Fine Printed Books and Manuscripts

Notes
The descriptions for Lots 409-411 include extracts from notes and letters to Nancy Smith, the Indexer of The Lord of the Rings.

409 (pp.278-9) - This lot consists of two pages of questions from Nancy Smith regarding the Index for LotR (annotated by Tolkien) and four pages of notes by Tolkien dated 12 March 1958. The annotated questions and three of the pages of notes are reproduced in photographs.

410 (pp.280-1) - This lot reproduces in full a long letter from Tolkien to Nancy Smith dated Christmas Day 1963. The letter includes autobiographical information about Tolkien and discusses The Lord of the Rings. Some of the letter was later incorporated into an article that appeared in Diplomat magazine in 1966. For further information see this webpage.

411 (p.282) - This lot reproduces in full another letter from Tolkien to Nancy Smith, this time dated 30 May 1966. In the letter Tolkien briefly discusses Ford Maddox Ford and the article in Diplomat magazine.

The letters in lots 409 and 411 are not included in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien (1981). Three paragraphs from the letter in Lot 410 were included at the end of Letter No. 165.