JRR Tolkien letter to young fan from Kent in 1961 expected to fetch thousands at auction
A touching letter sent by the author of The Hobbit and Lord of The Rings to a little boy, 63 years ago, is expected to spark an auction bidding battle.
J.R.R. Tolkien, the ‘father of fantasy literature’ wrote to his young fan a few days after Christmas in 1961.
The treasured letter was sent to Christopher Howard when he was eight-years-old and was later placed in a keepsake box - where it remained for 60 years.
Now aged 71, Christopher, a renewable energy consultant from Wye, near Canterbury, Kent, has decided it is time to send the letter on to its next destination.
It will be offered at Hertfordshire Auction House Hanson Ross on 12 April with a guide price of £8,000- £10,000.
However, it could exceed expectations - in 2023 a lengthy autograph Tolkien letter, sent to his publisher, achieved a premium inclusive total of $32,500 (£25,671) at auction.
Christopher Howard said: “Back in 1961 we were living in the North West of England at the curious address you can see on the envelope, ‘Asmall Lodge, Asmall Lane, Ormskirk, Lancashire’.
"My mother was an English teacher who would read bedtime stories to my younger brother and I, and started reading The Hobbit to us.
"The magical effect of reading words that created pictures in my mind amazed me. I could see the dragon, Smaug, in his lair, the Dwarves in their mountain halls, Wizards, Orcs and of course, Hobbits."
Tolkien who was living in Oxford, at the time, and responded in a letter dated 28 December 1961.
Mr Howard continued: “You can imagine how thrilled I was to receive this letter. Immediately, on seeing the envelope, in my mind.
"Professor Tolkien’s beautiful handwriting transported our home straight to Middle Earth.
"In his reply, he took time to carefully address every point in my letter, referred to my younger brother Nicky, mentioned characters in The Hobbit, and informed me in detail about the other book - or books - he had written, The Lord Of The Rings.”
Amanda Butler, head of operations at Hanson Ross, said: “It's a wonderful find, a very touching, kind and personal letter.
"It reminds us of the art of letter-writing in a fast-paced world now dominated by emails and short and snappy text or WhatsApp messages.
"Professor Tolkien was a busy man, and yet he found time at Christmas to write to a young fan. It's hard to imagine any celebrity today composing something so special.
"The fact that our vendor has treasured the letter for life underlines its importance. It offers us a glimpse of Tolkien's kindness and integrity and is a welcome reminder of old-fashioned values and courtesy. We very much hope to deliver the auction result it deserves.”
From 1925 to 1945, JRR Tolkien was the Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon and a Fellow of Pembroke College at the University of Oxford.
From 1945 to retirement in 1959, within the same university, he was the Merton Professor of English Language and Literature and Fellow of Merton College.
Tolkien was a close friend of fellow author C. S. Lewis and co-member of informal literary discussion group The Inklings.
Though other authors had published works of fantasy before Tolkien, the great success of The Hobbit followed by the huge impact of The Lord Of The Rings led to a resurgence of the genre.
He is regarded as the ‘father’ of modern fantasy literature and one of the most influential authors of all time.
Have you heard our new podcast Talking Politics? Every week Tom, Robert and Anushka dig into the biggest issues dominating the political agenda…