Letters not published in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien: Difference between revisions

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===1950s===
===1950s===
*[[Letter to Milton Waldman|1951, to Milton Waldman]] (see also [[Letter 131]])
*[[Letter to Milton Waldman|1951, to Milton Waldman]] (see also [[Letter 131]])
*[[Letter to Iona and Peter Opie|25 November 1951, to Iona and Peter Opie]]
*[[Letter to Iona and Peter Opie|25 November 1951, to Iona and Peter Opie]]
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*[[Letter to Doris Elizabeth Sykes (July 1956)|?Early July 1956, to Doris Elizabeth Sykes]]
*[[Letter to Doris Elizabeth Sykes (July 1956)|?Early July 1956, to Doris Elizabeth Sykes]]
*[[Letter to Terence Tiller|19 September 1956, to Terence Tiller]]
*[[Letter to Terence Tiller|19 September 1956, to Terence Tiller]]
*[[Letter to Mr Britten (5 November 1956)|5 November 1956, to Mr. Britten]]
*[[Letter to Mr Britten (11 November 1956)|11 November 1956, to Mr. Britten]]
*[[Letter to Miss Stanley-Smith (22 November 1956)|22 November 1956, to Miss Stanley-Smith]]
*[[Letter to Miss Stanley-Smith (22 November 1956)|22 November 1956, to Miss Stanley-Smith]]
*[[Letter to Anthony Roberts|8 December 1956, to Anthony Roberts]]
*[[Letter to Mr Britten (16 December 1956)|16 December 1956, to Mr. Britten]]
*[[Letter to Miss Stanley-Smith (19 December 1956)|19 December 1956, to Miss Stanley-Smith]]
*[[Letter to Miss Stanley-Smith (19 December 1956)|19 December 1956, to Miss Stanley-Smith]]
*[[Letter to Deirdre Levinson (20 December 1956)|20 December 1956, to Deirdre Levinson]]
*[[Letter to Deirdre Levinson (20 December 1956)|20 December 1956, to Deirdre Levinson]]
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*[[Letter to George Lewis Hersch|30 August 1960, to George Lewis Hersch]]
*[[Letter to George Lewis Hersch|30 August 1960, to George Lewis Hersch]]


*[[Letter to Christopher Fettes|1961, to Christopher Fettes]]
*[[Letter to Madam Ossendrijver (5 January 1961)|5 January 1961, to Ossendrijver]] (see also [[Letter 227]])
*[[Letter to Madam Ossendrijver (5 January 1961)|5 January 1961, to Ossendrijver]] (see also [[Letter 227]])
*[[Letter to Mr Hart|9 May 1961, to Mr. Hart]]
*[[Letter to Mr Hart|9 May 1961, to Mr. Hart]]
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*[[Letter to Jan Broberg|1 June 1961, to Jan Broberg]]
*[[Letter to Jan Broberg|1 June 1961, to Jan Broberg]]
*[[Letter to Rhona Beare (8 June 1961)|8 June 1961, to Rhona Beare]]
*[[Letter to Rhona Beare (8 June 1961)|8 June 1961, to Rhona Beare]]
*[[Letter to Mr. Gilmore (3 July 1961)|3 July 1961, to Mr. Gilmore]]
*[[Letter to Paul Barnetson|13 November 1961, to Paul Barnetson]]
*[[Letter to Paul Barnetson|13 November 1961, to Paul Barnetson]]
*[[Letter to Jane Neave (15 November 1961)|15 November 1961, to Jane Neave]]
*[[Letter to Jane Neave (15 November 1961)|15 November 1961, to Jane Neave]]
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*[[Letter to Madam Ossendrijver (6 December 1963)|6 December 1963, to Ossendrijver]]
*[[Letter to Madam Ossendrijver (6 December 1963)|6 December 1963, to Ossendrijver]]
*[[Letter to Baronne A. Baeyens|c. 16 December 1963, to Baronne A. Baeyens]]
*[[Letter to Baronne A. Baeyens|c. 16 December 1963, to Baronne A. Baeyens]]
*[[Letter to Jonathan Hepworth|18 December 1963, to Jonathan Hepworth and his father]]
*[[Letter to Nancy Smith (Christmas 1963)|Christmas 1963, to Nancy Smith]]
*[[Letter to Nancy Smith (Christmas 1963)|Christmas 1963, to Nancy Smith]]


