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The Tolkien Reader

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A collection of material about and by J.R.R. Tolkien, this is a must-have for any fan of Lord of the Rings. It combines several previous publications into one longer book, including "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil" and "Father Giles of Ham."

It begins with an essay by noted fantasy writer Peter Beagle, who also wrote the screenplay for the animated LOTR movie eons and eons ago. "The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm's Son" is radically different from Tolkien's more popular works, in that it is more of a play and less of a short story. It will probably appeal to fewer, given its obscure historical context. "Farmer Giles" is about a rather unusual farmer called on to deal with a rather unusual dragon; this is definitely a light, fluffy, funny story. "Leaf by Niggle" and "On Fairy Stories" are more for the analytical thinkers among Tolkien's fans. "Leaf" is something of a glimpse into Tolkien's own soul, concerning his work and his own mortality. "Fairy Stories," on the other hand, is one of the best-known essays on fantasy works and should be shoved in the face of anyone who denies fantasy's literary worth.

We then lapse into entirely different material. There is a long poem called "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil," written in the style and meter of his songs about himself in LOTR, when he meets the hobbits. It explains a little more about the hearty Maia and his wife Goldberry, as does the second of the poems, "Bombadil Goes Boating." I didn't understand the beautifully written "Errantry" very well; but I did think that the catchy "Princess Mee" was cute, about a little elf princess dancing with her reflection. "The Man in the Moon Came Down Too Soon" is written in a very different style from the similarly titled "Stayed Up," and definitely in a less merry style. There is also the entertaining "Perry the Winkle" and the utterly creepy "Mewlips," and the amusingly jerky "Cat." Also the eerie, beautiful "Sea Bell," which seems almost like a dream.

LOTR fans will recognize some of these poems: "The Man in the Moon Stayed Up Too Late," which fans of LOTR will recognize as the song that Frodo sings in an inn. "Stone Troll", which Sam sang to entertain the others. "Oliphaunt," an old rhyme about certain enormous pachyderms. Others are reminiscent of Middle-Earth: "Fastitocalon," a poem about a creature in the sea; "Shadow Bride," which is reminiscent of Beren and Luthien; "The Hoard," about a massive amount of gold that brings no joy to its owners; and finally "The Last Ship," a tale about a beautiful human girl who is invited by Elves to follow them over the sea.

For unsurpassable prose, nonfiction and poetry, this is where to find the lesser-known gems by J.R.R. Tolkien.

This is the book one should read after they have finished "Lord of the Rings" and just before they are about start "The Silmarillion" or "Unfinished Tales". With the film of "Fellowship..." to come out in December 2001, it is clear that there will be an increased interest in the canon of Tolkien's works.

Peter S. Beagle introduces the book with an essay in which he gives a good analysis of Gollum's character; notice how the creature always spoke in first-person plural. "The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm's Son" is so far Tolkien's only attempt at a play (brief though it is) and at writing something of his own that has the feeling of Beowulf. It is an addendum to what happened after the historical Battle of Maldon when the Danes invaded England. Tolkien was the type who would have felt at home in medieval northern Europe, and probably would have been a scribe like Snorri Sturluson.

The collection called "Tree and Leaf" is another side of Tolkien. "Farmer Giles..." is a non-Middle-earth tale about a medieval knight off to fight a dragon, and "Leaf By Niggle" is a Borges-type of magical realism about a painter trying to create reality out of his art. It is the closest piece, I believe, that Tolkien came to writing what snobs consider "literary".
It stands on its own, as does the classic essay "On Fairy Stories", in which he shows that fairy and/or faery tales are worth the attention of adults. To quote, he believes that fantasy is a higher form of Art, the most pure form and the most potent. He shows that fantasy works very well when it presents themes on recovery, escape, and consolation.

