Lot 447

Lot447.jpg

Description
The Road Goes Ever On—a collection of Tolkien's Middle-earth walking songs, presented to an old friend

Signed book: The Road Goes Ever On: A Song Cycle. First UK edition. London: George Allen and Unwin Ltd, 1968. Hardcover with dust jacket, 8.75 x 11.25, 68 pages. Signed and inscribed on the first free end page in fountain pen to his friend Margaret Wiseman, "Margaret from Ronald, J.R.R. Tolkien." Autographic condition: fine, with scattered light foxing, a small stain, and a couple of small notations to the signed page. Book condition: VG-/VG-, with scattered foxing to textblock (heaviest to title page), an Oulton Abbey bookplate affixed to the front pastedown, a two-inch tear to the top of the dust jacket (amongst several smaller nicks and tears), a few small stains to the jacket, and shelf numbers inked on the spine.

Margaret Wiseman, the sister of Tolkien's school friend Christopher Wiseman, was a Benedictine nun at Oulton Abbey; though little is known of their relationship, Tolkien presented her with inscribed copies of his works over a span of more than thirty years, favoring her with the scarce variant of his signature—"Ronald"—that he reserved for close friends and family.

In 'Priests, Prophets, and Kings: Ecclesiology in Newman and Tolkien,' John Kezel writes of the friendship between Tolkien and the Wisemans: 'The youthful Tolkien belonged to a group known as the TCBS, initials that stand for Tea Club, Barrovian Society. This club, composed of students from King Edward's School, the exclusive public school that Tolkien attended, used to meet in the Tea Room of Barrows Store in Birmingham. Eventually the club centered on four major members, each of whom brought a specialization: Christopher Wiseman, the expert on music and natural sciences…Tolkien, called John Ronald, versed in Germanic languages and philology. Tolkien was the only Catholic in the group, but all four young men hoped to contribute to a moral and cultural renewal in England… By the war's end, only Tolkien and Christopher Wiseman remained alive. Wiseman wrote to his friend, 'You ought to start the epic'; but for the most part, he does not play a significant role in Tolkien's literary career. Ironically, his sister Margaret does; she became a Catholic and a Benedictine nun, Mother Mary St. John, at Oulton Abbey from where she encouraged him with her prayers.'

The Road Goes Ever On is a collection of walking songs and poetry from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and related works, featuring poems in Tolkien's invented languages alongside English translations, paired with music by Donald Swann. The book provides deeper insight into the lore of Middle-earth, showcasing Tolkien's linguistic creativity and the themes of adventure, journey, and the passage of time. It remains a beloved companion to Tolkien’s novels and a treasure for fans of his literary world.

Estimate USD 20,000+

This item was sold at Bonhams last June as Lot 241 Sold for GBP 8,320 inc. premium - https://www.bonhams.com/auction/30293/ ... man-allen-and-unwin-1968/

https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot ... oes-ever-on-a-song-cycle/

Lot 448

Description
Tolkien on The Return of the King: "I hope you will not be disappointed with the result. Which—if I may dare to accept the high comparisons that you make—is as if Homer had left not only poems, but an extensive commentary on them as well!"

ALS, one page both sides, 5 x 6.75, 76 Sanfield Road letterhead, May 14, 1955. Handwritten letter to Mrs. L. C. Beckett Frost in Ravello, Italy, concerning his enduring Lord of the Rings trilogy: after thanking her for kind words regarding Fellowship of the Ring and the Two Towers, he goes on to describe the delay in the publication of Return of the King, due to his promise of providing a mass of information and appendices. In part: "I have received some letters, but not enough to make me unappreciative! It is in any case a considerable encouragement, after so much labour (and so much difficulty in getting the book published) to find that it is welcomed even by those who are widely and deeply read.

The story was of course finished many years ago. The delay with Vol. III has been due to the difficulty of fulfilling (by compression and selection) the rash promises made in the First Volume concerning subsidiary matter. I have unfortunately been heavily weighted with other duties. But everything is now at press. I hope you will not be disappointed with the result. Which—if I may dare to accept the high comparisons that you make—is as if Homer had left not only poems, but an extensive commentary on them as well!" In fine condition. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope, addressed in Tolkien's own hand. A fantastic letter, beautifully written in his characteristic flowing script and signed in full.

After Tolkien's first novel, The Hobbit, met with unexpected success upon its release in 1937, his publisher George Allen & Unwin requested a second book. The drafts of the first stories he submitted, what would later become The Silmarillion, were rejected and his publisher asked for a sequel because the public demanded 'more about hobbits.' It was this sequel that Tolkien developed into The Lord of the Rings, which was then released in three volumes between July 1954 and October 1955.

The third volume, entitled The Return of the King, was especially delayed, owing to Tolkien's revisions of the ending and preparation of detailed appendices, maps, and indices—the "subsidiary matter" he discusses here, some of which ultimately had to be left out due to space constraints. The Return of the King was finally released in the UK on October 20, 1955.

Estimate USD 15,000+

Letter link: Letter from J.R.R. Tolkien to Mrs Frost • 14 May 1955 (#2239)

https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot ... of-the-lord-of-the-rings/

See this thread for more information on the recipient - https://www.tolkienguide.com/modules/n ... t_id=60548#forumpost60548