I borrowed this from the local library for the Peter Beagle piece on Tolkien and The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm's Son. The other pieces I had already read.

This is a collection of essays, short stories and poetry by the master. His opening essay is about fairy tales and fantasy. Very interesting, but he was so brilliant, it can sometimes be hard to understand. Also, Tolkien is so self-depreciating about his own brilliance. The short stories are Leaf by Niggle and Farmer Giles of Ham. The first about an artist who likes to paint leaves and one day finds the place of his painting. Farmer Giles is the story of a farmer who becomes a great knight, tames a dragon, gets the dragon’s wealth and becomes kind. The poetry is mostly about Tom Bombidil and other poems that appeared in the Hobbit and LOTRs series.

What a pleasant read!

I debated on how I should rate this book. I really enjoyed a couple of the stories, but liked the poetry less well. I've never really been a fan of poetry, even that within Tolkien's Middle Earth books. However, Leaf: By Niggle and Farmer Giles of Ham were so enjoyable that they bumped this volume up to four stars. In fact, Leaf is so good that I would rate it as one of the best short stories that I have ever read.

A miscellany of stories, essays, and poetry from Tolkien. I was surprised at how much of an emotional punch Leaf by Niggle had. I'd read much of the poetry elsewhere, but there were still some beautiful pieces that were new to me.

"The Tolkien Reader," a collection of some of J.R.R. Tolkien's lesser known works, is an odd book. Lovers of "The Lord of the Rings," "The Hobbit," or "The Silmarillion" may find the "Reader" to be underwhelming. Surely, if one goes reading this book for the grand adventures of Middle-Earth, one would be disappointed. What the "Reader" does, however, is showcase Tolkien's talents in other forms, some of which are just as magical.

The only play in the collection, "The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm's Son," is a short dramatization of the aftermath of the Battle of Maldon, a real battle fought in the late 10th century A.D. In the drama format, along with the commentary Tolkien provides on the information surrounding the real battle, the reader can experience a glimpse of the longing for the English mythology that Tolkien himself so desired. I would love to see the play performed live, and consider it a real treasure of mythology, especially considering that I had neve heard of it before reading this book.

The most interesting section of the "Reader" is undoubtedly "Tree and Leaf." This section contains two separate but thematically connected works of different formats. The titular "Tree" refers to Tolkien's classic essay "On Fairy-Stories"; while I make no claims to fully understand all the references and conclusions Tolkien makes in this lengthy treatise of the origin and purpose of fairy-stories, my reading of the essay was an enlightenment. Tolkien explores the history of fantasy, defends fairy-stories as not only literature but as acceptable reading for adults, and defines key points in what makes fairy-stories work. To summarize any more than that would be a crime, and I encourage any reader to seek this essay out; when finished, the titular "Leaf" should be read immediately after. "Leaf by Niggle" is an extraordinary gem of a tale, encapsulating many of the elements mentioned in "On Fairy-Stories," as well as offering a delightful yet sad story in and of itself. Tolkien's themes of sub-creation, eucatastrophe, and recovery from change are all covered, and the comparisons between these elements and his Middle-Earth-set works is extremely interesting.

"Farmer Giles of Ham" is another fun story, one that takes a more traditional approach to fairy tales. By far the easiest read in the collection, due to its more childlike characters and storyline.

The final section, "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil," is a group of poems, only three of which feature Mr. Bombadil himself (for more on Bombadil's god-like characteristics, and potential omnipotence, read The Fellowship of the Ring). Tolkien presents the poems as being part of the Red Book of Westmarch, a literary plot device "written" by Bilbo Baggins and others and merely translated by Tolkien. The poems range from joy-filled and silly, especially those with Bombadil, to melancholy and foreboding. I struggle to read and interpret poetry, but still enjoyed this section.

"The Tolkien Reader" is an engaging and revealing look at the mentality of J.R.R. Tolkien, especially as it relates to the themes and origin of his works set in Middle-Earth. I highly recommend this book to Tolkien fans, and even to those who aren't; there is a hoard treasure within these pages, and anyone can find it!

It’s really cool to see what Tolkien has worked on besides LOTR and The Hobbit. I especially liked learning more about Tom Bombadil!

I'd read many of these short(er) pieces by Tolkien before, but it had been a long time, and going through them all again as part of an honors seminar I'm teaching on Christianity and Fantasy has been simply delightful. "On Fairy-Stories" remains a brilliant and challenging take on questions of language, narrative, and belief that properly sits comfortably beside the philosophical writings of J.G. Herder, Hans-Georg Gadamer, and every other hermeneutical thinker who has struggled to understand the relationship between poetry, mythology, and religion--besides being, along with all that, a wonderful glimpse of a cranky, opinionated mind at work. "Leaf by Niggle" is a subtle Christian allegory, putting the journey of an easily-distracted artist (or a fussy, never-satisfied scholar) in the context of a grand journey towards salvation. "Farmer Giles of Ham" is a genuinely entertaining bit of medieval satire, while "Smith of Wootton Major" (which isn't included in this particular collection, but I read it alongside the other works anyway) is a truly superb fairy story, combining the unsettling, strange beauty of Faerie with a very ordinary, poignant story of humble people growing older and wiser (or not!) as the years go by. There are many collections where these and other writings by Tolkien can be found; wherever you find them, they are worth treasuring.