Now for the poetry. Ever wonder who Tom Bombadil really was? He's a bit Falstaffian for a Maia, and I doubt he will be in the film, but somehow Tolkien believed it necessary to include him as part of Frodo's journey to Rivendell. "The Adventures of TB" include Goldberry and Old Man Willow and quite a helping of Hey Come derry-do, merry-dol my darling! These poems begin what is known as The Red Book of Westmarch, originally written by Bilbo Baggins and Sam Gamgee (Tolkien only compiled them). Most of the songs which are about animals, trolls, and the Man-in-the-Moon, seem suited to the ears of children. The poems which stand out, however, are the narratives like "Errantry", "The Hoard", and "The Sea-Bell". Tolkien's poetry is in the classic traditional style of rhyme and meter. There's is nothing "modern" about it, and that is its quality. One who is inclined to reading T.S. Eliot or Wallace Stevens may not enjoy
Tolkien's old-fashioned style. But to readers of Kipling, Masefield, Graves, Sassoon, and Houseman, Tolkien's poetry is a delight, refreshing, and a fine conclusion to a collection of works by one of the best writers of the 20th century.

This book contain's Tolkien's shorter fiction and works, including a play and Leaf by Niggle. There are four works in total:

1. The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth, Beorhthelm's Son: a play dealing with two men after the Battle of Maldon. Interesting, and shows more of the scholarly side of Tolkien.

2. Tree and Leaf: This is a book consisting of two things: his essay on faerie tales, and Leaf By Niggle. Tolkien's essay is now considered one of the main centerpieces of literature defending and validating fantasy and faerie tale (as if THE LORD OF THE RINGS and THE HOBBIT weren't enough). Leaf By Niggle is a very deep work, and basically it deals with his despair of mortality and not being able to finish his mythology, his great work. However, in the end Tolkien shows his glorious hope.

3. Farmer Giles of Ham: a mock medieval story. Everything that THE LORD OF THE RINGS represents, this story pokes fun at and parodies. Very funny story, and shows Tolkien's sense of humour. This was written originally for his children (as much of his stuff was).

4. The Adventures of Tom Bombadil: This is a very misleading title. It is a collection of poetry, and only the first two poems have anything to do with Bombadil. The rest of the poetry deals with Middle-earth, or set therein. It is a nice selection of his verse.

Overall, a well put together anthology. However, it would have been better had it included SMITH OF WOOTTON MAJOR. That, along with the two works constituting TREE AND LEAF, is the closest thing to autobiography he ever wrote, and all three are vitally important in any serious study of Tolkien.

. . .of essays, short stories, poetry, etc. by the Master of Fantasy, JRR Tolkien.

In addition to a fragment of a play, "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil", etc., there is Tolkien's famous essay "On Fairy Stories" which, in the mind of this reviewer, is the seminal work on what "Fairy Tales" actually are, how they are constructed -- and, most importantly, why people want to read and write them. The concept of man as "sub-creator" and the ultimate longing for the Great Escape is explored, as is the final resolution in the Gospel story. Surely a work of sheer brilliance.

As an example of how "Fairy Stories" work, Tolkien provides the reader with his short story "Leaf, by Niggle". Truly it is a gift.

Anyone who wishes to truly understand Tolkien cannot be without this volume.

Not really planned by Tolkien himself, A Tolkien Reader is more properly a Tolkien Sampler. It combines two of his shorter books (The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Farmer Giles of Ham) with other material Tolkien wrote through the years, including the dark and autobiographical allegory "Leaf by Niggle".

Tolkien commentators usually hold out this book as a resource for his "On Fairy-stories" essay (actually the transcript of a lecture Tolkien delivered in the 1930s) and "The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm's Son". Both works are of narrow appeal, however, as they require a minimal knowledge of some scholarly details on the reader's part.

"On Fairy-stories" and "Leaf by Niggle" were originally published as Tree and Leaf in 1964, but they don't really explain how Tolkien achieved The Lord of the Rings. He admitted that the story took on a life of its own, and he ended up incorporating several disparate works into the new mythology he was creating. LoTR fans who want to know more about Middle-earth will find the only relevant material is in The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, a collection of several poems (of which only the first two actually deal with Tom). Tolkien included some explanatory notes.