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*[[Letter to Colin Bailey|13 May 1964, to Colin Bailey]]
*[[Letter to Colin Bailey|13 May 1964, to Colin Bailey]]
*[[Letter to Jane T. Sibley|30 May 1964, to J. Sibley]]
*[[Letter to Jane T. Sibley|30 May 1964, to J. Sibley]]
*[[Letter to Sue Parman|6 June 1964, to Sue Parman]]
*[[Letter to W.R. Matthews|13-15 June 1964, to Mr. W.R. Matthews]]
*[[Letter to W.R. Matthews|13-15 June 1964, to Mr. W.R. Matthews]]
*[[Letter to Alan White|10 July 1964, to Alan White]]
*[[Letter to Alan White|10 July 1964, to Alan White]]
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*[[Letter to Joan O. Falconer|24 January 1965, to Joan O. Falconer]]
*[[Letter to Joan O. Falconer|24 January 1965, to Joan O. Falconer]]
*[[Letter to Nan C. Scott (20 May 1965)|20 May 1965, to Nan C. Scott]]  
*[[Letter to Nan C. Scott (20 May 1965)|20 May 1965, to Nan C. Scott]]  
*[[The Antioch Review Winter 2015|20 May 1965, to Sue Parman]]
*[[Letter to unknown recipient (28 May 1965)|28 May 1965, to unknown reader]]
*[[Letter to unknown recipient (28 May 1965)|28 May 1965, to unknown reader]]
*[[Letter to Donald Swann (7 June 1965)|7 June 1965, to Donald Swann]]
*[[Letter to Donald Swann (7 June 1965)|7 June 1965, to Donald Swann]]
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*[[Letter to Clyde S. Kilby (20 October 1965)|20 October 1965, to Clyde S. Kilby]]
*[[Letter to Clyde S. Kilby (20 October 1965)|20 October 1965, to Clyde S. Kilby]]
*[[Letter to Nan C. Scott (25 Ocotber 1965)|25 October 1965, to Nan C. Scott]]
*[[Letter to Nan C. Scott (25 Ocotber 1965)|25 October 1965, to Nan C. Scott]]
*[[Letter to Mr Cowan|28 October 1965, to Mr Cowan]]
*[[Letter to Michael George Tolkien (30 October 1965)|30 October 1965, to Michael George Tolkien]]
*[[Letter to Michael George Tolkien (30 October 1965)|30 October 1965, to Michael George Tolkien]]
*[[Letter to J.L.N. O'Loughlin (30 October 1965)|30 October 1965, to J.L.N. O'Loughlin]]
*[[Letter to J.L.N. O'Loughlin (30 October 1965)|30 October 1965, to J.L.N. O'Loughlin]]
*[[Letter to Mr Lancashire|3 December 1965, Mr Lancashire]]
*[[Letter to Mr Lancashire|3 December 1965, to Mr Lancashire]]
*[[Letter to G.S. Rigby Jr.|6 December 1965, G.S. Rigby Jr.]]
*[[Letter to G.S. Rigby Jr.|6 December 1965, to G.S. Rigby Jr.]]
*[[Letter to William McCullam|9 December 1965, to William McCullam]]
*[[Letter to William McCullam|9 December 1965, to William McCullam]]
*[[Letter to Jane Dixon|9 December 1965, to Jane Dixon]]
*[[Letter to Jane Dixon|9 December 1965, to Jane Dixon]]
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*[[Letter to Mary Fairburn (4 November 1968)|4 November 1968, to Mary Fairburn]]
*[[Letter to Mary Fairburn (4 November 1968)|4 November 1968, to Mary Fairburn]]
*[[Letter to Mr. Wordsworth (16 November 1968)|16 November 1968 to Mr. Wordsworth]]
*[[Letter to Mr. Wordsworth (16 November 1968)|16 November 1968 to Mr. Wordsworth]]
*[[Letter to  Mrs Parke (December 1968)|December 1968,to  Mrs Parke]]
*[[Letter to  Mrs Parke (December 1968)|December 1968, to  Mrs Parke]]


*[[Letter to Maria Mroczkowska|?1969, to Maria Mroczkowska]]
*[[Letter to Bridget MacKenzie (3 January 1969)|3 January 1969, to Bridget MacKenzie]]
*[[Letter to Bridget MacKenzie (3 January 1969)|3 January 1969, to Bridget MacKenzie]]
*[[Letter to Niall, David and Catherine Mcall|3 January 1969, to Niall, David and Catherine Mcall]]  
*[[Letter to Niall, David and Catherine Mcall|3 January 1969, to Niall, David and Catherine Mcall]]  
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*[[Letter to Bruce Charlton|14 June 1973, to Bruce Charlton]] (''per procurationem'')
*[[Letter to Bruce Charlton|14 June 1973, to Bruce Charlton]] (''per procurationem'')
*[[Letter to Norman Power|8 July 1973, to Canon Norman Power]]
*[[Letter to Norman Power|8 July 1973, to Canon Norman Power]]
*[[Letter to Campbell|28 July 1973, to Campbell]]
*[[Letter to Glyn Daniel|25 August 1973, to Glyn Daniel]]
*[[Letter to Glyn Daniel|25 August 1973, to Glyn Daniel]]


