Customer Reviews

Letters From Father Christmas

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3 star:		(1)
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It is not surprising the creator of Middle Earth, and the father of the fantasy genre, would create such an elaborate, creative collection of Christmas stories for his children. This book is a nice addition to my library, as it contains the text of the letters, as well as Tolkien's hand-drawn illustrations and North Pole post markings.

While this book does not relate to his Middle Earth universe, it is easy to recognize the origin of some of its characters. The goblin attack on Santa's cellar presages the Goblin-Elf wars in Lord of the Rings. Santa's elf-secretary Ilbereth is the obvious progenitor of the ancient elf-queen Elbereth. We even get a glimpse of elvish writing and the goblin alphabet!

If you have the chance, buy the new revised version of this book. I have the 1991 reissue edition. It is only 48 pages long, and omits the letters from 1920 - 1924 and from 1939-1942 . The new edition is one hundred pages longer and contains previously unpublished material.

"Letters From Father Christmas" is stunningly beautiful. I have no words to describe how wonderful this book is. It is a great book for the Christmas season.

"Letters From Father Christmas" is a collection of the Letters that J.R.R. Tolkien's children received from Father Christmas (what they call Santa in England) during the over twenty years between 1920 and 1943.

Each letter is reprinted along with their accompanying illustrations. Father Christmas' letters are beautiful in their own right, but I am blown away by his illustrations. Some of this art deserves to be in a museum.

The letters each tell a story. The North Polar Bear (Santa's friend and assistant) figures prominently in these tales. Other characters (elves, goblins, the snow man--who is Father Christmas's gardener, and the man in the moon) add depth and humor to these tales from the North.

Some of these letters had my daughter rolling with laughter as we read them together. They are quite funny no matter what age you happen to be (the Polar Bear's commentaries had me laughing).

This is a great book. Readers cannot fail to be moved by these letters and stories. I give "Letters From Father Christmas" my highest recommendation.

J.R.R. Tolkien wrote his children a beautifully illustrated letter from Father Christmas each year. They are wonderful and witty adventures, with the holiday ever-threatened by the antics and errors of the bumbling North Polar Bear. Somehow F.C. and the elves always managed to stay up all night and make enough toys to save the day. The original edition of these letters, "The Father Christmas Letters," has been hard to find for some years. This newer edition was promising- each letter was enclosed in an envelope (much like the "Griffin and Sabine" books)- a nice touch, and expensive for the publisher to produce. Unfortunately, they did not go to the additional expense of actually including the full letters if they were longer than one page, as many are. Each year gets a single page, regardless of the actual length of the original letter. So many of the stories and adventures are cut off with no resolution. This edition is poorly slapped-together and unworthy of the artistry of the originals. Whomever is responsible should be ashamed.

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.

Entertaining letters written by Tolkien for his children. Out of these type of activities grew his masterpiece - THE LORD OF THE RINGS. He wrote these stories for his children, whilst involved with the more serious work of his mythology. But the culmination of his children's fiction - THE HOBBIT, was so successful that it was published and Unwin wanted a sequel.

That said, these letters are good, and on the same quality as ROVERANDOM and FARMER GILES. Both of those are abundant in word play. These are fascinating, and good holiday stories. The chief complaint I have with these are they were not all published. As I understand it, some of the letters that are published are lacking the entire letter. However, the selection of 1925 to 1939, although for some reason it seems I read it continued on to 1945. That might be in error. The letter in 1920, only a note, is included in facsimile, but for some reason the letters of 1921 to 1924 are missing. A severe misfortune. However, if you are looking for light holiday fare (all of his children's fiction is light fare, with the possible exception of THE HOBBIT), this is the place for it. Afterward, read ROVERANDOM and FARMER GILES OF HAM. Narnia is better than both, of course.

My father's copy remains one of my favorite Christmas books, but when I bought this planning on reading it to my children, I hadn't noticed that many of the letters were cut short without any warning or explaination.

If you plan on buying this FANTASTIC book, avoid the version with fold out letters enclosed within. All the letters are cut down to one page, regardless of their original length.

The beloved J. R. R. Tolkien, author of "Lord of the Rings", wrote and illustrated them a variety of letters to friends and relatives in honor of Christmas season which is now Christmas past. His ornate and fanciful handwritings are works of art in themselves and add to the whimsy of his handcrafted tales and fables. At this point there are four or five editions of the Father Christmas letters in print. From the miniature which weighs three ounces to this one which is a full by nine inches by twelve inches. This Houghton Mifflin revised 1999 edition is a tall book filled with full-page glossy reproductions with previously unpublished material. One young woman who was about to have her first child last year asked me about J.R.R. Tolkien's relationship with his family, in a way this is one the best ways to find out as you see the love and care that he put in to the production of these items, which he wrote only to amuse his family and not for publication. Humphery Carpenter in his 1977 authorized biography of J, R.R. In a way Tolkien's early work sort makes me think of Beatrix Potter though it looks nothing like her work, but then again they were both world builders of sorts Tolkien includes a wonder description of Tolkien not having enough money to take his children on a train ride instead taking the down to the train station to wistfully watch the trains come and go. Though I am not the worlds greatest collector I have to say it is wonderful feeling to have all of the editions to sort of play with. Lucky 157 Pages, Color Drawings

I wish I had seen this book earlier when my children still believed. I would have loved to do the same and send Christmas notes back to them! These notes however are incredibly creative and I would have had a hard time living up to the quality of Tolkien's writing.

This book is a top Christmas book in my household. It and "Polar Express" are a favorite read after we open up the x-mas box and put up the tree.

New editions of J.R.R. Tolkien classics return these fine presentations to new generations of readers. Tolkien's Letters From Father Christmas arrived too late for holiday recommendation but this deserves a place on bookshelves as a fine set of letters from 'Father Christmas' telling of life at the North Pole. This revised edition provides new material, including letters and pictures not seen in previous editions. Beautifully done.

I am a big Tolkien fan but this book was new to me. It was a thrill to find and a thrill to read. I started over 20 years ago giving a Christmas book to my mother in November. I search for something special every year and the names on my Christmas book list keep growing. (I like to think it's because of my inspired choices.) LETTERS FROM FATHER CHRISTMAS has zoomed to the top of the list. The title doesn't do it justice. It is a marvelous story about Father Christmas, elves, polar bears, goblins and adventure. It also combines a family story and reflects a marvelous and moving sense of place and time. Pure genius. Get it for everyone on your list.