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A Tolkien Miscellany
This book, with illustrations, gathers some of J.R.R. Tolkien's least-known and hardest-to-find works in one volume. These include "Smith of Wootton Major (story of a magical gift concealed in the most amazing cake), "Farmer Giles of Ham" (a dragon terrorizing the English village of Ham and the townspeople only hope is a local farmer with an inflated reputation of chasing away giants), "Tree and Leaf" (a work consisting of Tolkien's groundbreaking essay "On Fairy-stores" - a most readable examination of the meaning of fantasy), "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil" (sixten poems from the Red Book) and "Sir Gawain and teh Green Knight" (Tolkien's first career translation of medieval poetry).
370 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
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1033 people want to read
About the author
J.R.R. Tolkien
778 books76.7k followersJohn Ronald Reuel Tolkien: writer, artist, scholar, linguist. Known to millions around the world as the author of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien spent most of his life teaching at the University of Oxford where he was a distinguished academic in the fields of Old and Middle English and Old Norse. His creativity, confined to his spare time, found its outlet in fantasy works, stories for children, poetry, illustration and invented languages and alphabets.
Tolkien’s most popular works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are set in Middle-earth, an imagined world with strangely familiar settings inhabited by ancient and extraordinary peoples. Through this secondary world Tolkien writes perceptively of universal human concerns – love and loss, courage and betrayal, humility and pride – giving his books a wide and enduring appeal.
Tolkien was an accomplished amateur artist who painted for pleasure and relaxation. He excelled at landscapes and often drew inspiration from his own stories. He illustrated many scenes from The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, sometimes drawing or painting as he was writing in order to visualize the imagined scene more clearly.
Tolkien was a professor at the Universities of Leeds and Oxford for almost forty years, teaching Old and Middle English, as well as Old Norse and Gothic. His illuminating lectures on works such as the Old English epic poem, Beowulf, illustrate his deep knowledge of ancient languages and at the same time provide new insights into peoples and legends from a remote past.
Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in 1892 to English parents. He came to England aged three and was brought up in and around Birmingham. He graduated from the University of Oxford in 1915 and saw active service in France during the First World War before being invalided home. After the war he pursued an academic career teaching Old and Middle English. Alongside his professional work, he invented his own languages and began to create what he called a mythology for England; it was this ‘legendarium’ that he would work on throughout his life. But his literary work did not start and end with Middle-earth, he also wrote poetry, children’s stories and fairy tales for adults. He died in 1973 and is buried in Oxford where he spent most of his adult life.
Tolkien’s most popular works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are set in Middle-earth, an imagined world with strangely familiar settings inhabited by ancient and extraordinary peoples. Through this secondary world Tolkien writes perceptively of universal human concerns – love and loss, courage and betrayal, humility and pride – giving his books a wide and enduring appeal.
Tolkien was an accomplished amateur artist who painted for pleasure and relaxation. He excelled at landscapes and often drew inspiration from his own stories. He illustrated many scenes from The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, sometimes drawing or painting as he was writing in order to visualize the imagined scene more clearly.
Tolkien was a professor at the Universities of Leeds and Oxford for almost forty years, teaching Old and Middle English, as well as Old Norse and Gothic. His illuminating lectures on works such as the Old English epic poem, Beowulf, illustrate his deep knowledge of ancient languages and at the same time provide new insights into peoples and legends from a remote past.
Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in 1892 to English parents. He came to England aged three and was brought up in and around Birmingham. He graduated from the University of Oxford in 1915 and saw active service in France during the First World War before being invalided home. After the war he pursued an academic career teaching Old and Middle English. Alongside his professional work, he invented his own languages and began to create what he called a mythology for England; it was this ‘legendarium’ that he would work on throughout his life. But his literary work did not start and end with Middle-earth, he also wrote poetry, children’s stories and fairy tales for adults. He died in 1973 and is buried in Oxford where he spent most of his adult life.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
August 2, 2025
This is about my 4th or 5th reading of this book and I continue to love it every time I read it!
November 23, 2015
The first 100 pages = 3 stars. The rest, one at most.
"Smith of Wooten Major" is a cute little story.
"Farmer Giles of Ham" is a good story, rather enjoyable and humorous.
