Letter 16

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
Letter 16
Recipient	Michael Tolkien
Date	3 October 1937
Subject(s)	Consoling his son for rejection from the school rugby team

Letter 16 is a letter written by J.R.R. Tolkien and published in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Summary

This letter was written to Tolkien's son Michael at boarding school. Tolkien consoled his son about not yet being on the school rugby team, relating how he too was initially rejected for being too light but "decided to make up for weight by (legitimate) ferocity", and ended up on the team and 'with colours'. He also encouraged Michael to keep an eye on his younger brother Christopher.