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==Unexposed collections and rumours==
==Unexposed collections and rumours==
=== Correspondence between Tolkien and Sigurður Nordal ===
A couple of letters from Tolkien to [[wikipedia:WP:Sigurður Nordal|Sigurður Nordal]], writer and Professor of Icelandic Language and Literature, are kept at the National and University Library of Iceland.<ref>{{webcite|author=[[Beregond, Anders Stenström]]|articleurl=http://tolkienseminariet.wordpress.com/2020/11/19/5-december-2019/|articlename=5 december 2019|dated=19 November 2020|website=[http://tolkienseminariet.wordpress.com Tolkienseminariet.wordpress.com]|accessed=19 November 2020}}</ref>


=== Correspondence between Tolkien and R.W. Burchfield ===
=== Correspondence between Tolkien and R.W. Burchfield ===
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=== Correspondence between Tolkien and Joni Mitchell ===
=== Correspondence between Tolkien and Joni Mitchell ===


In the mid-sixties, Joni Mitchell became a "[[Tolkien fandom|fan]]" of Tolkien,<ref>Anne Karppinen, ''The Songs of Joni Mitchell: Gender, Performance and Agency'', pp. 52-3</ref> after being introduced to his works by her husband Chuck. The couple set up a publishing and recording business for their material related to Middle-earth, and they wrote Tolkien "letters and got his permission to use names from his books for our bits of business". The correspdondence between Tolkien and Joni and Chuck Mitchell apparently took place no sooner than [[1965]] and not later than [[1969]].<ref>{{webcite|author=Chuck Mitchell|articleurl=http://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=1892|articlename=History of Gandalf Publishing|dated=9 June 2008|website=[http://jonimitchell.com/ jonimitchell.com]|accessed=14 March 2017}}</ref> It is unknown if Tolkien answered their letters in person or if they were written by a representative.
In the mid-sixties, singer-songwriter [[Wikipedia:Joni Mitchell|Joni Mitchell]] became a "[[Tolkien fandom|fan]]" of Tolkien,<ref>Anne Karppinen, ''The Songs of Joni Mitchell: Gender, Performance and Agency'', pp. 52-3</ref> after being introduced to his works by her husband Chuck. The couple set up a publishing and recording business for their material related to Middle-earth, and they wrote Tolkien "letters and got his permission to use names from his books for our bits of business". The correspdondence between Tolkien and Joni and Chuck Mitchell apparently took place no sooner than [[1965]] and not later than [[1969]].<ref>{{webcite|author=Chuck Mitchell|articleurl=http://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=1892|articlename=History of Gandalf Publishing|dated=9 June 2008|website=[http://jonimitchell.com/ jonimitchell.com]|accessed=14 March 2017}}</ref> It is unknown if Tolkien answered their letters in person or if the replies were written by a representative. A letter of admiration from Joni Mitchell to Tolkien will be published in ''[[Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth]]'' ([[2018]]).<ref>{{webcite|author=Tom Tivnan|articleurl=http://www.thebookseller.com/news/bodleian-library-unearths-new-tolkien-507701|articlename=Bodleian Library unearths new Tolkien|dated=14 March 2017|website=[http://www.thebookseller.com/ www.thebookseller.com]|accessed=14 March 2017}}</ref>


===Letters to The Society===
===Letters to The Society===

Revision as of 10:01, 10 October 2021

The name Letters refers to more than one character, item or concept. For a list of other meanings, see Letters (disambiguation).

The The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien is a large collection of letters of Tolkien, but it is far from complete. Below are some letters that did not make it into the collection, or only partially.