The Bombadil book was originally composed and produced so Tolkien could present his beloved aging aunt with a special volume in the last year of her life. She died only a few months after it was published.

A Tolkien Reader is perfect for those who love Tolkien's work and are interested in the man himself. "Tree and Leaf" is a fantastic essay in the ways of myth and legend, and really taught me a lot about the very nature of not only the fantasy world, but our own as well. "Beortnoth" wasn't quite so interesting, but "Farmer Giles of Ham" was absolutely hilarious. "Leaf by Niggle," Tolkien's only allegory, is quite touching, and reveals a lot about Tolkien's view of his place in the world. The poetry at the end is positively beautiful. An excellent anthology of Tolkien's lesser-known and shorter works.

I received this book as a birthday gift, but I must confess it took the back burner, but only for a little while. I soon dug into it, an avid Tolkien fan, and found myself slogging through Tolkien's essay on Fairy stories.

First in this edition is a great little summary and analysis of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy, popular in its own right, but now immensely popular at the box office since New Line released the first two novels as major motion pictures. The summary is written by Peter Beagle. Yeah, I know, I never heard of him either, but he summarized the series pretty well, without spoiling anything, so you'll enjoy reading it.

Then there's Tolkien's essay. The essay is somewhat long, and quite a hunk of literary philosophizing to bite off and chew . . . and it took me a while to chew. Once I got done, it was on to the more enjoyable things: Leaf by Niggle, the example and essence of all Tolkien wrote of in his essay, Farmer Giles of Ham, the story of the simple farmer whose one act of bravery, and the subsequent events made him a living legend, and the Adventures of Tom Bombadil.

The Adventures of Tom Bombadil gives little insight into the mysterious character that we briefly encounter in the first novel in the Rings series, The Fellowship of the Ring. He is a merry man whom the four hobbits meet in dire trouble, and who helps them on their journey. (This is the man that many fans of the books were disappointed not to see in New Line's cinematic version) While he seams innocent enough in the book, it is obvious that underneath he carries power, some sort of power, the prevents him from being influenced by the Ring, and gives him authority to command tree and leaf. But you learn little more about this fascinating character in the stories in Adventures of Tom Bombadil. Indeed, that section of the book contains a few poems of the doings of Bombadil, and a few other poems as well, some of which readers of the Rings books will recognize, being sung by the hobbits in the books.

Most of you will probably find Tolkien's essay rather dull and dry, but for the rest, it might be interesting to "get into" Tolkien's mind by reading this, and his insight into the realm of fantasy and tales. Most fans of the Lord of the Rings (and I'm talking FANS, not just movie-goers who liked the movie) will enjoy it, and if not the essay, then for sure the sections of stories and poems that follow.

This is a collection of several of Tolkien's smaller works like his short stories. Most importantly, however, is that it contains his rather hard to find essay entitled "On Fairy Stories" and its demonstration : "Leaf and Niggle." To appreciate more Tolkien's other works (LOTR, etc.) I must recommed reading his essay. Eucatastrophe and all that jazz!

If you loved "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" you should enjoy this book. The Tolkein Reader contains "Farmer Giles of Ham" a fun story about Farmer Giles, a man not inclined to heroism who captures a dragon of emperial lineage, "Tree and Leaf" with Tolkein's essay on fairy stories and the delightful story "Leaf by Niggle". The Adventures of Tom Bombadil is full of lighthearted poetry. Included are several other stories.
My advice? Buy it!!! If you truly enjoy John Ronald Reuel Tolkein's work you won't regret your purchase.

The short works contained in this book provide a variety helping of Tolkien's lesser known writings. They range from lighthearted fun (Farmer Giles of Ham) to his scholarly essay, On Fairy Stories, which provides the best written, best reasoned, justification for the genre of the fairy story ever presented in an academic setting. Read the short story "Leaf by Niggle", then the essay. Then read "Leaf by Niggle" again. You will, perhaps, understand a bit of what I'm trying to convey.

A delightful collection, well worth the read.