246. Tolkien (J.R.R., author and philologist, 1892-1973) Typed Letter signed to a female ?member of his family, 1p. only, 8vo, n.p., n.d. , answering an enquiry about The Hobbit, “As for ‘The Hobbit’. There are a fair number of corrections needed. I keep sending them to Allen and Unwin but nothing seems to get put right in a hurry. The[y] lost the corrected ‘moon-lather runes’ for Thror’s map: so the map and text do not correspond”, commenting on her choice of an Oxford College, “The whole organisation being terribly democratic (since it is medieval in origin) is also terribly cumbrous, complicated, and slow-moving. Have you any burning reason for picking Somerville? Apart from any private or family reasons for choice, I should myself have selected Lady Margaret Hall, at any rate for anyone reading English”, and news about Aunt Jane’s move to Lincolnshire, “In all my life I have only once before penetrated Lincolnshire. The experience was astonishing. I spent a little while in the Minster. My most pungent memory is of a card over the tomb of little Saint Hugh. It stated that his story was told by Chaucer in the Prior’s Tale! Unless Lincoln is in Asia that can hardly be true, nor could the card have been written by anyone who has read the tale”, very small tear in right hand margin not affecting text.
est. £300 – £400
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