Mr. Bliss [Import] [Hardcover]

J. R. R. Tolkien (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 108 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; New Ed edition (1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0261102532
• ISBN-13: 978-0261102538
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,815,239 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

J.R.R. Tolkien (1892.1973), beloved throughout the world as the creator of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, was a professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford, a fellow of Pembroke College, and a fellow of Merton College until his retirement in 1959. His chief interest was the linguistic aspects of the early English written tradition, but even as he studied these classics he was creating a set of his own.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Picture Book by Tolkien, May 16, 2000

By 

Mike London "MAC" (Oxford, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Mr. Bliss (Hardcover)

A very eccentric, very British children's story written by Professor Tolkien for his children. Imagine a children's picture book illustrated by the guy who did those two fantasy classics (THE LORD OF THE RINGS and THE HOBBIT), involving a man with tall hats and a bad driving record, and a very British feel, and you have MR BLISS It largely shows his distrust turned hatred of things mechanical that destroy the environment. But make no mistake: this is no propaganda track written to slam pollution, it is first and foremost a story for children, his children. It is basically a humourous exploration, beautifully illustrated, of what could go wrong with an unexperienced driver (namely Mr Bliss). Easily the strangest character is a Girabbit, a type of animal invention that must be particular to British society, or even more localised to Tolkien's imagination, for I have never encountered him anywhere else; it has that feel of Britain, so it would not surprise me if it was British and not Tolkien's own invention. However, all of his children's fiction, save THE HOBBIT, has the particular feel. It is a rabbit with a very long neck (hence the name Girabbit, combining Giraffe and Rabbit).

The story is that a man named Mr Bliss goes and buys a Motor Car. Thru the course of the story, he has several interactions with his neighbours and three bears. His acquisition of a motor car is quite disastrous, and momentarily devastating, and in the end Mr Bliss finds the motor-car unnecessarily troublesome, and has "taken a great dislike to it". This attitude he expressed in the unpublished TALES AND SONGS OF BIMBLE BAY. According to Carpenter, his official biographer, Tolkien took a "charge `em and they scatter" method of driving, and was much more daring than was skillful. But here, it is expressed humourously. If any moral can be drawn from it, it is that motor cars are trouble. Afterward, Tolkien takes this attitude and develops it in a much more sophisticated and mature form in THE LORD OF THE RINGS. But this story delights in being for children, and one notable word play is two characters, of which Mr Bliss had an accident with involving his motor car, go into business together, and they call it after their names, which is Day and Knight. It is this type of word play that makes Tolkien's children's fiction notable.

An interesting note about this story is that it was to be originally published back in 1937 or 1938, when THE HOBBIT had been accepted for publication. On the strength of it, Tolkien had submitted several other shorter works, including Farmer Giles, Roverandom, this, and the Quenta Silmarillion proper. Because of the illustrations it proved uneconomical to publish, and was set aside for years and years, a fate Roverandom would also share (sadly).

The edition I have is nicely down, with a facsimile of the original manuscript on the right hand side (while reading it, on the right) and then text on the left side. His illustrations are nicely done, showing Tolkien's skill as a (physically) visionary and not just a literary artist. His style is definitely all his own. Overall, a nicely down story for Children, written by the master of fantasy, J. R. R. Tolkien.

As a side note, the reason I feel this merits five stars is because of the quality of the material; a conventional reason. But also because of who wrote it: a truly top shelf mind. A man of his level helping to entertain children . . . if I am going to read a picture book to my child or children, I'd rather it be Tolkien than anyone else.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars State of "Bliss", November 27, 2004

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mr. Bliss (Hardcover)

J.R.R. Tolkien's best-known children's story is obviously "The Hobbit," but that wasn't the only book that he penned for kids. One of them was "Mr. Bliss," a charming little picture book with a simple comic plot. Not quite the stuff of classics, but a cute little read with charming illustrations.

Mr. Bliss is a man with a love of tall hats, and a Girabbit (sort of a long-necked rabbit with spots) in his garden. One day Mr. Bliss decides (for no apparent reason) to buy a car. He heads off to visit some friends afterwards, only to collide with a wagon of cabbages, end up with several passengers, and be hijacked by three bears named Archie, Bruno and Teddy.

Like "The Hobbit," this little tale was originally written to entertain Tolkien's children. And though it has an air of whimsy, it was actually based on a real incident: Tolkien's purchase of a car, although presumably he didn't end up being hijacked by teddy bears or any of the other disasters Mr. Bliss has to deal with.

Tolkien's little story never really goes much of anywhere -- he's just creating an eventful day for Mr. Bliss because of his new car. His writing here has a sort of warm puckish quality, much like the earlier parts of "The Hobbit," though obviously much less realistic and without much detail. As picture book prose goes, it's pretty good.

The book also has Tolkien's cute watercolor drawings, which lean heavily on trees and landscapes. What is especially striking is that Tolkien's handwritten writing appears on one side of the page, but it's a bit small and spiky to read easily. So the same words are clearly printed on the opposite pages, in case you can't read Tolkien's handwriting.

"Mr. Bliss" is one of those charming little books that Tolkien wrote for his biggest fans -- his kids. It's no "Hobbit" or "Roverandum," but it is a cute picture book.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great children's book, December 20, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Mr. Bliss (Hardcover)

Not many people know that Tolkien has written a book for children. I found it at a used bookstore a couple months ago, and it is fabulous. On a par with Curious George, Dr. Seuss, and the Berenstain Bears, I loved it! It's the perfect introduction for a youngster into the land of J.R.R. Tolkien.