Individual letters

1890s

1900s

1910s

1920s

1930s

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

Unknown year

Unexposed collections and rumours

Correspondence between Tolkien and Sigurður Nordal

A couple of letters from Tolkien to Sigurður Nordal, writer and Professor of Icelandic Language and Literature, are kept at the National and University Library of Iceland.[4]

Correspondence between Tolkien and R.W. Burchfield

During the years 1953-72, Tolkien corresponded with R.W. Burchfield. The collection of letters is kept at the Bodleian Library:[5]

Correspondence between J.R.R. Tolkien and R.W. Burchfield, 1953-72. / Shelfmark: MS. Eng. c. 7284, fols. 1-16. / Extent: 16 leaves. / Comprises ten manuscript, and typescript letters, and one copy letter from Tolkien to Burchfield, relating to Burchfield's attendance at tutorials, his search for housing in Oxford, his application for funding for his research, his search for an academic post, his congratulations on the publication of The Fellowship of the Ring, an extension for his work on 'Ormulum', and Tolkien's edition of Ancrene Wisse: The English Text of the Ancrene Riwle, and one letter from Burchfield to Tolkien relating to the printing of Ancrene Wisse. Also a description of the letters by Elizabeth Burchfield, widow of R.W. Burchfield. / Acquisition: Bequest of R.W. Burchfield, per Elizabeth Burchfield, Dec. 2004.

Correspondence between Tolkien and Pablo Martínez del Río

José Manuel Ferrández Bru has noted that a collection of Tolkien's letters to Pablo Martínez del Río, whose younger cousins Tolkien took to vacation in Paris in 1913, has been donated to the Centro de Estudios de Historia de México of Condumex. As of 2011, Ferrández Bru wrote that Tolkien's letters unfortunately "are mixed with huge numbers of other documents" and that it will take years before they have been catalogued and available for research.[6]

Correspondence between Tolkien and Sterling E. Lanier

In an article in Locus #149 (1973), the science fiction author Sterling E. Lanier mentions his correspondence with Tolkien, consisting of a "dozen or so" letters. John D. Rateliff has provided the following quote from Lanier's article:[7]

His last great legacy to the world, the Silmarillion, has been saved. He wrote me years ago, that it was done in verse! He seemed puzzled in a mild way, that at the time, no publisher seemed interested in it. I recall asking what he was doing for a comic or light element, since no Hobbits existed this early. He agreed this was a problem, but felt it could be solved. I can't wait."

Correspondence between Tolkien and Joni Mitchell

In the mid-sixties, singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell became a "fan" of Tolkien,[8] after being introduced to his works by her husband Chuck. The couple set up a publishing and recording business for their material related to Middle-earth, and they wrote Tolkien "letters and got his permission to use names from his books for our bits of business". The correspdondence between Tolkien and Joni and Chuck Mitchell apparently took place no sooner than 1965 and not later than 1969.[9] It is unknown if Tolkien answered their letters in person or if the replies were written by a representative. A letter of admiration from Joni Mitchell to Tolkien will be published in Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth (2018).[10]

Letters to The Society

A collection of Tolkien's letters to The Society is kept at the Bodleian Library.[11]

Letters to Simonne d'Ardenne

John and Priscilla Tolkien mention briefly in The Tolkien Family Album that Simonne d'Ardenne: "was especially close to Priscilla, up until her death in 1986. She entrusted to Priscilla a great bundle of letters she had received from J.R.R.T. over a period of forty years." (p.68). This large collection of letters seems never to have reached a publication.

Letters to the Hogans

In the article "Tolkien's time in 'Erin'" (in anticipation of the publication of the Irish translation of The Hobbit), published in The Irish Times on 17 March 2012, Dr. Tom Hogan mentions that Tolkien:

stayed many times in our house on visits to Ireland. These visits started in the 1950s. He came to Ireland for a couple of weeks each year acting as an external examiner of English in UCD. He worked alongside my late father Jeremiah who was professor of English there at the time. A number of letters from Tolkien to us are in my possession.

No dates of individual letters are provided, but Hogan quotes from several letters in the article.[12]

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien (expanded edition)

On February 2nd, 2004, TheOneRing.net featured an article on the Tolkien Convention in Brussels. An expanded edition of The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien was promised:

"...on the occasion of TFY's presentation on January 19, Marco Respinti and Oronzo Cilli, in the presence of Elisabetta Sgarbi (Editorial Director of Bompiani), spoke of the possibility of a revision of the Italian edition of Tolkien's letters, gathered by his son Christopher and his official biographer, Humprey Carpenter. Bompiani decided to publish a new edition, revised and enlarged, and the Italian Tolkien Society is in contant with an english publisher to have an international version of the book. The volume will be introduced by an essay of Priscilla Tolkien and it will boast contributions by Tolkien experts as Mike Foster, Christopher Garbowski, Brian Rosebury, Andrew McMurry, Paolo Paron, Gianfranco de Turris, Adolfo Morganti, Marco Respinti, Oronzo Cilli, Stefano Giuliano, Jimmy Chavez, Jeroen Van Den Berg, David Beatene and many others. In fact Cilli has managed to obtain from the British Public Record Office the rights to the publication of some documents regarding Tolkien's experience in the First World War. The new edition might include these new documents (never published before in any book) and a short essay on Tolkien and the war."