Then the bad news: the books is longer than 100 pages. In fact, the rest of it shifts between unusual torture and the occasional smirk at something clever gleaned through the mire. Only occasional and that's generous.
"Tree and Leaf" is half essay and half story. Well, the essay is quite more than half and shows just what an educated and pretentious blowhard Tolkien really was. I'm sure he had some good points in there about fantasy stories, but all I cared about was getting out of it. Then the "Leaf by Niggle" story to wrap it up pretty much sucked. It wasn't long, so was forgivable. Just not as good as the first two stories. Something about doing good deeds for your annoying neighbors when you just want to paint a leaf.
"The Adventures of Tom Bombadil" was ok. A series of 16 poem/tales, it was at times interesting and at other times funny, but mostly it was poetry. Aside from the fact that I don't like poetry, I guess it was ok.
Then we have the 3 epic medieval translation poems, "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight", "Pearl", and "Sir Ofeo". By now I'm speed reading. Sir Gawain was mildly interesting. Some violence and some knights and a boar hunt and a seducing tart of a lord's wife. Cool stuff. Boring poetic prose.
"Pearl" sucked donkey balls. It shows us what happens when one particular dumbass loses a pearl, falls asleep by the river, and dreams about a nymph who tells him about God. You get, yes you guessed it, bored shitless. I actually found myself distracted by a piece of loose skin that needed trimming from my finger. Infinitely more interesting than the crap I was reading.
"Sir Ofeo" was wonderful. Well, no. It sucked too. But it was awesome because we weren't reading "Pearl"! Here we have Orpheus, who they couldn't call Orpheus. I guess the anonymous English medieval poets couldn't chance being sued by anonymous Greek myth makers. But Orpheus lost his wife yadda yadda blab blab oh look at the flowers. Who cares? His wife probably left him for being in a fucking poem!
After finishing this, I promptly removed several "to read" Tolkien books from my GR shelves. I downgraded The Tolkien Reader to match this rating. I had read it as a child and was apparently too young to know it sucked. That book didn't have "Smith of Wooten Major" but at least one didn't have to suffer through the epic poem tortures.
I even considered removing Tolkien from my "favorite authors" list. What has he done for me, really? One novel (though many call it three because the publishers are tricky that way) that's epic and a cornerstone to the majority of the fantasy books I read today? Another novel that's a really good (though childish) prelude to the masterpiece? And a historical (his history, that is) novel that reads like a bible for elves? Sure, why not. These are still good books. And they're important enough to the direction I took in my reading preferences.
But I have copies of all of these. I've been collecting Tolkien for years. No more! It's time to downsize.
"Smith of Wooten Major" is a cute little story.
"Farmer Giles of Ham" is a good story, rather enjoyable and humorous.
Then the bad news: the books is longer than 100 pages. In fact, the rest of it shifts between unusual torture and the occasional smirk at something clever gleaned through the mire. Only occasional and that's generous.
"Tree and Leaf" is half essay and half story. Well, the essay is quite more than half and shows just what an educated and pretentious blowhard Tolkien really was. I'm sure he had some good points in there about fantasy stories, but all I cared about was getting out of it. Then the "Leaf by Niggle" story to wrap it up pretty much sucked. It wasn't long, so was forgivable. Just not as good as the first two stories. Something about doing good deeds for your annoying neighbors when you just want to paint a leaf.
"The Adventures of Tom Bombadil" was ok. A series of 16 poem/tales, it was at times interesting and at other times funny, but mostly it was poetry. Aside from the fact that I don't like poetry, I guess it was ok.
Then we have the 3 epic medieval translation poems, "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight", "Pearl", and "Sir Ofeo". By now I'm speed reading. Sir Gawain was mildly interesting. Some violence and some knights and a boar hunt and a seducing tart of a lord's wife. Cool stuff. Boring poetic prose.
"Pearl" sucked donkey balls. It shows us what happens when one particular dumbass loses a pearl, falls asleep by the river, and dreams about a nymph who tells him about God. You get, yes you guessed it, bored shitless. I actually found myself distracted by a piece of loose skin that needed trimming from my finger. Infinitely more interesting than the crap I was reading.
