Customer Reviews

Mr. Bliss

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

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 This attitude he expressed in the unpublished TALES AND SONGS OF BIMBLE BAY.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.

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.

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.

This delightful little story was written and illustrated by Professor Tolkien for his own children when they were young. Meet Mr Bliss, with his immensely tall hats, his customised house and most importantly the girabbit. Mr Bliss decides to buy a motor car and that is when his adventures really begin. Some of Mr Bliss's adventures are entirely attributable to his driving, but who could anticipate being hijacked by three bears?

My inner child and I thoroughly enjoyed the story of Mr Bliss. This story was written in the 1930s but was not published in Professor Tolkien's lifetime. The edition I read was published in 1982 and includes a facsimile of the original manuscript with the printed text on facing pages. The book has been revised and was republished (in the UK) in October 2007.

This is a story to read and enjoy with children. And if you don't have access to children, indulge your inner child and take time out to marvel at this particular manifestation of Professor Tolkien's imagination. Children's libraries everywhere should have a copy of this book, and I dedicate this review to my Amazon librarian friends. I just wish I'd been aware of this book about 20 years ago: I know my son would have loved it.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

. . .by the Master, JRR Tolkien.

Tolkien fans have long known about the existence of Mr. Bliss, but it remained unpublished for decades. Fortunately, this delightful hand printed and self illustrated volume can easily be obtained.

From the moment when Mr. Bliss decides to buy a motor-car, adventures of the most dramatic (and expensive) sort begin to happen. The observant reader will also note names throughout the book which bear resemblance to names in "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings".

This book demonstrates that Tolkien had many gifts -- and that he exercised his creativity outside the realm of Middle-Earth.

A wonderful experience for children aged 4 to 104. I highly recommend it.

I love this book. I am a huge Lord of the Rings/Hobbit/Silmarillion fan, and have recently been reading some of Tolkien's non-Middle-Earth books, this being one of them. This book was written for his children and has illustratons by Tolkien. It's creative and funny, and the pictures are great.

. . .and that can't be said for most of the Big People!

In this wonderful adventure, Mr. Bliss purchases a motorcar (definitely an unhobbitlike device) and proceeds to have all sorts of misadventures with it.

Any hobbit will sympathize with poor Mr. Bliss, living in a world where one is expected to foot the bill for tea for a family as large as the Dorkinses. Any hobbit will sympathize with the terror poor Mr. Bliss experiences driving through Three Bears Wood in the dark. And any hobbit will sympathize with Mr. Bliss's eventually handling of the situation!

Hobbits will also appreciate the fact that many of the Big People in the story have good, sensible hobbit names like Boffin and Gamgee.

A wonderful tale to read to young hobbits in the cool of the evening or before the fireplace.

I bought the book just over a year ago now, and finally got around to reading it yesterday. Well worth it. Although the book is somewhat expensive, at least as a children's book at $38 in Canadian dollars, when everything is considered, the price isn't as extravagant as it first seems. This edition is in a beautiful red slip-case, and the book itself has a stitched binding and is cloth-covered (I've been told that a stitched binding is the best type there is).

Not having ever seen the standard edition of Mr. Bliss, I can't say how the illustrations in this facsimile edition compare, but I've got to say that I like them. You can see each mark used in making the pictures, and I love the variations in tone from differing shades and pressures. According to the book Artist and Illustrator by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull, the illustrations were done in pencil, ink and coloured pencil.

I noticed quite a few similarities to The Hobbit, of course, seeing as Tolkien was writing this one in the 1930's as well - things like calling the hill by the village 'The Hill' etc, and the attitudes of some of the other characters. Also names. Some of the names, I have to wonder if they were in-jokes of sorts. Harper-Collins calls this the definitive edition, and it is, however I'd love to see an edition edited by someone like Flieger to look at the parallels, society of the time, other fairy-tales and also some of the stories and myths about Mr. Bliss that have built up, such as the ones I remember hearing about somewhere that compare it to Tolkien's own driving.

Amusingly, I believe I found an error on the text page for page 44: the text says: "It was as very expensive time." However, as best as I can make out the handwriting, it says "It was a very expensive time." Perhaps someone with a different edition or who is better at picking out Tolkien's handwriting could double check?

Mr. Bliss seems to have been written for children slightly younger than The Hobbit is marketed to, but this edition is definitely geared towards adults. I call it full of charm, both in the story and the illustrations. Love it!

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