Smith of Wootton Major and Farmer Giles of Ham

[Iolanthe]

Don't tempt me - I'm a terrible doodler. You should see my Gilbert and Sullivan vocal scores for examples of margin illustrations gone mad. I think my Pirates of Penzance score has Gandalf being carried by an eagle over Mount Doom in it somewhere .

I actually didn't realise that you could still buy Farmer Giles with Baynes' inside illustrations. The 50th Anniversay edition is still available here but a customer review isn't very encouraging:

It's illustrated with nearly 50 line drawings by Paula Baynes: Tolkien loved these, but some look sadly faded here, like fourth-generation photocopies.

[lyanness]

Hello all. Just received my copy of FG&H and SW. Its impossible to get anything in South Africa, so Amazon has been my saving grace in getting Tolkien material. Look forward to reading them!!!

I would just like to comment on Tolkien's term: eucatastrophe.
It is the most amazing word for something that seldom happens, seldom, but not never. It often gives me hope when I feel that things are as bad as they're ever going to get. Hope has saved many characters in the works of Tolkien and stops me from giving up in difficult situations many many times. If only Tolkien could have known that his works would touch the lives of his readers in such powerful ways.

I'm also curious about one thing, unrelated to this entire website I'm afraid.
How do the English people pronounce worcester?
We in SA have a worcester about an hours drive away from cape town (beautiful small place surrounded by mountains, but hot as hell during the summer and cold as the arctic during the winter). Pronounced voo-ster.
Just curious.

Hope to join you soon in your discussion on the books. So far, reading the discusion above, the books sound really interesting and entertaining.

[Iolanthe]

Glad you're managing to get the books now, Lyanness . You'll love Farmer Giles of Ham - it really is funny - and Smith of Wootton Major is just magical and reminds us of the importance of keeping that magic alive in our mundane lives.

We pronounce Worcester very close to the way you pronounce it, but with a 'w' instead of a 'v' so it's:

Wooster

Very confusing for foreign visitors to the town!

[MICHKA]

je pense que le prochain achat Tolkien sera celui-là que je ne connais pas mais dont je lis (dans les ''Lettres'' de Tolkien) l'élaboration et la raison de son existence

[Merry]

I think you will enjoy them, Michka! They're not LOTR (nothing is LOTR!), but they have a lot of charm. They helped me to understand better the charm of the English village and countryside, which I think we don't understand here in the United States, and the illustrations are fun. And you're right that they help us understand the development of JRRT's imagination in regard to such things as dragons and fairies. Let us know what you think!

[MICHKA]

I had time to read the 1st tale of Faërie, ''Gilles de Ham'',so freshly,a naïf mere nothing, it is an easy for the children the adults of which also owed feast ;but very well tod.Good

[MICHKA]

je vais m'exprimer en français pour être plus à l'aise ,peut-être me comprendrez-vous mieux ainsi. En salle d'attente, (chez le médecin) j'ai eu le temps de lire le 1er conte , Gilles le fermier, de Faërie que je viens de recevoir;c'est vraiment rafraîchissant et facile à comprendre pour les enfants, si amusant, et je pense aussi que les adultes ont pu apprécier. C'est encore un régal d'écriture , différent, mais si bien relaté!

[Merry]

'Naif' is a perfect word, Michka, and my copy is helped in that regard by some delightfully simple line drawings. But there is some subtle poking fun at the foibles of human nature that only adults would appreciate--pure Tolkien! I'm glad you enjoyed it.