"Sir Ofeo" was wonderful. Well, no. It sucked too. But it was awesome because we weren't reading "Pearl"! Here we have Orpheus, who they couldn't call Orpheus. I guess the anonymous English medieval poets couldn't chance being sued by anonymous Greek myth makers. But Orpheus lost his wife yadda yadda blab blab oh look at the flowers. Who cares? His wife probably left him for being in a fucking poem!
After finishing this, I promptly removed several "to read" Tolkien books from my GR shelves. I downgraded The Tolkien Reader to match this rating. I had read it as a child and was apparently too young to know it sucked. That book didn't have "Smith of Wooten Major" but at least one didn't have to suffer through the epic poem tortures.
I even considered removing Tolkien from my "favorite authors" list. What has he done for me, really? One novel (though many call it three because the publishers are tricky that way) that's epic and a cornerstone to the majority of the fantasy books I read today? Another novel that's a really good (though childish) prelude to the masterpiece? And a historical (his history, that is) novel that reads like a bible for elves? Sure, why not. These are still good books. And they're important enough to the direction I took in my reading preferences.
But I have copies of all of these. I've been collecting Tolkien for years. No more! It's time to downsize.
August 14, 2017
Is there anything more enjoyable than reading Tolkien and wandering around Middle Earth for a while? If there is I haven't found it. The Lord of the Rings books, and then The Hobbit, are some of the best reading experiences I've ever had. I didn't know what to expect with "A Tolkien Miscellany" and I can't say I loved it all, but overall it was pretty good.
Included in this book are: "Smith of Wootton Major", "Farmer Giles of Ham", "Tree and Leaf", "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil" and Tolkien's translations of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight", "Pearl" and "Sir Orfeo". The first three are stories, but the chapters of The Adventures of Tom Bombadil are written in rhyming verse.
My favourite of the rhymes is "The Last Ship" which is about the last Elven ship leaving the Grey Havens of Middle Earth for Elvenhome. The ship has room for one more and Firiel, an earth-maiden, is invited to join them and must decide whether to go or to stay where she was born.
I found "The Pearl" more difficult to read than the rest of it. I kept tripping over the order of the words. It begins:
"Pearl of delight that a prince doth please
To grace in gold enclosed so clear,
I vow that from over orient seas
Never proved I any in price her peer."
Then there's:
"Courtesy, I said, I do believe
And charity great dwells you among,
But may my words no wise you grieve."
A bit like talking to Yoda, isn't it? It's not bad for a page or two but this was 101 twelve-line verses. It took some patience. Yoda aside, I'm glad I found this collection. There's some wonderful reading in it for Tolkien fans and I am definitely one of those.
Included in this book are: "Smith of Wootton Major", "Farmer Giles of Ham", "Tree and Leaf", "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil" and Tolkien's translations of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight", "Pearl" and "Sir Orfeo". The first three are stories, but the chapters of The Adventures of Tom Bombadil are written in rhyming verse.
My favourite of the rhymes is "The Last Ship" which is about the last Elven ship leaving the Grey Havens of Middle Earth for Elvenhome. The ship has room for one more and Firiel, an earth-maiden, is invited to join them and must decide whether to go or to stay where she was born.
I found "The Pearl" more difficult to read than the rest of it. I kept tripping over the order of the words. It begins:
"Pearl of delight that a prince doth please
To grace in gold enclosed so clear,
I vow that from over orient seas
Never proved I any in price her peer."
Then there's:
"Courtesy, I said, I do believe
And charity great dwells you among,
But may my words no wise you grieve."
A bit like talking to Yoda, isn't it? It's not bad for a page or two but this was 101 twelve-line verses. It took some patience. Yoda aside, I'm glad I found this collection. There's some wonderful reading in it for Tolkien fans and I am definitely one of those.
January 30, 2015
I read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight from this volume, not the whole book.
This is Tolkien's translation of a medieval and anonymous text.
It has a strong meter, about 12 beats per line, and heavy alliteration - 2-4 words in every line begin with the same letter/sound.
"When the seige and the assault had ceased at Troy,
and the fortress fell in flame to firebrands and ashes..."
But the real beauty here is the story. A lesser known classic, yet everyone should read this. It's about staying true to your word, confessing the truth when you don't, and the mercy that should follow.
