.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Harpercollins Pub Ltd; Abridged edition (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0001056107
• ISBN-13: 978-0001056107
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,726,151 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Delightful Collection of Stories For Kids of Every Age, June 12, 2001

By 

Carla M.Golden (Tacoma, Washington United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Farmer Giles of Ham & Other Stories (Audio Cassette)

The first of the three stories in this collection is a delightful fairy tale set in the days when giants and dragons were the enemies and twonspeople like Farmer Giles were the heroes. Derek Jacobi does a superb job performing not only as the farmer himself and his wife, but also the couple's dog and the rest of the characters. One would not also not expect to find a dragon with as colorful a name as Chrysopholax, since the last time I met a dragon in one of Tolkein's stories, it was Smaug, and he casually remarked to hobbit Bilbo Baggins,''I don't remember smelling you before!'' The other two tales in this collection are Smith of Wooton Major,and Leaf by Niggle. Knowing what a magnificent job Derek Jacobi has done bringing Shakespeare to life and proving to most of us that Shakespeare was meant to be enjoyed by everyone, you can rest assured in the thought that he has done a similar, exemplary feat with Tolkein! I own, by the way, two other stories written by Tolkein and narrated by Jacobi himself--Letters From Father Christmas and Roverandom. Do yourself a favor and indulge your inner child with these stories!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A worthy reader of a worthy book, March 4, 2000

By 

N. B. Delain "nbdelain" (Upstate NY, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Farmer Giles of Ham: And Other Stories (Audio Cassette)

"Farmer Giles of Ham" is vintage Tolkien encapsulated. Ham is a farmer who owns a cowardly dog named Gorm. The two of them set out to dispose of a dragon named Chrysophylax who is terrorizing the shire. They do defeat Chrysophylax, but how? Well, you have to listen to Sir Derek Jacobi (best known in the USA as the stammering Emperor Claudius in the Masterpiece Theatre series of the '70s; also as Brother Cadfael in The Cadfael Mysteries) read you the story, as he does with the same elegance he brings to all his performances. Sir Derek is a true master of the spoken word. The combination of a writer like Professor Tolkien and a reader like Sir Derek is truly rare and wonderful. And the delight does not stop with "Farmer Giles"; the stories in this little book abound with imagination and excellence.