TCG Letter #654 / Carpenter Letter #281

Tolkien writes about a new UK paperback edition of The Hobbit. He comments on replacing the note explaining Bilbo's changed story and the two Thrains with some answers to frequently asked questions. He suggests a small change to the map to mark the ruined bridge at the first great bend of the river. He notes that the pictures in the Japanese Hobbit he has just received are "in many ways astonishing".

Additional details from this letter appear in Chronology. He asks that a Pauline Baynes illustrated edition be sent to Hugh Brogan, who has been a fan since he was a young boy and is now "a don at St John's College, Cambridge". He asks Rayner to drop "professor" from his name and use Tolkien more informally.

The original letter is in the Tolkien-George Allen & Unwin archives, HarperCollins.