Tolkien's letter to Shippey, April 1970 [Uncertain date?]

Shippey also refers to the letter by date in 'Long Evolution: The History of Middle-earth and Its Merits', published in Arda, vol. 7 (1992 for 1987), p. 29. There he says: 'On April 13th 1970 I got a letter from Professor Tolkien.' This suggests that 13 April was the date of receipt, in contrast to 'the letter Professor Tolkien wrote to me on 13 April 1970' which implies a date of writing. Although it's possible that Tolkien wrote and posted the letter, and Tom received it, that same day, it's our sense that Royal Mail in 1970 probably would have taken more than a day to transport a letter from Poole to Birmingham. Hence, from all of this, our queried date ?12 April in Chronology.

Wayne & Christina

As ever - many thanks, Findegil!

Following another clue, I was actually about to order Roots and Branches, since a quote from that collection (provided by geordie on another website) indicates that Shippey makes a reference to the letter there as well. (Not saying that Roots and Branches isn't still on my wishlist!)

As for Arda 1987 (vol. VII): it's not so easy to obtain, and perhaps I should recommend anyone interested to contact Beregond, Anders Stenström to order a copy (I myself bought this and other volumes of the annual Arda from him about two years ago - you won't hardly ever find them on eBay!). Just PM me if you want help to contact Beregond.

Roots and Branches is well worth having. Shippey refers to the letter in his paper 'Tolkien and the West Midlands: The Roots of Romance'. There he doesn't give a date for it, other than to say that Tolkien wrote to him after Shippey had addressed a Tolkien conference in Birmingham 'in 1970' - except that the event occurred on 30 November 1969. The paper as it appears in Roots and Branches, however, gives the letter only a passing reference, as merely 'an encouraging letter' (p. 41), compared with the paper as it originally appeared (before being extensively revised for Roots and Branches) in Lembas Extra for 1995. The latter includes not only the words quoted from the letter in the second edition of The Road to Middle-earth, but also further text before and after. (The paper was originally an address at King Edward's School in 1992.)

I have no idea why this old thread resurfaced to my attention recently, but it did, and I asked Tom if he still had the letter. He does, and it was definitively dated by Tolkien on April 13, 1970, and he received it after that (he doubts on the same day).

Thanks, we'll record it with a definitive date, then.

Wayne & Christina