Fantasy

SFBC Review & Plot:

I’m sure you’ve heard of The Lord of the Rings, but do you know about J.R.R. Tolkien’s other worlds? In this exclusive SFBC Creation, we’ve gathered together some of Tolkien’s least-known and hardest-to-find works in one wonderful volume. Inside this handy book, you’ll find:
Smith of Wootton Major, which tells the story of a magical gift concealed in a most amazing cake, and of the young boy who ate it and learned to travel in the lands of faerie.

Farmer Giles of Ham: A dragon was terrorizing the English village of Ham, and their only hope was a local farmer with an inflated reputation for chasing away giants. Can Farmer Giles and his dog save their village from the dragon and the greedy king?

Tree and Leaf contains Tolkien’s ground-breaking essay "On Fairy-stories," still one of the best and most readable examinations of the meaning of fantasy, along with the semi-autobiographical story "Leaf by Niggle," about a painter who never managed to finish his masterwork…when he was alive.

The Adventures of Tom Bombadil: 16 poems from the Red Book—some supposedly written by Sam Gamgee and Bilbo Baggins!—about the Shire, fantastic and humorous events, and the merry life of Bombadil.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: We know Tolkien best as a fantasy writer, but his first career was as a professor of Anglo-Saxon. Here are collected his three great translations of medieval poetry—"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," "Sir Orfeo" and "The Pearl."

I hope you’ll enjoy discovering these other works of Tolkien’s—happy reading!

—Andrew Wheeler, Editor

Illustrated by Pauline Baynes. Jacket art by Gary Lippincott. (369 pp.) 2002.

Illustrator	Pauline Baynes