"It was torment to tell the truth:
in his face the blood did flame;
he groaned for grief and ruth
when he showed it, to his shame." (verse 100)
Gawain resists falling into temptation, but does commit a small cowardly and deceptive act. He freely tells the knights of the round table of his fault when he gets back. "A man may cover his blemish, but unbind it he cannot" (101). But five lines later there is a wonderful event of mercy and grace from the covenant community round table. This is a great meditation on how to repent and extend forgiveness.
"Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed" - James 5:16.
This is Tolkien's translation of a medieval and anonymous text.
It has a strong meter, about 12 beats per line, and heavy alliteration - 2-4 words in every line begin with the same letter/sound.
"When the seige and the assault had ceased at Troy,
and the fortress fell in flame to firebrands and ashes..."
But the real beauty here is the story. A lesser known classic, yet everyone should read this. It's about staying true to your word, confessing the truth when you don't, and the mercy that should follow.
"It was torment to tell the truth:
in his face the blood did flame;
he groaned for grief and ruth
when he showed it, to his shame." (verse 100)
Gawain resists falling into temptation, but does commit a small cowardly and deceptive act. He freely tells the knights of the round table of his fault when he gets back. "A man may cover his blemish, but unbind it he cannot" (101). But five lines later there is a wonderful event of mercy and grace from the covenant community round table. This is a great meditation on how to repent and extend forgiveness.
"Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed" - James 5:16.
March 25, 2017
I remember picking this book up for The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, one of LOTR's more fun mythological characters. I was pleasantly surprised with Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, since I have never really versed myself in the King Arthur mythos.
This is largely a book showcasing Tolkien's proficiency with poetry, as those are the real stars here. But it also provides a deep dive into Tolkien's writing process with stories, essays, and translations as well.
As the title suggests, it is a miscellany. Therefore, it's the kind of book you can either read straight through or read whatever catches your fancy. Fans of his other work will get the most benefit from the stories laid out here, but the inclusion of Sir Gawain actually makes it accessible to general mythology fans as well. You don't necessarily have to have read LOTR to get it -- it's just fanciful fairy tales and fantastical creatures.
Whatever your history is with Tolkien's work, this is a fun read!
This is largely a book showcasing Tolkien's proficiency with poetry, as those are the real stars here. But it also provides a deep dive into Tolkien's writing process with stories, essays, and translations as well.
As the title suggests, it is a miscellany. Therefore, it's the kind of book you can either read straight through or read whatever catches your fancy. Fans of his other work will get the most benefit from the stories laid out here, but the inclusion of Sir Gawain actually makes it accessible to general mythology fans as well. You don't necessarily have to have read LOTR to get it -- it's just fanciful fairy tales and fantastical creatures.
Whatever your history is with Tolkien's work, this is a fun read!
September 28, 2008
A wonderful collection of some of Tolkien's short works, including the fine stories "Smith of Wooton Major" and "Farmer Giles of Ham"; of more import, it has Tolkien's excellent essay "On Fairy-Stories." These are all available elsewhere, but this is a nice volume and, along with "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil" ("Ding-dong-a-dilly-o!") and some interesting translations, it's a fine tome for the Tolkien fan.
October 15, 2012
An excellent read, especially 'Smith of Wooton Major', which is a marvelous fairy tale. Some of the other stories will be found in "The Tolkien Reader". Worth reading for 'Smith of Wooton Major' alone!!! It is probably Tolkien's best short story.
January 20, 2018
Great collection of Tolkien's lesser works.
June 5, 2013
Great additional stories by Tolkien. Any Lord of the Rings fan should read the stories for a better insight of the author and story.
October 27, 2024
I was pulled in and convinced by a charming cover!
It's not that the actual contents of the book were not good - I love Tolkein and I really liked all of the stories he wrote that were included. And something about reading Tom Bombadils poems NOT in the middle of the story (when you really just want him to shut up so the story keeps going) made them much more charming. The three stars are because it's just not that great of a collection. In fact it's kind of weird what they put together. Part of this is 100% my fault - again, charming cover, bamboozlement, not reading the jacket cover close enough. But I was really hoping for a collection of poems and stories and essays - which you get for the first 2/3ds. Then, they hit you with translations Tolkein did in his early days. I, in fact, have read and watched different movie variations of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight several times, and I gotta say it's not any more interesting when it's written by Tolkein. As someone that really enjoys fantasy and can slough through some really difficult stuff and still enjoy it, i know it's blasphemy. I know I'm supposed to love this classic. But I don't. And, stupid me by picking up this book, signed up to read a total of 3 fantasy poems translated by Tolkein and written by the mystery author the wrote Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Full disclosure, I counted the book done 2 pages in to that section and called 'er a day. Thus, 3 stars. One for the charming cover, 2 for the things written by Tolkein, and negative 1,000 for reminding me of the worst section of my English literature class in college.
