HarperCollins has been busy refreshing their J.R.R. Tolkien offerings with spectacular illustrated editions of The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings. They also released The Fall of Numenor, which collects Tolkien’s writings on the Second Age of Middle-earth – the same period explored in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power series on Amazon Prime Video. Now they’re announcing a revised and expanded edition of The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, which was edited by Humphrey Carpenter with the assistance of J.R.R’s son, Christopher Tolkien, who recently passed away at the age of 95.
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The updated edition of The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien includes an additional 150 letters that were originally omitted to deliver a book that was deemed a “publishable length” in 1981. The expanded edition clocks in at 704 pages, offering fans a deep insight into J.R.R. Tolkien’s mind and daily life. It will also provide insights into his iconic work, such as a plot summary of the entirety of The Lord of the Rings and a vision for publishing his ‘Tales of the Three Ages’.
The Revised and Expanded Edition of The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien is available to pre-order here on Amazon in hardcover and via Kindle. A discount is all but guaranteed between now and the November 14th release date, and pre-order customers will automatically get the biggest discount that occurs during this period.
Jennifer Hart, Senior Vice President and Associate Publisher, says: ‘Since it was first published in 1981, Letters has become the closest thing we can ever have to J.R.R. Tolkien’s autobiography. Within its selection of just over 350 letters, edited by Tolkien’s official biographer, Humphrey Carpenter, and his son and literary executor, Christopher, Tolkien is revealed in all his colours: storyteller, academic, friend, husband, father and grandfather. They are intimate, heartfelt, wise, funny, fascinating; they brilliantly showcase the lost art of letter-writing and are a time-machine transporting us into the life of one of the twentieth century’s literary greats.
‘But this was not the book envisaged by Humphrey and Christopher. At the publisher’s request, they were required to reduce the original selection to what was then deemed a publishable extent. By going back to the editors’ original typescripts and notes, it has finally been possible for us to reinstate the 150 letters they excised purely for length – an additional 50,000 words – and publish the book as originally intended.’
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 1 is currently streaming on Prime Video. Season 2 has reportedly wrapped filming.
