Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0547154119 ISBN 13: 9780547154114

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2008

The definitive collection of Tolkien’s classic “fairie” tales, in the vein of The Hobbit, illustrated by Oscar winner Alan Lee

Never before published in a single volume, Tolkien’s four novellas (Farmer Giles of Ham, Leaf by Niggle, Smith of Wootton Major, and Roverandom) and one book of poems (The Adventures of Tom Bombadil) are gathered together for the first time, in a fully illustrated volume. This definitive collection of works -- which had appeared separately, in various formats, between 1949 and 1998 -- comes with a brand-new foreword and endmatter, and with a series of detailed pencil illustrations by Alan Lee, in the style of his other award-winning Tolkien work, most recently in The Children of Húrin.

The book is the perfect opportunity for fans of Middle-earth to enjoy some of Tolkien’s often overlooked yet most creative storytelling. With dragons and sand sorcerers, sea monsters and hobbits, knights and dwarves, this collection contains all the classic elements for Tolkien buffs of all ages.

About the Author:

ALAN LEE was born in England in 1947. Inspired by Tolkien’s work to pursue his chosen path as an artist of the mythic and fantastic, he has illustrated a wide range of books including Faeries, The Mabinogion, Castles, Merlin Dreams, the centenary edition of The Lord of the Rings, and The Hobbit. He is a winner of the Carnegie Medal for his illustrated edition of The Iliad.

From AudioFile:

This collection of four of Tolkien's short works, dramatized for BBC Radio, is narrated by Sir Michael Hordern, who played Gandalf in the BBC dramatization of THE LORD OF THE RINGS. The stories include "Farmer Giles of Ham," featuring Brian Blessed as an unlikely dragon hunter, and "Smith of Wootton Major," with Paul Copley as a young blacksmith who visits the faerie realm. "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil" is a sequence from THE LORD OF THE RINGS not included in the BBC adaptation of that saga. The story will be familiar to Tolkien devotees, even though it's not the cycle of poems from Tolkien's book, but it will likely confuse most listeners. The highlight of the set is "Leaf by Niggle," a beautiful allegory about art, life, and meaning, featuring Alfred Molina as a beleaguered artist and John Fleming as his neighbor. S.E.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2009 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine