Great Tales Never End, The: Essays in Memory of Christopher Tolkien

J.R.R. Tolkien's son and literary executor, Christopher Tolkien, published twenty-four volumes of his father's work, providing readers with a comprehensive understanding of the legendarium. This collection of essays and family reminiscences sheds new light on Tolkien's work, Christopher's communication skills, and the debt owed to him by scholars. The book also includes illustrations of Tolkien's manuscripts, maps, drawings, and letters, as well as photographs of Christopher Tolkien and extracts from his works.

Format: Hardback
Length: 232 pages
Publication date: 24 June 2022
Publisher: Bodleian Library

Over more than four decades, J.R.R. Tolkien's son and literary executor, Christopher Tolkien, published a staggering twenty-four volumes of his father's work, far exceeding the number of books his father had managed to publish during his lifetime. Standing on the towering mountain of his son's colossal publishing effort and extraordinary scholarship, readers today can survey and comprehend the vastness of Tolkien's legendary landscape. This collection of essays by renowned scholars, coupled with family reminiscences, sheds new light on J.R.R. Tolkien's work, Christopher's unique gifts in communicating and interpreting that work, and the debt owed to Christopher by the many Tolkien scholars who were privileged to work with him.

What was Tolkien's intended ending for The Lord of the Rings? Did it leave echoes in the stripped-down version that was actually published? What was the audience's response to the first ever adaptation of The Lord of the Rings – a radio dramatization that has now been deleted forever from the BBC's archives? What was the significance of the extraordinary array of doorways that confronted the hobbits as they journeyed through Middle-earth?

The book is lavishly illustrated with color reproductions of J.R.R. Tolkien's manuscripts, maps, drawings, and letters, as well as photographs of Christopher Tolkien and extracts from his works, some of which have never been seen before. With the kind permission of his estate, this volume becomes an essential reading for Tolkien scholars, readers, and fans alike.

Weight: 674g
Dimension: 164 x 241 x 31 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781851245659