The Tea Towel Letter

The web site Tolkien Collector's Guide has an article (on a rare tea towel) with a reference from a supposedly unpublished letter. The background is that George Allen and Unwin in 1971 commissioned the towel, featuring a map by Pauline Baynes, on the occasion of a celebration. The author of the article says: "[...] it is clear Tolkien was there, since I read in an (unpublished) letter he himself had received such a teatowel at the 'party' or 'meeting' and was very happy with it."[13]

Wheelbarrows at Dawn

Similarly to what was done in the Black & White Ogre Country: The Lost Tales of Hilary Tolkien, glimpses of the correspondence between J.R.R. Tolkien and his brother Hilary were supposed to be published in late 2010 in Wheelbarrows at Dawn: Memories of Hilary Tolkien. However, the publication of the latter book was cancelled, and the letters remain unpublished (as of November 2010).

In early 2015, Hilary Tolkien's "archive of family letters, family photographs & ephemera" was put up for sale, "including 15 unseen long letters by JRR Tolkien himself".[14]

Hoaxes

The Letters, Part II

Throughout the early issues of Vinyar Tengwar, there was reference to "The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien part II", but it was revealed to be a joke.[source?]

Dr. Higgins and possible eBay frauds

The forum of the website Tolkien Collector's Guide contains discussions (in which Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull have taken part) on a circulation on eBay of fraudulent Tolkien letters. Among these are said to be letters adressed to a "Dr. Higgins". Many of these contested letters are typewritten, with a signature by J.R.R. Tolkien in blue ink. The forger, Alan Formhals, was found guilty at Southampton Crown Court in 2012.[15][16]

See also

External links

References

  1. "London University: Institute of Germanic and Romance Studies: Closs/Priebsch Family Papers", Archives in London and the M25 area (accessed 19 July 2012)
  2. J.R.R. Tolkien, "Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in The Lord of the Rings", in Parma Eldalamberon XVII (edited by Christopher Gilson), p. 40
  3. J.R.R. Tolkien, "Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in The Lord of the Rings", in Parma Eldalamberon XVII (edited by Christopher Gilson), p. 127
  4. Beregond, Anders Stenström, "5 december 2019" dated 19 November 2020, Tolkienseminariet.wordpress.com (accessed 19 November 2020)
  5. "Guard-book of miscellaneous items, 19th-20th cent.", Bodleian.ox.ac.uk (accessed 19 March 2012)
  6. José Manuel Ferrández Bru, "'Wingless fluttering'": Some Personal Connections in Tolkien's Formative Years", in ’Tolkien Studies, Vol. VIII (eds. Douglas A. Anderson, Michael D.C. Drout, Verlyn Flieger), pp. 63-4 (note 21)
  7. John D. Rateliff, "The New Arrivals (2nd of 2)" dated 8 July 2012, Sacnoth's Scriptorium (accessed 9 July 2012)
  8. Anne Karppinen, The Songs of Joni Mitchell: Gender, Performance and Agency, pp. 52-3
  9. Chuck Mitchell, "History of Gandalf Publishing" dated 9 June 2008, jonimitchell.com (accessed 14 March 2017)
  10. Tom Tivnan, "Bodleian Library unearths new Tolkien" dated 14 March 2017, www.thebookseller.com (accessed 14 March 2017)
  11. "Catalogue of papers of The Society, University of Oxford", Bodleian Library (accessed 16 January 2012)
  12. Tom Hogan, "Tolkien's time in 'Erin'" dated 17 March 2012, IrishTimes.com (accessed 19 March 2012)
  13. "Tea Towel" dated 17 September 2008, Tolkien Collector's Guide (accessed 14 June 2013)
  14. "The Wonders of..." dated 27 January 2015, Tolkien Collector's Guide (accessed 30 January 2015)
  15. Another Tolkien eBay Letter at TolkienGuide.com (accessed 29 November 2011)
  16. Stephanie Linning, "Fraudster forged signatures of Winston Churchill, Elizabeth I, Oliver Cromwell and Pablo Picasso to scam more than £33,000 out of collectors" dated 9 September 2014, Mail Online (accessed 25 June 2015)