Status
Available
Local notes
Fic Tol
Collection
Publication
HarperCollins Publishers (2014), Edition: UK ed.
Description
This revised and expanded edition of Tolkien's own Hobbit-inspired poetry includes previously unpublished poems and notes, and is beautifully illustrated by Narnia artist Pauline Baynes. 'Here is something that no devotee of the Hobbit epic can afford to miss, while awaiting a further instalment of the history of these fascinating people - a selection [of verses] offered as an 'interim report' to those interested in Hobbit-lore, and to any others who may find amusement in this mixed bag of old confections.' One of the most intriguing characters in The Lord of the Rings, the amusing and enigmatic Tom Bombadil, also appears in verses said to have been written by Hobbits and preserved in the 'Red Book' with stories of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins and their friends. The Adventures of Tom Bombadil collects these and other poems, mainly concerned with legends and jests of the Shire at the end of the Third Age.… (more)
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1962-11-22
1962
Physical description
4.92 inches
User reviews
LibraryThing member apsullivan
I actually had a VERY hard time finding this. When I did find it, it cost well over $100.00. I'd be surprised if many other people actually owned this. It's extremely rare.
LibraryThing member ClicksClan
Love that you can read this whole book in less than an hour. Makes for a nice filler book.
Find new favourites with each read; The Mewlips is delightfully creepy and there's bones, a foot and creepy faces in the picture.
'Beyond the Merlock Mountains, a long and lonely road,
Through the spider-shadows
And through the wood of hanging trees and the gallows weed,
And go to find the Mewlips, - and the Mewlips feed.'
(Page 46)
The pictures re all fantastic, I love the little bits of colour in them.
The book smells lovely (it's got that musty old vanilla smell) and feels really nice too. It's small but sturdy.
Find new favourites with each read; The Mewlips is delightfully creepy and there's bones, a foot and creepy faces in the picture.
'Beyond the Merlock Mountains, a long and lonely road,
Through the spider-shadows
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and the marsh of Tode,And through the wood of hanging trees and the gallows weed,
And go to find the Mewlips, - and the Mewlips feed.'
(Page 46)
The pictures re all fantastic, I love the little bits of colour in them.
The book smells lovely (it's got that musty old vanilla smell) and feels really nice too. It's small but sturdy.
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LibraryThing member BenKline
A super fun quick read of poems based on Tom Bombadil from The Fellowship of the Ring, as well as poems of other Middle-earth (and non-Middle Earth but fantasy trope) characters. Doesn't add any real depth to the character, but a quick entertaining hour of poems.
LibraryThing member DarthDeverell
In J.R.R. Tolkien's The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, editors Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond reprint Tolkien's 1962 volume, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Verses from the Red Book complete with Pauline Baynes' original illustrations. As part of Tolkien's mythology, these poems and
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stories represent part of the cultural background of Middle Earth. Bombadil himself appears in The Lord of the Rings while this also includes "Oliphaunt," a poem Samwise Gamgee recites in that volume. Tolkien's joy in language and styles of verse are sure to delight those who enjoy his writing while Scull and Hammond's commentary explores the evolution of the various poems. A little over half of this edition focuses on earlier versions of the poems and Tolkien's references, either to his own mythology or to Britain's history and languages. This edition will entertain fans of Tolkien as well as those who enjoy poetic stories. Show Less
LibraryThing member Michael.Rimmer
As this isn't the first time I've read these poems, I already knew I was going to like them. The added elements in this edition are the commentaries on every poem by the editors, which usually include earlier variants of the core poems, together with a very brief outline by Tolkien of a never
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realised, stand-alone Tom Bombadil story. Well worth the relatively modest cover price, but I'd have happily paid more for better paper, a larger format and colour illustrations. Show Less
LibraryThing member Andy_Dingley
This is about the 2014 edition.
A fat little Hobbit of a book – if Hobbits have university professors of literature and philology.
The original of this book was a slim volume of slim poems, illustrated by charming drawings. This edition is rather more, such that it's now three or four times the
For a light read, read the second volume. Preferably aloud, and ideally to an audience of cheese and ale-stuffed Hobbits.
The Tolkien scholar though will want to plough through all of it, including that second half. I say "plough" deliberately, as it's not the easiest of going. But if your interest is in Tolkien himself, or just deeply that of the Legendarium's development, rather than only scampering along to Sam's present, then this will be a heavy but rewarding read for you.
A fat little Hobbit of a book – if Hobbits have university professors of literature and philology.
The original of this book was a slim volume of slim poems, illustrated by charming drawings. This edition is rather more, such that it's now three or four times the
Show More
size. The first volume is a preface, introducing the context for the collection and the poems themselves. A worthy read. Then the poems, which are still light and charming, with their original illustrations. Now the real meat of this edition: the third volume is a series of literary critiques of each, usually included the full text of an earlier version, often very different.For a light read, read the second volume. Preferably aloud, and ideally to an audience of cheese and ale-stuffed Hobbits.
The Tolkien scholar though will want to plough through all of it, including that second half. I say "plough" deliberately, as it's not the easiest of going. But if your interest is in Tolkien himself, or just deeply that of the Legendarium's development, rather than only scampering along to Sam's present, then this will be a heavy but rewarding read for you.
Show Less