The Father Christmas Letters [Import] [Paperback]

J.R.R. Tolkien (Author), Baillie Tolkien (Editor)

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers; New Ed edition (1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0261102559
• ISBN-13: 978-0261102552
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.4 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,062,817 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good story, but disappointing, shortened version., January 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Father Christmas Letters Mini-Book (Hardcover)

I was looking forward to getting this book, and reading it to my children for Christmas. However, the actual edition was quite disappointing. For one thing, it is so small (3" x 3") that it is very hard to read, the pictures are hard to see. The reviews on the website implied that it was the full set of stories, with adventures about goblins. Indeed, the back of the book has an excerpt talking about goblins. However, the subset of letters in the actual book has none of the stories dealing with goblins! The stories that are there are nice, but often disjointed because they refer to previous years' events that are past, and there are too few stories, and the pictures are too small. If I had seen this book in a bookstore, I would not have bought it, but it was difficult to judge over the internet. I cannot recommend this book.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The only Santa I remember!, June 30, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Father Christmas Letters (Paperback)

The appeal of this book is hardly limited to the under-10 age group, though one of my favorite personal memories is hearing it read aloud by my father. Tolkien brings his sense of magic and wonder to the tired old tale of a North Pole Santa Claus: instead of vapid reindeer with improbable noses, children will be fascinated by a Santa who must battle incompetent, mischevious elves, destructive polar bears, and above all the goblins that infest the tunnels under the North Pole. His only goal is to get the toys out by Christmas, and year after year the task becomes more difficult. The writing is vinage Tolkien (read: excellent) and the watercolor illustrations are exquisite and magical. This book is really too dark for young children (elves die in battles with goblins), but kids between the ages of 7 and 100 will love it forever

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Letters from Santa, November 3, 2004

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Father Christmas Letters (Paperback)

J.R.R. Tolkien was best known for his epic fantasy "Lord of the Rings" and his studies in myth and language. But Tolkien was also the proud dad of four kids -- and he didn't just read "Hobbit" to them at bedtime. Over the course of many years, he wrote and illustrated detailed, whimsical letters from Father Christmas, populated with a clumsy polar bear, elves and goblins.

In these letters, Father Christmas kept the Tolkien children updated with stories about the hijinks at the North Pole -- the slapsticky North Polar Bear and all the things he broke, firework explosions, the discovery of ancient caves full of old cave drawings, and battles with the goblins. (When Father Christmas couldn't write, his Elvish secretary filled in)

When reading these letters, it's hard to imagine any luckier kids in the Christmases of the '20s and '30s. After all, how many children gets detailed letters and pictures from Father Christmas -- complete with special stamps? Tolkien's love for his kids is evident in the care he took to create these letters, and the affection that comes from "Father Christmas" that is written in.

Tolkien's old-school style of writing is a bit formal and very correct, but he tosses in comments of exasperation, amusement, and in the last letter, a sort of sad resignation that children will grow up. Maybe it is because they were given to real children, not intended for publication, that the letters are only a little cutesy, and never cloying.

And of course, Tolkien's detailed, colorful, fantastical, intricate pictures are what make the letters come alive; you can imagine the Tolkien kids eagerly examining the pictures as well as the written words. They aren't terribly realistic -- Father Christmas never looks quite real -- but their detailed fantastical charm makes up for it, such as the murals on Father Christmas's walls, with suns, moons, stars and trees.

Tolkien also sprinkles the stories with things that his kids were probably intrigued by, like prehistoric cave paintings, fireworks, and a comic bear who causes all kinds of mayhem. And fans of Tolkien's fantasy works will probably enjoy checking out things like the invented Elf language (as written by the secretary Ilbereth) and goblin language. Tolkien includes a letter from the North Polar Bear in the latter language.

"Letters From Father Christmas" won't exactly make you believe in Santa Claus again, but it is one of the prettiest and most charming Christmas picture books out there. Definitely recommended -- and not just for Tolkien fans too.