J.R.R. Tolkien | Typed letter signed, to Mary Newall, discussing his unpublished works on Middle-Earth, 10 August 1957

J. R. R. Tolkien

Typed letter signed ("J.R.R. Tolkien"), to Mrs Mary Newall,

thanking her for her "delightful letter" praising Lord of the Rings, discussing the Space Trilogy of C.S. Lewis and Tolkien's own legendarium, apologising that his arthritic hand has forced him to type his letter, 1 page, oblong 8vo (138 x 183mm), 10 August 1957, headed stationery of 76 Sandfield Road, Headington, Oxford; with autograph envelope

"...I am glad that you like C.S. Lewis's trilogy. That I have read more than once, not counting hearing it read in MS. His reference to 'the True West' was really to The Silmarillion and other Legends of the First and Second Ages (including the Downfall of Numenor), which few besides him have read. They have not been published. They were rejected years ago. Now they may see the light - if only I can find time to put them in order..."

A LETTER REFERRING TO TOLKIEN'S CLOSE ASSOCIATION WITH C.S. LEWIS AND HIS UNPUBLISHED TALES OF MIDDLE-EARTH. Lewis had referenced "Numinor [sic] and the True West" in That Hideous Strength (1945), crediting them to unpublished works by "my friend, Professor J. R. R. Tolkien". As is now well known, Tolkien and Lewis had met weekly in Oxford for many years to read and discuss their ongoing works. Tolkien later acknowledged that he would probably never have completed The Lord of the Rings without Lewis's vocal support, whilst Lewis's fantasy fiction was enriched by ideas gleaned from the remarkable legendarium of Middle-Earth.

These comments come in a response to a letter from Mary Newall (d.1998), a wide-ranging reader with a love for science fiction and fantasy. She was writing only 18 months after the publication of The Return of the King, many years before The Lord of the Rings became a huge popular success in the 1960s and at a time when Tolkien could more easily afford to respond to unsolicited letters from readers.