It's not that the actual contents of the book were not good - I love Tolkein and I really liked all of the stories he wrote that were included. And something about reading Tom Bombadils poems NOT in the middle of the story (when you really just want him to shut up so the story keeps going) made them much more charming. The three stars are because it's just not that great of a collection. In fact it's kind of weird what they put together. Part of this is 100% my fault - again, charming cover, bamboozlement, not reading the jacket cover close enough. But I was really hoping for a collection of poems and stories and essays - which you get for the first 2/3ds. Then, they hit you with translations Tolkein did in his early days. I, in fact, have read and watched different movie variations of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight several times, and I gotta say it's not any more interesting when it's written by Tolkein. As someone that really enjoys fantasy and can slough through some really difficult stuff and still enjoy it, i know it's blasphemy. I know I'm supposed to love this classic. But I don't. And, stupid me by picking up this book, signed up to read a total of 3 fantasy poems translated by Tolkein and written by the mystery author the wrote Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Full disclosure, I counted the book done 2 pages in to that section and called 'er a day. Thus, 3 stars. One for the charming cover, 2 for the things written by Tolkein, and negative 1,000 for reminding me of the worst section of my English literature class in college.
July 14, 2023
This collection contains some of J.R.R. Tolkien’s shorter works of fantasy, an essay, and four translated poems. It is a mixed bag in both style and tone and therefore difficult to summarize, but the book is fairly enjoyable. “Smith of Wootton Major” and “Farmer Giles of Ham” are light-hearted fantasies and perhaps the most enjoyable parts of the book. The poems contained in “The Adventures of Tom Bombadil” are the only selections that fit clearly into Tolkien’s Middle Earth Legendarium, as they are presented as works by the Hobbits of the Shire.
The Anglo-Saxon poetry in “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” shows Tolkien’s skill as a translator, preserving not just the meaning but the style of the originals. Of the poems, I liked “King Orfeo” the best. As a reworking of “Orpheus and Eurydice” it is fascinating, if only to see how far ancient stories could travel. I’ve read and heard recordings of “King Orfeo” preserved in later ballads, so seeing such an early version was fun. “Tree and Leaf” reflects Tolkien’s scholarly work and seems mainly focused on validating the idea of fantasy as being of cultural and literary value, and not just for children.
The Anglo-Saxon poetry in “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” shows Tolkien’s skill as a translator, preserving not just the meaning but the style of the originals. Of the poems, I liked “King Orfeo” the best. As a reworking of “Orpheus and Eurydice” it is fascinating, if only to see how far ancient stories could travel. I’ve read and heard recordings of “King Orfeo” preserved in later ballads, so seeing such an early version was fun. “Tree and Leaf” reflects Tolkien’s scholarly work and seems mainly focused on validating the idea of fantasy as being of cultural and literary value, and not just for children.
April 22, 2025
I really, really enjoyed this book! I was given this book almost 20 years ago by my high school English teacher "for a rainy day" and decided that, in my Tolkien legendarium re-read and new reads era, I would finally visit this book. I very much enjoyed 'Farmer Giles of Ham' (I'm always here for dragon stories) and the essay on fairies, though the short story 'Leaf by Niggle' hits very close to home. I also enjoy how much this book plays on themes from Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, which my read of overlapped with this book, especially regarding fairies. I enjoyed reading Tolkien's translations of 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight' and 'Sir Orfeo' (although 'Pearl' is too religious for me), and I was delighted by remembering that the 'Man in the Moon' poem we all grew up with is actually from Tolkien. His imprint is on every page and it was the perfect way to delve into new Tolkien territory in 2025.
