1937

15 December 1937

J.R.R. Tolkien to Arthur Ransome

#105

Replying to Arthur Ransome's letter of 13th December Tolkien opens with exclamations of honour at receiving a letter from Ransome. Tolkien apologizes fo...

1955

14 May 1955

J.R.R. Tolkien to Mrs Frost

#2239

This letter was sent to a Mrs Frost in Ravello, Italy, who very much liked the first two volumes of The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien hoped she would also ...

28 July 1955

J.R.R. Tolkien to Mrs. Dixey

#206

Tolkien wishes that Mrs. Dixey will enjoy reading the as yet unpublished Return of the King, telling her that there are about 100 pages of appendices. I...

8 September 1955

J.R.R. Tolkien to Mrs. Souch

#209

Tolkien answers a letter discussing among other things the delay in the last volume of The Lord of the Rings. He hopes the final volume is close to publ...

13 October 1955

J.R.R. Tolkien to Miss Nicholson

#2240

Tolkien thanks Miss Nicholson, who was 12 at the time and lived in California, for her letter and talks about his holiday in “Gondor” (Italy) and th...

22 October 1955

J.R.R. Tolkien to Mr. Mitchell

#212

Letter to Mr. Mitchell, about reading The Lord of the Rings and extends offer to sign his 3 volumes. Tolkien hopes that his success with the The Lord of...

23 December 1955

J.R.R. Tolkien to Audrey Bayley

#1234

Letter from Tolkien to Audrey Bayley, in response to a fan letter, hoping that the success of The Lord of the Rings will lead to the publication of the ...

1956

21 March 1956

J.R.R. Tolkien to Ernest Rasdall

#241

Tolkien confirms that a parcel arrived safely but due to being unwell and during a busy time he had not replied. Tolkien will return the books (Hammond/...

12 April 1956

J.R.R. Tolkien to Mrs Earle

#238

Written shortly after the publication of his new trilogy, Tolkien's letter comprises a thoughtful reply to a fan, Mrs Earle, who evidently was so excite...

8 December 1956

J.R.R. Tolkien to Mr. [Anthony] Roberts

#281

Tolkien replies to a fan letter with pleasure that Mr. Roberts is enjoying The Lord of the Rings. He makes a brief mention of his First and Second Age s...

1957

3 May 1957

J.R.R. Tolkien to Charles Blackwood

#288

A letter to a young fan named Charles Blackwood. Discusses runes, Tolkien remarks that he did not invent the runes in The Hobbit. See for more details.

1958

C. 1958

J.R.R. Tolkien to unknown

#1092

A brief note thanking a fan for their letter about The Lord of the Rings. A typeset of part of the letter exists in the Marquette archives.

1959

26 May 1959

J.R.R. Tolkien to Miss Robinson

#345

A brief letter from Tolkien thanking Miss Robinson for her letter and the mention of her enjoyment of his work.

12 August 1959

J.R.R. Tolkien to Dell

#1037

Tolkien writes his thanks for Dell's letter and forwards a copy to his US publishers.

1960

7 January 1960

J.R.R. Tolkien to Mr. K.F. Mawson

#452

A fascinating letter on the labors of producing his iconic work, concluding with a humorous aside on real-life namesakes of his famous characters. A pho...

1961

3 July 1961

J.R.R. Tolkien to Mr. Gilmore

#471

Writing to Mr. Gilmore, Tolkien explains that there will not be a sequel to The Lord of the Rings, with observations on the end of stories and that the ...

13 November 1961

J.R.R. Tolkien to Paul Barnetson

#486

Tolkien thanks Mr. Barnetson for his letter, He does not consider the book to be based on "German or Icelandic folklore" but says it has a northern air ...

29 December 1961

J.R.R. Tolkien to Miss Perry

#494

Tolkien replies to Perry explaining his delay as be is not able to remember addresses and that his papers are not in order. Tolkien goes on to discuss h...

1962

16 April 1962

J.R.R. Tolkien to Miriam Hirsch

#495

Tolkien writes expressing his sorrow at his delay in replying. He pleads be excused as he is still "very busy and have little time to spare if I am ever...

31st October 1962

J.R.R. Tolkien to Kurt Festinger

#1305

Tolkien responds to a fan, saying that he cannot promise further adventures in Middle-earth.

7 November 1962

J.R.R. Tolkien to Mr. Sheppard

#499

Tolkien sends a short letter with his pleasure that Mr. Sheppard enjoys his writing.

15th November 1962

J.R.R. Tolkien to Miss P. M. Strain

#1101

A brief letter thanking a fan for her letter and one from her niece. Tolkien says he hopes to write more about The Lord of the Rings but has many commit...

1963

12 February 1963

J.R.R. Tolkien to Mr. Elliot-Howard

#501

Mr. Elliot-Howard had written to Tolkien telling him of his adventures travelling around the world with his copy of The Lord of the Rings.

17 February 1963

J.R.R. Tolkien to Julie Cape

#502

Tolkien writes to Julie Cape thanking her for her letter of appreciation. She has enjoyed The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and Tolkien hopes that sh...

21 February 1963

J.R.R. Tolkien to Mrs Gill

#503

Tolkien writes to Mrs Gill, thanking her for her letter. He is pleased she has enjoyed his books. He is amazed that she waited patiently for two years t...

30 May 1963

J.R.R. Tolkien to Justin Arundale

#2366

A standard reply to Justin, thanking him for his support and mentioning The Silmarillion.

16 October 1963

J.R.R. Tolkien to Michael George Tolkien

#624

 Carpenter #249

Tolkien describes his visit to the Hotel Miramar in Bournemouth. Chronology contains a few additional quotes from the letter that do not appear in Carpe...

29th November 1963

J.R.R. Tolkien to Mrs. Gordon R. Naylor

#1690

A response to a fan who asked about the use of their maiden name in The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien explains that it was entirely coincidental and refers...

7 December 1963

J.R.R. Tolkien to Rosalind Ramage

#514

Tolkien discusses rhyme and a poem sent to the professor by the recipient Roalind Ramage, offers much encouragement and includes a poem of his own for R...

11 December 1963

J.R.R. Tolkien to Howard McCord

#515

Howard McCord was a creative writing professor at Washington State University when he wrote a letter to Tolkien. He compliments Tolkien on The Fellowshi...

18 December 1963

J.R.R. Tolkien to Jonathan Hepworth

#519

Tolkien replied to a letter from Jonathan thanking for his letter - "and especially for the (horrible) view of Mordor and the destruction of Orodruin. I...

18 December 1963

J.R.R. Tolkien to Mr. Hepworth

#520

Tolkien writes a short note to Mr. Hepworth, the father of Jonathan who had sent Tolkien a drawing of Mordor. He thanks Mr. Hepworth for his letter and ...

1964

18 January 1964

J.R.R. Tolkien to Justin Arundale

#542

Tolkien replies to Justin Arundale aged ten explaining that the Silmarillion will not be published for some time yet. He closes by asking him to tell hi...

28 February 1964

J.R.R. Tolkien to James Heaf

#544

Tolkien answers a question about what Hal saw on the North Moors - Tolkien does not think it was an Entwife, but likely a troll. He also recommends Heaf...

30 May 1964

J.R.R. Tolkien to Mr Peel

#2088

Tolkien apologizes for having trouble reading Mr Peel's signature and was pleased that he liked his work. He states that The Silmarillion will not be pu...

6 June 1964

J.R.R. Tolkien to Sue Parman

#548

Tolkien replies to Sue Parman, who had adapted some of Tolkien's poetry to music and sent him a recording on tape.

July 1964

Joy Hill to Colin Smythe

#357

Tolkien apologizes for not responding sooner, and declines to provide an article for a student newspaper. The typed letter is signed by his secretary, n...

10 July 1964

J.R.R. Tolkien to Mrs. Marcus

#551

In this typed letter with a hand written post script Tolkien discusses the development of The Lord of the Rings saying that Hobbits were not a late addi...

10 July 1964

J.R.R. Tolkien to Alan White

#552

Tolkien replies thanking Alan White for his "Runes". Included in this typed letter was a signature written in Roman and Tengwar letters. See 'DTS 68 - T...

31 July 1964

J.R.R. Tolkien to Elizabeth "Lisa" Gell-Mann

#2115

Tolkien is pleased that 'Lisa' likes his books and makes some suggestions for further reading. Namely Farmer Giles of Ham and The Adventures of Tom Bomb...

21st August 1964

J.R.R. Tolkien to Kurt Festinger

#1304

Tolkien responds to a fan letter, pointing out where the runes in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are translated in those books, and what his initi...

28 August 1964

J.R.R. Tolkien to E. Rasdall

#567

Tolkien replies, thanking Mr. E. Rasdall for his interest in his writing and returns the copy of The Adventures of Tom Bombadil to be signed. Tolkien ex...

31 December 1964

J.R.R. Tolkien to Ingeborg Korff

#570

This letter was from Tolkien to school children in Germany. Tolkien remarks that he "was particularly interested to know that you have not only read The...

1965

19 January 1965

Tolkien's Secretary to Unknown

#573

An example of brief stock letters that would be sent with Tolkien's written signature to readers who had sent letters to Tolkien. It reads "Thank you ve...

11 February 1965

Edith Tolkien to Sterling Lanier

#587

Edith thanks Sterling Lanier, who had mailed five of his figurines to Professor Tolkien. Tolkien likes some of them, especially the Dwarf.

11 May 1965

Tolkien's Secretary to Agatha Carew Hunt

#588

This letter is dated 11 May 1965 and was originally a stock reply to a letter of appreciation. Tolkien discovers the letter on 4 October, when he adds a...

20 May 1965

Tolkien's Secretary to Mr Eder

#914

Tolkien's secretary replies to fan letter thanking Mr. Eder for his letters and pictures of stained glass windows. He enjoyed seeing them. He also alert...

12 September 1965

J.R.R. Tolkien to Dick Plotz

#650

 Carpenter #276

Tolkien writes about The Silmarillion, the Númenórean legends, and his friendship with C.S. Lewis. He discusses the formation of the Tolkien Society o...

20 October 1965

J.R.R. Tolkien to Mr. Wheeler

#703

Tolkien writes about the Ballantine editions of The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien says that Ballantine will soon release a revised paperback edition, and t...

28 October 1965

J.R.R. Tolkien to P.M. Cowan

#704

Tolkien replies to a young reader who had asked him about the index for The Lord of the Rings saying that the index is not yet published, but is being w...

3 December 1965

Tolkien's Secretary to Ian Lancashire

#705

A 1965 Stock Letter and an apology from Tolkien for not having time for a longer answer.

3 December 1965

Tolkien's Secretary to Joan Snelling

#2268

A 1965 Stock Letter and an apology from Tolkien for not having time for a longer answer.

9 December 1965

J.R.R. Tolkien to Christine Jones

#712

Tolkien writing thanking Christine Jones for her interest and says that although he found her comments on the ending interesting: "If I answered all the...

9 December 1965

J.R.R. Tolkien to Jane Dixon

#713

Tolkien writes expressing his gratitude for the article that Dixon sent him from the Saturday Review detailing the Ace Books edition of The Lord of the ...

9 December 1965

J.R.R. Tolkien to William McCullam

#715

Tolkien writes a letter thanking William McCullam who had included a 'royalty' for The Lord of the Rings. It is assumed McCullam had purchased a copy of...

9 December 1965

J.R.R. Tolkien to Dom Augustine Whitfield

#2307

Tolkien thanks the sender for his letter and is grateful that they liked his work. "I was delighted to hear that my story had so absorbed you" RR. Dom A...

1966

7 January 1966

J.R.R. Tolkien to Benjamin P. Indick

#656

 Carpenter #283

An example of a stock reply to readers.

7 January 1966

J.R.R. Tolkien to Roger Shaw

#718

Tolkien writes making mention of the suggestion that The Lord of the Rings landscape is based on Iceland. Tolkien says that he has never been there, tho...

10 January 1966

J.R.R. Tolkien to Timothy J. Wheeler

#719

Tolkien writes to Timothy Wheeler thanking him for his good wishes. This letter, and others to Wheeler were presented at

12 January 1966

J.R.R. Tolkien to David Hicks

#722

Tolkien thanks David Hicks for his birthday greetings and says he is "writing more about the world of The Lord of the Rings", when he has the time. He r...

1 February 1966

J.R.R. Tolkien to William E. Ratliff

#2344

Tolkien is pleased that William liked his works - Tree and Leaf, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit are mentioned. Tolkien says that libraries in Engl...

12 April 1966

Tolkien's Secretary to Sergeant [James] Ridolfo

#763

Secretarial letter to Sergeant Ridolfo thanking him for his kind words about reading and enjoying Tolkien's books.

27 April 1966

J.R.R. Tolkien to A. E. Couchman

#659

 Carpenter #286

The following is one of many short replies that Tolkien wrote at this period of his life to readers who asked questions about his books. Its characteris...

6 May 1966

J.R.R. Tolkien to Mr Snapp

#764

Tolkien is pleased that Yale undergraduates like his work.

10 May 1966

J.R.R. Tolkien to Joy Hill

#660

 Carpenter #287

Tolkien’s telephone number was still in the Oxford directory, and he was sometimes bothered by calls from ‘fans’. A harsh critique of a particular...

11 May 1966

J.R.R. Tolkien to Mr. Walker

#17

Tolkien replies to a letter from July 1965 where he had been sent a music tape. He is unable to listen to the tape as he does not have a 'recorder' and ...

13 May 1966

J.R.R. Tolkien to Philip Horowitz

#787

Tolkien thanks Philip Horowitz for his letter. Tolkien was due to leave the following day for some time and regrets that he had no time to answer questi...

1 June 1966

Tolkien's Secretary to Mr [Royston F.] Porthouse

#766

Secretarial letter to Mr Porthouse wirth mention that Tolkien's next book will be The Silmarillion.

29 July 1966

J.R.R. Tolkien to Max Rouslin

#767

Tolkien offers advice on finding first editions of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

17 October 1966

J.R.R. Tolkien to Class II G (of Acocks Green, Primary School)

#770

Tolkien writes about living near the school in his youth. He tells the class that a cheap paperback is available in the US but not currently in the UK. ...

8 December 1966

J.R.R. Tolkien to Mr. Marsh

#472

Tolkien writes to James S. Marsh and sends him three copies of his autograph to stick in his books.

29 December 1966

J.R.R. Tolkien to James S. Marsh

#473

Tolkien writes to Mr Marsh about his collaboration with Donald Swann for the book The Road goes ever on and on.

1967

2 January 1967

J.R.R. Tolkien to Peyton Moss

#739

Tolkien sends some signatures to Mr Moss. This letter was orginally affixed by tape to the front of a 2nd edition LOTR, but was then removed from the bo...

2 February 1967

J.R.R. Tolkien to Albert Wieland

#741

Tolkien sends his signature to Mr Wieland.

17 April 1967

J.R.R. Tolkien to J.D. Gilbert

#750

Tolkien recommends that Mr Gilbert reads The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth.

19 April 1967

Tolkien's Secretary to Miss Gonzalez

#752

A printed secretarial letter.

7 June 1967

Tolkien's Secretary to Unknown

#2261

Unsigned compliments slip on embossed Sandfield Road stationary.

28 August 1967

J.R.R. Tolkien to Mr. S.E.O. Joukes

#801

Mr. Joukes had written to Tolkien suggesting that he would like to name his daughter Ioreth, to which replies that it means 'old woman' and includes som...

1968

16 January 1968

Tolkien's Secretary to Mr. Wettach

#1179

A stock reply to Mr. Wettach thanking him for his letter.

29 January 1968

J.R.R. Tolkien to K. Jackson

#733

Tolkien writes about the origin of Bag-End, which was the local name of a house an aunt of his lived in in Worcestershire.

6 March 1968

J.R.R. Tolkien to Dr. Fraser Roberts

#735

Tolkien thanks Dr. Fraser Roberts for his letter.

6 March 1968

J.R.R. Tolkien to Mrs. Beck

#802

Tolkien writes about the Ballantine posters, which he does not like.

24 May 1968

J.R.R. Tolkien to Mary Fairburn

#689

Mary Fairburn has sent some of her illustrations for The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien really likes them and thinks they could be in an illustrated version...

August 1968

J.R.R. Tolkien to Ingrid Pridgeon

#736

Tolkien writes to Ingrid who lives at Spire Hollin. he gives her news of his health, he is recovering after breaking his leg in a fall down his stairs. ...

29 September 1968

J.R.R. Tolkien to Billy Callahan

#807

Tolkien replies to a letter from Billy Callahan who had written about his enjoyment of The Lord of the Rings. He apologizes for not sending a photograph...

16 October 1968

J.R.R. Tolkien to Niall Hoskin

#738

Tolkien writes about his languages and talks about Westron or the Common Speech.

1969

14 January 1969

J.R.R. Tolkien to Michael Bell

#1172

Tolkien replies 13 years after Michael Bell had written to him. Bell had enclosed a book, An Idea to Win the World by Peter Harold. Tolkien explains tha...

23 January 1969

Allen & Unwin (Joy Hill) to Michael Bell

#1175

Joy Hill writes to Michael Bell on behalf of Tolkien. She thanks him for his letter. She says that Tolkien is currently very busy and asks Mr. Bell's fo...

