Second-guessing and Misunderstanding Tolkien

That's a BIG sale on the digital version... half its usual price.

Thank you very much, Ent.

I got a softcover copy from goodwillrs on eBay for $13. Proceeds benefit charity.

That is smart. Will look into.

Jeez. I picked up my hardback from a stack of them on the remainders table of a chain bookstore, in 1982. One dollar.

Now I wish I'd bought them all -- I could be giving them away here now. 😔

Glad you at least benefitted from it!

Well-aged Enting said:

Indeed. Clarifies many things.
Currently paperback is $17.99 and digital is $9.99.

Click to expand...

Yep. It is a indispensable resource in discussions with, shall we say, the lesser informed of Tolkien readers, who will tell you what Tolkien really meant about this or that or whatever.
And I will [politely] reply: Ummmm... no... actually this, in his own words, is what he said about that.
And I've had people react angrily, both to my face and of course online.
Once person started screaming at me. It was online, and he didn't use caps, but omg, there was no doubt that he was livid, frothing at the mouth.

What usually sets them off is when they find out that Tolkien was [gasp! 😮] a Christian, and not just any old Christian but [horrors! ] a Catholic, and even worse (if it could get much worse) a [aiiiiieee!!! ] practicing Catholic.

People can be so funny like that.....😄

I first came across a hardbound edition of the Letters about 1985... it was on "remainder" table in a bookshop.
Pristine condition, well bound (stitched, not glued), perfect dust cover... IIRC $3 [USD] (about $8 today).
(Edit: just checked publication: 1981 by Houghton Mifflin, US ed.)

There was a stack of them; I couldn't believe it. ***
It's still there, on my bookshelf. Dust cover a little worse for the wear ... (but I've finally learned to remove dust covers when reading a book .)
But well used... I refer to it a lot, and aside from that, it is just a pleasure to read, like sitting there having him talk to you. 🙂

*** Like Squint-Eyed Southerner I wish I had bought quite a few more.
But there was no way to know that Tolkien-mania would occur years later.
This is the edition I have and (I guess ) the one Squint-Eyed Southerner has as well.
Listed for about $100 on ebay.

Deimos said:

but I've finally learned to remove dust covers when reading a book

Click to expand...

Indeed. I take all my dust covers off, layer them neatly in a box that's 'perfect dust cover size' so they don't get damaged.
If I ever decide to move the books along to others, I'll fish out the covers and stick them back on..!

Hah. The DJ on my copy disintegrated long ago, and the spine is threatening to split. Not to mention the (penciled) notes and underlinings.

I did find another nice copy at a Goodwill, a few years ago -- but that one stays on the bookshelf.

You have a very nice Goodwill!

Squint-eyed Southerner said:

Hah. The DJ on my copy disintegrated long ago, and the spine is threatening to split. Not to mention the (penciled) notes and underlinings.

I did find another nice copy at a Goodwill, a few years ago -- but that one stays on the bookshelf.

Click to expand...

The paperback is on sale at $17.99 right now, but that's only a couple bucks off the regular price.
I usually use paperbacks myself if I do a lot of rereading... OR if it's a 'reference' book like this.
But $17.99 doesn't beat a buck I'm afraid.

Don't mean to keep babbling on, but it would be great if somebody did a good 'book review' on The Letters..!

It's so important, and gives us so much of J.R.R.'s mind... we see his wit, his thoughts on countless topics we tend to 'argue over', his clear statements about what he dislikes in how people handle his works and creation... even hints of his sarcasm... and more.

His heart comes through in the ones to Christopher...

It really helps us see a bit more of who he is through his own words, approach, etc. rather than through what someone else has written about him.

I would be glad to write one once I have read!

Elbereth Vala Varda said:

You have a very nice Goodwill!

Click to expand...

As a matter of fact, that same Goodwill is where I found one of the Ace LOTR paperbacks, and a copy of Ballantine's paperback edition of A Tolkien Compass, containing the "Guide to Names" missing in later editions.

Plus a bunch of firsts of Patrick O'Brian novels (not to brag or anything! 😅).