February 5, 2024
I gave this one 3.5⭐️. I found parts of it interesting and parts of it really hard to slog through. The first two stories were quite entertaining. I especially enjoyed "Farmer Giles of Ham." The essay in the middle was hard to get through. My mind kept wandering, and I had to reread sections of it a few times. I was kind of meh about "Leaf by Niggle." I also found the Tom Bombadil poems a bit tiresome.
The final section was a translation Tolkien had done of three Middle English poems. "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" was interesting. I only got about five stanzas into "Pearl" before I lost interest. It picked up again with "Sir Orfeo," which was interesting again.
If you are looking for something Lord-of-the-Rings-esque, you will be disappointed, but if you enjoy folklore and poetry, don't be afraid to pick it up.
The final section was a translation Tolkien had done of three Middle English poems. "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" was interesting. I only got about five stanzas into "Pearl" before I lost interest. It picked up again with "Sir Orfeo," which was interesting again.
If you are looking for something Lord-of-the-Rings-esque, you will be disappointed, but if you enjoy folklore and poetry, don't be afraid to pick it up.
July 18, 2023
Tolkien suffers from the same affliction that CS Lewis and other authors who are both popular and prolific do--their shorter works are published separately as well as anthologized in many combinations, which means a devoted reader who is attempting to get their hands on all their various writings will inevitably end up with duplicates.
A Tolkien Miscellany is a fabulous collection (composed of Smith of Wooton Major, Farmer Giles of Ham, On Fairy Stories, Leaf by Niggle, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo). Almost all of these I have in their individually-published forms, but it is wonderfully convenient to have them all in one volume, so they'll all get to keep their spot on my shelves.
A Tolkien Miscellany is a fabulous collection (composed of Smith of Wooton Major, Farmer Giles of Ham, On Fairy Stories, Leaf by Niggle, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo). Almost all of these I have in their individually-published forms, but it is wonderfully convenient to have them all in one volume, so they'll all get to keep their spot on my shelves.
August 6, 2017
I think this book is well worth buying, though I must admit I did not read it all.
The stories: Smith of Wootton Major, Farmer Giles of Ham, and Leaf by Niggle were WONDERFUL.
The essay "On Fairy-Stories" was interesting but rather long. It got pretty heavy pretty quick.
I read chunks of the poems in the back and the translations of medieval poetry. They weren't for me, but as I said, the previously unread stories were great.
The stories: Smith of Wootton Major, Farmer Giles of Ham, and Leaf by Niggle were WONDERFUL.
The essay "On Fairy-Stories" was interesting but rather long. It got pretty heavy pretty quick.
I read chunks of the poems in the back and the translations of medieval poetry. They weren't for me, but as I said, the previously unread stories were great.
July 29, 2022
The essay 'On Fairy-Stories' was immensely hard for me to get through. I appreciate the writing, it was just dry in my opinion. 'Leaf by Niggle' Farmer Giles of Ham' and 'Adventures of Tom Bombadil' saved the book for me. The back end of the book consists of translations Tolkien completed of other works so I can't judge the book on those. Necessary to own for Tolkien enthusiasts.
July 4, 2020
Purchased as a long time Tolkien fan, always hungry for more. There were some lovely bits but I was left torn between feeling that it was wonderful the estate was sharing these crumbs and suspicious that the son was mining for more money...
April 30, 2022
Just a pleasure to read. Quite nice to read works by Tolkien that did not take place in Middle Earth. His essay on Faerie Stories was especially sublime.
November 24, 2007
i loved farmer giles of ham, tree and leaf, the adventures of tom bombadil, and smith of wootton major... sir gawain and the green knight, however, just couldnt catch my interest. it isnt the format, just... i cant place it. i tried, made it about halfway through and there was just nothing there that made me go "i have to keep reading!"
June 13, 2014
Finally made it through the entire thing. 3/5 overall rating, because I definitely liked some parts better than others. Leaf by Niggle is great, and I liked Sir Orfeo a lot, as well as a number of the "red book" poems. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, though... I'm sure it's a brilliant translation etc etc, but I didn't much care for the story.
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January 3, 2010Fiction,Fantasy
June 15, 2012
I vaguely remember reading this book and enjoying it. It was lost in a move or something so I haven't had a chance to read it again. I don't remember much right now.
March 24, 2015
some of Tolkein lesser known works. Some of the stories are better than the others in the book.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews