TCG Letter #23 / Carpenter Letter #20

"I have written the first chapter of a new story about Hobbits – 'A long expected party'" remarks Tolkien in this letter to C.A. Furth of GA&U. This is of course in regard to The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien thanks Furth for details of the new printing of The Hobbit and is pleased with the reporduction of the colour illustrations. He gives details of commentary from Arthur Ransome and notes some corrections based on his comments.

In the letter as published, Tolkien says that he has "received four copies of the new impression" but requires two more. Hammond and Scull note in Chronology^{p. 223[1]} that Tolkien "has received six copies of the new impression of The Hobbit". These 6 copies are the same copies and there is no discrepancy.^{Private correspondence[2]} Hammond and Scull alos note that Tolkien has sent copies of new printing of The Hobbit to Ruth Smith, mother of G.B. Smith, and his Aunt Florence Hadley née Tolkien.

In a portion not published, Tolkien gives the list of corrections to be included in The Hobbit.^{Reproduced in the The Lord of the Rings: Souvenir Booklet Commemorating Twenty Five Years of Its Publication and the George Allen & Unwin catalogue for 1981[3]}