1970

7 April 1970

Tolkien's Secretary to Paul

#816

Tolkien sends a typed reply to Paul apologising for not replying more personally. he has moved from Oxford to devote more time to completing The Silmari...

April 13 1970

J.R.R. Tolkien to Tom Shippey

#817

Joy Hill from George Allen & Unwin had attended a Tolkien conference that Tom Shippey spoke at, and took a copy of his presentation to show to Tolkien. ...

1971

25 January 1971

J.R.R. Tolkien to Michael Bell

#1173

Tolkien writes a short reply to Michael Bell thanking Bell for remembering him, assumed for his birthday? He congratulates Bell on "managing the metres"...

16 March 1971

J.R.R. Tolkien to Tony Davison

#1664

Tolkien is very busy working on the Silmarillion but is very glad that his books have brought Davison enjoyment.

18 March 1971

Tolkien's Secretary to C. Huggett

#2044

Secretarial Letter to Mr Huggett. Tolkien is said to be too far from a post office, and too busy writing another book (The Silmarillion) to autograph bo...

7 April 1971

Tolkien's Secretary to Randy Trimmer

#822

Tolkien sends a standard form reply to Mr. Trimmer, apologising for not being able to write anything personal as he is working on The Silmarillion. This...

1st July 1971

Joy Hill to Jan Bosmans

#1051

Joy Hill tries to dissuade a student from writing his thesis about The Lord of the Rings due to the immense amount of unpublished material he doesn't ha...

1 November 1971

J.R.R. Tolkien to William Cater

#424

 Carpenter #330

Tolkien thanks William Cater for his letter, He had been interviewed by William Cater for the Sunday Times. The article was published on the 2nd January...

1972

4 April 1972

Tolkien's secretary to Mr. Toth

#304

Tolkien was sent a small gift but was smashed to bits during the delivery.

1 May 1972

J.R.R. Tolkien to Miss Donna Sadlier

#308

Miss Sadlier asked for an autograph but Tolkien states that he gets so many requests that these are now only for friends and family. Though he does send...

18 May 1972

J.R.R. Tolkien to Michael Salmon

#429

 Carpenter #335

Tolkien explains that he does not have time to comment on his works.

Late 1972

J.R.R. Tolkien to Ted Nasmith

#2302

Artist Ted Nasmith sent photographs of some of his Lord of the Rings artwork in the summer of 1972. Tolkien replied a few weeks later with positive feed...

October 3, 1972

Ballantine Books to John David Cofield

#2028

A photocopy/form letter on Ballantine Books letterhead sent in response to a fan letter. The letter thanks David for writing and for his enthusiasm, and...

17 December 1972

J.R.R. Tolkien to Richard Jeffery

#384

 Carpenter #347

A reply to the following questions: (1) Does ‘Speak, friend, and enter’ (the inscription over Moria Gate) mean ‘Speak as a friend’, i.e. in a fr...

1973

Jan 4, 1973

Joy Hill to Phil Rose

#1042

Joy Hill responds to a fan query about The Silmarillion, saying that for death duty (tax) reasons, it cannot be published while he is alive.

25 January 1973

J.R.R. Tolkien to Mr [Patrick] Hunt

#318

Tolkien writes to Patrick Hunt, who had written to him from prison. Tolkien is very pleased that his books have provided "pleasure and encouragement" to...

29 March 1973

J.R.R. Tolkien to Mr. Giusti

#1800

Tolkien writes to a reader giving an update on his next book, The Silmarillion "which is already written but in need of revision".

June 1973?

Ballantine Books to Mr. Miatech

#1049

A secretarial letter sent from Ballantine Books, with an unknown person having written Tolkien's name at the signature line. Tolkien did not condone thi...

14 June 1973

J.R.R. Tolkien to Mr. Tolkin

#775

A fan with a similar last name asks if he can visit with Professor Tolkien when he passes through Oxford. Tolkien politely declines, but also gives a sh...

1 August 1973

Ballantine Books to Ronna Schutltz

#2256

A secretarial letter sent from Ballantine Books, with an unknown person having written Tolkien's name at the signature line. Tolkien did not condone thi...

2002

21 June 2002

Christopher Tolkien to unknown

#864

Christopher Tolkien writes to an unknown reader thanking them for "their generous words". He says that his work on his "father's manuscripts was indeed ...