Tolkien, the Artist Storyteller

Plus, an editions guide

Happy eve of the destruction of the One Ring and the fall of Barad-dûr.

March 25^th (tomorrow) is, in Tolkien’s world, the day when all began to be made well. The Ring was destroyed in the Crack of Doom. Sauron fell. Gondor changed its calendar to start the new year here. Fittingly, The Tolkien Society celebrates an annual Tolkien Reading Day on the 25^th of March.

March 25^th is also the date held by tradition to be, in the real world, the crucifixion of Jesus. By this it is possible for man to be reconciled to God, and by this one day all things on earth will be set right.

The depth of imagery in J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium is incredible. The Fellowship sets out on December 25th. The ring is destroyed on Good Friday. Sauron and his ilk cannot make anything but can only corrupt pre-existing cities, buildings, people – just as there is no such thing as evil incarnate, only good things corroded and eaten away into evil form.

Many have explored these themes far better than I can, and I highly recommend in particular Tolkien’s Faith: A Spiritual Biography by Holly Ordway. My friend Tessa Carman is also hosting a webinar on similar themes in a few weeks—do register!

I anticipate writing more about Tolkien here in the future as his books are a family favorite. (Our 8- and 6-year-old have heard the whole Lord of the Rings read aloud and memorized selections). But for today I want to explore just one aspect of Tolkien’s storytelling: his art.

The Hobbit cover, illustrated by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Tolkien the artist

Did you know Tolkien was an artist as well as an author?

I hadn’t realized that Tolkien illustrated his own books until several years ago, when Tolkien’s art came on tour to the Morgan Library and Museum in New York. We didn’t have kids yet, and I worked around the corner at a higher education reform organization, the National Association of Scholars. The Morgan Library (once J.P. Morgan’s house) waived admission fees on Friday nights, so my husband and I had made a habit of visiting the Morgan every few months. We’d take in the art, admire the books (three Gutenberg Bibles!), and enjoy the live string quartet.

Of course we wanted to see Tolkien’s art. But we put it off to the last weekend, and apparently so did everyone else. The line stretched for blocks. When we made it into the building, all the slots for the Tolkien exhibit were taken. We bought a book of Tolkien art prints at the gift shop and holed up in a corner to view it, dismal at the thought that we were only a wall’s breadth away from the real thing.

Tolkien painted with his words more so than with his brush, and it is his language more than his art that is so beloved. But perhaps his literary fame has overshadowed his art, which is meritorious in its own right. He is so well-known for his words that many—like me, until a few years ago—had no idea that he illustrated his own books, and illustrated them well.

So, although I’m sure you already own a copy or two of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, consider a copy with Tolkien’s work.

“Bilbo Comes to the Huts of the Raft-Elves,” by J.R.R. Tolkien.

The best editions of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fiction

Welcome to our first Editions Guide. For some classics, there are too many versions out there. Which ones are best?

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The Hobbit

“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit,” wrote Tolkien on a blank exam paper, and so began the adventures of Bilbo Baggins. Tolkien wrote the story for his children, who helped him pick the characters’ names. The Hobbit is a staple in every child’s read-aloud lineup, and—like a truly great children’s book—in any adult’s library as well.

Overall pick: 75^th anniversary edition of The Hobbit with Tolkien’s original art

Tolkien produced different versions of his illustrations that changed over several editions, beginning with mostly black-and-white for the first edition and later turning to full-color. This 75^th anniversary edition reproduces his full-color art on both the cover and inside.

Beware! Several other editions look very similar to this one, having Tolkien’s artwork on the cover but including none of his interior art.

For the artist: The Hobbit with all of Tolkien’s art

This exhaustive edition includes not only Tolkien’s art published in early editions of The Hobbit, but also drafts and sketches that offer a glimpse at his creative process. If you want the full picture of Tolkien as not just an author but as an artist, this is the edition for you.

For the scholar: Facsimile of the First Edition

Tolkien made some substantial changes to The Hobbit after it came out in 1937, such that the editions we mostly read now (though still written by Tolkien) are quite different from what he originally wrote.

Not until years later, as he was preparing to write The Lord of the Rings trilogy, did Tolkien decide that the ring Bilbo acquired from Gollum was in fact the One Ring. The chapter “Riddles in the Dark” therefore needed to be rewritten. And in The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien worked in an acknowledgement of these revisions. In The Fellowship of the Ring, he has Bilbo say that he wrote a book about his adventures but that he originally didn’t tell the whole tale.

Actual first edition copies of The Hobbit are, of course, very expensive. But in 2018 HarperCollins re-released the first edition text with Tolkien’s original black-and-white illustrations. It’s still pricy, but far more affordable than a real first edition, and it comes with a CD of Tolkien reading some excerpts.

I recently bought a copy of this edition. It’s been pretty exciting to read through the first edition text.

“The Forest of Lothlorien in Spring,” by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Lord of the Rings

Strictly speaking, The Lord of the Rings trilogy is not a series of children’s books.

But they are suitable, and I would argue important, for children old enough to bear grief and hope at the same time. In my house, we hold Tolkien Recitation Nights (three times so far), at which friends join us to recite Tolkien’s poetry and prose, and often dress in costume. The kids are, if possible, even more enthusiastic than my husband and I.

To be honest, I like Tolkien’s art for The Hobbit more than I do for The Lord of the Rings, and I’ll list another illustrator as well who does justice to Tolkien’s worldbuilding. But please don’t buy an edition that features still-shots from the movies. Peter Jackson’s film adaptations are admirable, but they’re not Tolkien. Any readers who haven’t seen the films—which likely includes your kids—deserve the chance to form their own impressions from Tolkien himself. Let them imagine what they read and piece the descriptions together in their own mind.

The Lord of the Rings hardcover with Tolkien’s art

All three books in one volume – massive, but the only one I know of in print with all of Tolkien’s art.

This hardcover edition features Tolkien’s cover art as well as his maps and other drawings. The paperback option available at the same link does not, however, so be sure to get the hardcover if you want Tolkien’s art.

The Lord of the Rings Illustrated by Alan Lee

Alan Lee’s illustrations are intricate and beautiful as well. Lee’s art inspired much of the imagery of the movie adaptations but predates the films. This is a boxed set with The Hobbit as well as The Lord of the Rings.

Collections of Tolkien’s art

Tolkien produced much more art beyond that which is included in the more well-known legendarium. Here are some options for where to obtain the rest.

Tolkien: Treasures, by Catherine McIlwaine

Published by the Bodleian Library, this is the edition I own, purchased in our depressing moment at The Morgan Library when we realized we weren’t going to see Tolkien’s art.

This book features high resolution color prints of Tolkien’s art as well as a bit of commentary.

Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien

This collection, with notes by Christopher Tolkien, brings together the highlights of J.R.R. Tolkien’s art. This is a beautiful supplement to non-illustrated editions of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

Other Illustrated Children’s Books by Tolkien

Letters from Father Christmas

Every Christmas, the Tolkien children sent letters to Father Christmas (Santa Claus) and received lavishly illustrated missives in reply.

Of course, the responses were written and illustrated by Tolkien, who wove together tales of Father Christmas and the North Polar Bear warding off the high dangers of goblins as well as more banal domestic troubles. He couldn’t keep the legendarium out of the Christmas stories, so keep an eye out for Gollum!

While not originally intended for publication, these letters were later collected and released, and we’re so glad they were! Even in our household—where no one has ever believed Santa was real—we love the Father Christmas letters.

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I’ll close with my favorite piece of art by Tolkien, currently hanging on my living room wall, and an accompanying observation from The Hobbit.

Rivendell, as painted by J.R.R. Tolkien.

I can only aspire for my house to be as welcoming, beautiful, strong, and mystical as Rivendell was. But my days do share one key feature with Rivendell, as described here:

“Now it is a strange thing, but things that are good to have and days that are good to spend are soon told about, and not much to listen to, while things that are uncomfortable, palpitating, and even gruesome, may make a good tale, and take a good deal of telling anyway. They stayed long in that good house….Yet there is little to tell about their stay.”

May our days be full with much good, so much that there is little to tell.