Letter to Rosemary (30 September 1947)

From Tolkien Gateway

On 30 September 1947, J.R.R. Tolkien wrote a letter to Rosemary.

Letter to Rosemary (30 September 1947) is a letter from J.R.R. Tolkien to Rosemary, composed on 30 September 1947.[1]

  • Subject: Tolkien replies to a letter of appreciation of The Hobbit from Rosemary.
  • Publication: A facsimile was published in Mallorn 36.
  • Description: Two pages, handwritten, signed.[2]

Transcription[edit | edit source]

Oxford September 30th 1947

Dear Dear Rosemary,

I am sorry I have not answered you before. I have been very busy. So busy that I have still not managed to finish my book about the later adventures of Bilbo Baggins (and his nephew). And when it is finished I do not know how they will find paper for it. It is rather long. I made another quick short story ages ago, and that's still waiting for paper and covers. I am afraid it is not about Hobbits, though it has mother an other dragon. I am very glad you like The Hobbit. I hope you will like the next one. I will remember you when it apponso I shall keep your picture and your address in my own copy of the book. Bilbo Baggins comes into it, but he is too old (111*) to have any+ 'eleventy-one' as he was age More great adventures. But the magic ring that he found turns out to be far more important than he thought.

And his nephew and Sam Gamgee (his gardener), and Gandalf - being a wizard ill not much altered - and very many others people have very much danger and humble with it, and they have a very long long journey over the mountains and down the Great River of Wilderland to the far South and many battles. Gollum gets loose, looking for the Rings, and there are lots of Dwarfs and Elves. But no Dragon. Still there are Ents, a hitherto unknown people and when one day you meet Treebeard the eldest of all people, I hope you will like him. Now I must fly write a lot more mohaless nice letters about much less interesting things (to me). I hope you had a nice holiday. Somewhere in this lovely summer which reminds and over the summers when I walked over the Misty Mountain long ago (1911). I could not do any thing of the kind this year.

Yours sincerely,

Ronald Tolkien

See also[edit | edit source]

References

  1. ↑ Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond (2006), The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide: I. Chronology, p. 322
  2. ↑ Mallorn 36 (1998)
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