Implied hobbit sequel to LotR in Bombadil dust jacket copy 1968
5 Oct, 2022
2022-10-5 5:08:48 PM UTC
2022-10-5 5:08:48 PM UTC
I've seen a photo of the front flap dust jacket copy for the third impression of The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, from 1968. It says:
"Here is something that no devotee of the Hobbit epic can afford to miss, while awaiting a further instalment of the history of these fascinating people. For during his renewed study of the 'Red Book', undertaken in order to prepare more of its contents for publication, the editor of The Lord of the Rings became interested in verses that are to be found in it, apart from those included in the various tales and legends: pieces written out on loose leaves, crowded into blank spaces, or scrawled in margins," etc.
Clearly implied is that there was to be another book about hobbits; the reference doesn't fit the "Silmarillion" materials. Of course, Tolkien had (so far as I've ever seen, anyway) no intention of writing any further book about hobbits, and unless I'm forgetting something the only further bit of hobbitry that he produced was "Bilbo's Last Song," which I don't think was even originally intended for publication. (It was a gift to someone, right?)
So I wondered if the text quoted above was written by someone at A&U without Tolkien's authorization. Does anyone know if it appeared with any other printing? If it appeared just with this 1968 printing, that might be because the "Hobbit Craze" that started in the States did reach the UK and the text was intended to capitalize in some way on it.
Does anyone know if this text was used in any other impression of the Adventures?
And I wonder if Tolkien didn't appreciate being represented as at work on more about hobbits.
"Here is something that no devotee of the Hobbit epic can afford to miss, while awaiting a further instalment of the history of these fascinating people. For during his renewed study of the 'Red Book', undertaken in order to prepare more of its contents for publication, the editor of The Lord of the Rings became interested in verses that are to be found in it, apart from those included in the various tales and legends: pieces written out on loose leaves, crowded into blank spaces, or scrawled in margins," etc.
Clearly implied is that there was to be another book about hobbits; the reference doesn't fit the "Silmarillion" materials. Of course, Tolkien had (so far as I've ever seen, anyway) no intention of writing any further book about hobbits, and unless I'm forgetting something the only further bit of hobbitry that he produced was "Bilbo's Last Song," which I don't think was even originally intended for publication. (It was a gift to someone, right?)
So I wondered if the text quoted above was written by someone at A&U without Tolkien's authorization. Does anyone know if it appeared with any other printing? If it appeared just with this 1968 printing, that might be because the "Hobbit Craze" that started in the States did reach the UK and the text was intended to capitalize in some way on it.
Does anyone know if this text was used in any other impression of the Adventures?
And I wonder if Tolkien didn't appreciate being represented as at work on more about hobbits.
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