Poems and Stories

Contains the previously-published contents of The Tolkien Reader and Smith of Wooton Major, i.e. all the significant non-Hobbit/LOTR (and non-scholarly) work published during Tolkien''s lifetime. The work is nicely printed and bound, in a slipcase, with additional illustrations by Pauline Baynes to those which had already appeared, and two-colour printing for the illustrations and some headings.

Of major interest: "On Fairy-Stories", originally published in Essays Presented to Charles Williams, which sets out Tolkien''s model of man as subcreator and makes an apology for the fantastic in literature.

Smith of Wooton Major: this can be viewed as an allegory but is mainly a version of the old motif of the mortal who goes under hill. (Thomas show more Rhymer, etc.)

Of more minor interest: the poems, which are occasional poems connected by a later casting as coming from the Shire; "Leaf by Niggle", which really is an allegory, about Purgatory; "The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm's Son" which is of particular interest if one knows The Battle of Maldon and acts as a declaration of Tolkien''s views on "the northern theory of heroism". "Farmer Giles of Ham" is a rather older tall tale set in the mythical Britain of Geoffrey of Monmouth, inspired mainly as a philologist's joke.

These have been variously mixed and remixed since the date of publication. This particular edition may be preferred because it presents the the works with (largely) the art and presentation which Tolkien had approved when still alive. show less

Fast read for an enjoyable evening.

I read the whole anthology and was not disappointed. This was my 1st read of all but the last 2 short stories.