On his progress writing Lord of the Rings - photo 1
On his progress writing Lord of the Rings - photo 2
On his progress writing Lord of the Rings - photo 3

On his progress writing Lord of the Rings

Sold
$ 27 720
Auction dateClassic
06.10.2022 12:00UTC -04:00
Auctioneer
CHRISTIE'S
Event location
USA, New York
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 813620
Lot 148 | On his progress writing Lord of the Rings
On his progress writing Lord of the Rings

J.R.R. Tolkien, 1945

TOLKIEN, John Ronald Reuel (1892-1973). Autograph letter signed ("Ye olde Professor JRRT") to Leila Keane and Patricia Kirke, Oxford, 9 January 1945.



Three pages, 85 x 122mm on his blind embossed stationery.



A lengthy letter detailing Tolkien's progress with Lord of the Rings. The recipients, Leila Keane and Patricia Kirke, were two young girls who maintained a lengthy correspondence and friendship with Tolkien after reading The Hobbit. Tolkien apologizes for not writing for nearly a year citing his busy work and writing schedule. "That next book is not finished yet, and it almost looks as if you'll be grown up before it is. But I hope you won't quite change your tastes!" He takes time to answer questions from their previous notes: "I illustrated 'The Hobbit' myself (very poorly, I think), but I shan't have time even to try and illustrate this one! I began it about 1938, and it is still growing slowly. Not only the Hobbit (Mr. Baggins), but quite a host of hobbits of the Baggins and other families come into it, as well as a great many creatures and people not before seen …. It starts with a 'A Long-expected party' (on Bilbo's 111th birthday), and follows the adventures of Frodo, Bilbo's nephew, and Sam his servant in much longer and more perilous journeys to Rivendell and then far away South to the Mines of Mora, and Rohan and Gandor, and at last to the dreadful land of the Dark Lord ... But except to say that’s all about Bilbo's Magic Ring (which I may have told you before) I won't tell the plot." Tolkien explains that there are "five books or parts," and that he had begun work on the fifth with his son "Christopher, who has helped me a lot, and was just drawing some lovely maps, of The Shire (where the Hobbits live) and of the Great Lands, was taken away and has been in Africa nearly a year…." He also reports on his son Michael was "invalided out of the army", his eldest, John was "now a 'Rev.' So all the original hobbiters are growing up." His daughter Racheal, "only 15," refused to read the novel until completion, "though she has typed out some of the chapters." He continues with additional family news noting that his son Chris was living in "the Orange River Free State," Tolkien's birthplace, but his son didn't "like it at all. Especially not a Christmas in midsummer, and the moon upside down." Tolkien's full-time academic role slowed progress greatly on Lord of the Rings. He did not complete the manuscript until 1949 and the book took another five years to appear in print (1954-1955). Not published in Carpenter.

Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
20 Rockefeller Plaza
10020 New York
USA
Preview
06.10.2022 – 06.10.2022
Phone +1 212 636 2000
Fax +1 212 636 4930
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase
Shipping Postal service
Courier service
pickup by yourself
Payment methods Wire Transfer
Business hoursBusiness hours
Mo 09:30 – 17:00   
Tu 09:30 – 17:00   
We 09:30 – 17:00   
Th 09:30 – 17:00   
Fr 09:30 – 17:00   
Sa closed
Su closed

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.