Tree and Leaf
Tree and Leaf | |
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Author | J.R.R. Tolkien |
Illustrator | Pauline Baynes |
Publisher | George Allen and Unwin (UK) Houghton Mifflin (US) |
Released | 28 May 1964 (UK) March 1965 (US) |
Format | Hardcover; paperback |
Pages | 92 |
ISBN | 0048240133 |
Tree and Leaf is a small anthology published in 1964, originally contains two works by J.R.R. Tolkien, and was illustrated by Pauline Baynes:
- Essay "On Fairy-Stories" (first published in Essays Presented to Charles Williams (1947))
- Short story "Leaf by Niggle" (first published in Dublin Review (1945))
Tree and Leaf was the first publication in which On Fairy-Stories and Leaf by Niggle became readily available to the general public. Both works have been reprinted in collections such as The Tolkien Reader (1966), Poems and Stories (1980), and Tales from the Perilous Realm (1997).
- Poem "Mythopoeia" is included from the 1988 edition.
- Poem "The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth" is included from the 2001 edition.
From the publisher (2001 edition)[edit | edit source]
Repackaged to feature Tolkien’s own painting of the Tree of Amalion, this collection includes his famous essay, ‘On Fairy-stories’ and the story that exemplifies this, ‘Leaf by Niggle’, together with the poem ‘Mythopoeia’ and the verse drama, ‘The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth’, which tells of the events following the disastrous Battle of Maldon.
Fairy-stories are not just for children, as anyone who has read Tolkien will know. In his essay On Fairy-Stories, Tolkien discusses the nature of fairy-tales and fantasy and rescues the genre from those who would relegate it to juvenilia. The haunting short story, Leaf by Niggle, recounts the story of the artist, Niggle, who has ‘a long journey to make’ and is seen as an allegory of Tolkien’s life.
The poem Mythopoeia relates an argument between two unforgettable characters as they discuss the making of myths. Lastly, and published for the very first time, we are treated to the translation of Tolkien’s account of the Battle of Maldon, known as The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth.
Tree and Leaf is an eclectic, amusing, provocative and entertaining collection of works which reveals the diversity of J.R.R. Tolkien’s imagination, the depth of his knowledge of English history, and the breadth of his talent as a creator of fantastic fiction.
Publication history and gallery[edit | edit source]
- Earlier editions
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- George Allen and Unwin, hardcover (1964), pp. 92.
- 1964 hardcover edition, 5th impression (1971), ISBN 0048240133
- Unwin Books, paperback (1964)
- 1964 paperback edition, 3rd impression (1968)
- 1964 paperback edition, 5th impression (1971), ISBN 0048240141
- 1988 and later editions
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- Unwin Hyman, hardcover (1988), pp. 101. ISBN 0044402546
- Unwin Paperbacks, paperback (1988), ISBN 0044402538
- HarperCollins paperback (2001), pp. 176. ISBN 0007105045
- 2001 paperback edition, 8th? impression (2009)
See also[edit | edit source]
External links[edit | edit source]