The printable version is no longer supported and may have rendering errors. Please update your browser bookmarks and please use the default browser print function instead.
Tales from the Perilous Realm is a compilation, first published in 1997, of several stories and poems by J.R.R. Tolkien, which had been previously published separately.
Its only major relation to Middle-earth is The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, which features the character Tom Bombadil.
First edition
The first edition of the book (1997) includes:
Expanded edition
An expanded edition was published in September 2008, followed by the full-cast dramatization in October. In this edition is included the story Roverandom, essay On Fairy-Stories, as well as an introduction and afterword. It is illustrated by Alan Lee.
From the publisher
The five tales are written with the same skill, quality and charm that made The Hobbit a classic. Largely overlooked because of their short lengths, they are finally together in a volume which reaffirms Tolkien's place as a master storyteller for readers young and old.
- Roverandom is a toy dog who, enchanted by a sand sorcerer, gets to explore the world and encounter strange and fabulous creatures.
- Farmer Giles of Ham is fat and unheroic, but – having unwittingly managed to scare off a short-sighted giant – is called upon to do battle when a dragon comes to town;
- The Adventures of Tom Bombadil tells in verse of Tom's many adventures with hobbits, princesses, dwarves and trolls;
- Leaf by Niggle recounts the strange adventures of the painter Niggle who sets out to paint the perfect tree;
- Smith of Wootton Major journeys to the Land of Faery thanks to the magical ingredients of the Great Cake of the Feast of Good Children.
Publication history and gallery
- UK editions
| 1997 hardcover first edition
|
| 2002 paperback 5th impression
|
| 2008 hardcover expanded edition
|
| 2008 hardcover deluxe edition
|
|
- HarperCollins hardcover (1997), pp. 178. ISBN 0261103423 - (first edition, cover art by Roger Garland)
- HarperCollins paperback (1998), pp. 192. ISBN 0261103431
- HarperCollins paperback (2002), ISBN 0007149123 - (cover based on J.R.R. Tolkien's artwork)
- 2002 paperback edition, 5th impression
- HarperCollins hardcover (2008), pp. 432. ISBN 0007257546 - (expanded edition, illustrated by Alan Lee)
- HarperCollins hardcover with slipcase (2008), ISBN 000728618X
- HarperCollins paperback (2009), ISBN 0007280599
- HarperCollins hardcover (2021), ISBN 0008453349
- 2009 paperback edition, 18th impression (2024)