Squint-eyed Southerner said:

Hah. The DJ on my copy disintegrated long ago, and the spine is threatening to split. Not to mention the (penciled) notes and underlinings.

I did find another nice copy at a Goodwill, a few years ago -- but that one stays on the bookshelf.

Click to expand...

A stitched spine on a book will last a lot longer than one that is glued.
It allows you to open the book pretty wide, even "cracking the spine" without having the pages fall out.
Almost all books now---and I guess even for the last 30 years or so (except the fancy Folio type editions with the gilt [faux] leather covers etc) --have glued spines, which results in the pages eventually falling out as the glue gets old. If you crack the spine on those, there's a good chance the pages will begin to fall out sooner rather than later.

I've never been able to make notations or underlinings in any book except a textbook.
I simply can't do it. It's as if there were this huge chasm before me, and on the far side is the land of "permissible book marking".
But on my side?...."You Shall Not Pass!" I am constitutionally unable to do it; it's like committing a sacrilege.
Oh, and making a "dog-ear" on a page corner? Cause for flogging at the very least.

And, you know, there is no middle ground on this.
I've met a too many readers to doubt it; you are either OK with making notations and underlines in a book, or you are not.

Elbereth Vala Varda said:

I would be glad to write one once I have read!

Click to expand...

That would be great.
We have a spot where some book related stuff is put already.
I'd personally like to see a regular "Tolkien Book Reviews" category with two subsections - "Reviews of Books By Tolkien" and "Reviews of Books About Tolkien and His Works".

But I'm just not sure there's enough call for that... though I think it would provide an area where folks 'unfamiliar' with all there really is could learn just what's out there for their enjoyment/enrichment.

If that ever comes about I'll certainly do a more thorough review of the 2 or 3 few books I've already mentioned someplace here... (and maybe more).

It is said "What we don't know won't hurt us" - and though that may be so at times, I believe we're often hurt by our ignorance. (Ignorance: 'lack of knowledge about a thing', not 'stupidity')

But I DO know this - It can be said without contradiction: "What we don't know can't enrich us."

Deimos said:

A stitched spine on a book will last a lot longer than one that is glued.
It allows you to open the book pretty wide, even "cracking the spine" without having the pages fall out.
Almost all books now---and I guess even for the last 30 years or so (except the fancy Folio type editions with the gilt [faux] leather covers etc) --have glued spines, which results in the pages eventually falling out as the glue gets old. If you crack the spine on those, there's a good chance the pages will begin to fall out sooner rather than later.

I've never been able to make notations or underlinings in any book except a textbook.
I simply can't do it. It's as if there were this huge chasm before me, and on the far side is the land of "permissible book marking".
But on my side?...."You Shall Not Pass!" I am constitutionally unable to do it; it's like committing a sacrilege.
Oh, and making a "dog-ear" on a page corner? Cause for flogging at the very least.

And, you know, there is no middle ground on this.
I've met a too many readers to doubt this; you are either OK with making notations and underlines in a book, or you are not.

Click to expand...

Well, I certainly don't mark up my Folio Society books! 😳


But in the course of research for "articles", I admit to having treated a few Tolkien-related books as "textbooks".

Squint-eyed Southerner said:

I admit to...

Click to expand...

...marking. Yep, I'm a (selective books) marker too. 'tis also why paperbacks vs. hardbacks. (when available.) When they get abused enough, it's less costly to get another paperback.

I once went through the entire Wizard of Oz, marking out the days she was actually in Oz rather than the 2-3 days the classic 1939 movie depicts.
It was quite amazing..!
(Also resulted, when I put it on my Wizard of Oz website, in an author coming to me asking me if I'd take a look at his books about Dorothy.)

Naturally, someone immediately came to me publicly arguing that I was incorrect. I told him I was more than willing to be corrected, and to please 'show me the proofs.' Never heard from him again...

One just never knows.

Well-aged Enting said:

We have a spot where some book related stuff is put already.

Click to expand...

We're still in the process of locating threads and moving the to the new forum. They're scattered all over the place, and some threads are in the "iffy" category, as far as relevance. But here's an old thread discussing The Letters:

You folks do SO MUCH for this forum...! Thank you for your continued efforts.