TCG Letter #372 / Carpenter Letter #144

From

J.R.R. Tolkien

Naomi Mitchison

Date

25 April 1954

Type

Unknown

Transcript

Partial

Tolkien writes about his use of languages in the book and explains the challenges faced in creating maps for The Lord of the Rings.

He discusses the disappearance of burned manuscripts and why the appendix to the third volume was needed.

He ends by expressing gratitude for Mrs. Mitchison's interest in the work.

Tags

The Lord of the Rings

Genealogy

Elvish

Invented languages

Tom Bombadil

Languages

Greek

Finnish

Latin

Westron

Middle-earth

Maps

E. R. Eddison

Orcs

References

The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien: Revised and Expanded ed. (HarperCollins, UK), pp. 262-70, pp. 622-23 (Carpenter notes)

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien (1981), pp. 173-81, p. 444 (Carpenter notes)

The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide - Chronology (2017), pp. 450-1

The Annotated Hobbit (1988), p. 70

Pity, Power, and Tolkien's Ring: To Rule the Fate of Many, pp. 84, 87, 278n6, 282n3, 287n42

This letter ran to 7 pages.

The Annotated Hobbit: Revised and Updated, p. 108

The Ring of Words, p. 83, 174-5

The Lord of the Rings A Reader's Companion, pp. 8-9, 16-17, 56, 89, 101 (noted as 14 April), 132-33, 249, 295, 375, 387, 492, 677, 683 (noted as 14 April)

Isabelle Pantin, L’ombre de Troie dans l’œuvre de Tolkien, see p. 150, note 3, (Many thanks to Tom Hillman for providing us with references from this article)

War and the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien, pp. 108, 132

J.R.R. Tolkien A Descriptive Bibliography, Di1, p. 350; Dii38, p. 359

J.R.R. Tolkien: Life and Legend, pp. 24-5 (see item 35)

Cartas de J.R.R. Tolkien, pp. 273-81, p. 633 (notas de Carpenter)

Sotheby's, Valuable Printed Books and Manuscripts, London, 27 April 1988, lot 151

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