I love the vintage art on this. <3 That's supposed to be Tom Bombadil on the cover, which is awesome.

This book was fantastic. The essay was brilliant, the short stories were fun, and the poetry was this mix of Hobbit songs, Elf story, and a couple of creepy ones.

This is really just odds and ends, not his best works.

tNo one – and when I say no one, I mean NO ONE, not Robert Jordan (who greatly influenced my writing style), not Brandon Sanderson (my favorite author), not J.K. Rowling (who wrote my all-time favorite books), not even my own mother (who taught me to read) – had as much influence on my becoming a writer than the father of what we know today as the Fantasy Genre. J.R.R. Tolkien has been my hero since I first read The Hobbit at the age of eleven, and continues to be the inspiration for everything I write now. He created something extraordinary in Middle Earth. The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, The Children of Hurin – they’re not just stories. They’re not just words and characters and compelling plots. They've become a living, breathing world. Middle Earth is a real place – a place of wonder and magic and beauty unrivaled by any creation of imagination since.
tThat is my ultimate goal. If I ever can capture even the tiniest glimmer of what he did in his world, I will have fulfilled my dream. If I can ever give just one reader the tiniest sliver of the same sense of wonder and passion and reality that he created in his tales of the dark realm of Mordor, or the agrarian peacefulness of The Shire, or the magic of Lothlorien, or the fading beauty of Rivendell, or the majesty of men in Gondor, or the might of Gondolin, or the love of Beren and Luthien or Aragorn and Arwen, or the titanic struggle of the Valar before time began – I will die totally, and completely, fulfilled.
tThat is the influence Mr. Tolkien has had on me, and The Tolkien Reader takes us deeper into who the man behind the Faerie Realm really was – and deeper into that perilous realm itself.
tThe Tolkien Reader is made up of four entirely separate sections: The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm’s Son, Tree and Leaf (which is, itself, made up of two separate entities), Farmer Giles of Ham, and The Adventure of Tom Bombadil. I will, of course, cover everything separately.
tThe first tale told is The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm’s Son, which is an original interpretation of Tolkien’s concerning an archaic Scandinavian poem of the same name. While I enjoyed this immensely for several reasons, it is highly unlikely that the ordinary reader would find it an entertaining read. I found it interesting because it gave me further insight into my idol, J.R.R. Tolkien, and because I find his critical translations of archaic language fascinating. But, as I said, if you are just looking for a traditional read or aren’t looking to give your brain a massive linguistic workout, you may want to skip this one.
tTree and Leaf is actually two separate sections as well: a short story titled Leaf by Niggle, and a (now famous) essay by Tolkien called On Fairy Stories. This is, in my humble opinion, the best portion of the book. On Fairy Stories is easily my favorite essay of all-time. If you’ve never read it, do yourself a favor and educate yourself by picking up a copy. I’ll not lie, it’s probably a bit over the heads of the average reader, and Tolkien doesn’t pander to those who aren’t there to seriously study the material. It’s both incredibly intellectual and study intensive. For those who find themselves able to get through the concepts and reflect on them, it’s also highly rewarding. This is the premiere work on fantasy stories, and, in particular, the fairy tale.
tThe other part of Tree and Leaf is Tolkien’s allegory Leaf by Niggle. It is, including even The Lord of the Rings, probably my favorite story by Tolkien, which seems strange considering that it is only twenty pages long. That’s part of its appeal, though, and it is incredible that Tolkien told such a heartfelt – and poignant – tale in such few words. This is allegory at its very best. I highly recommend it to any person – whether they are a reader or not, whether they enjoy fantasy or not. If you don’t do anything with the rest of your life, read this story. Even if you’ve only got an hour left to live, it’s well worth the time.
tThe third section is Farmer Giles of Ham, which is a short story (maybe novella length) about a lowly farmer who becomes the hero of the land. This is solid, traditional fairy tale work, and good reading for any Tolkien fan or lover of Grimm tales.
tThe fourth section is where we dive back into the realm of Tolkien’s most famous world – that of Middle Earth – in The Adventures of Tom Bombadil. Anyone who has read The Fellowship of the Ring will immediately recognize Bombadil, who is a quirky enough character to stick out in anyone’s mind. This is a collection of poems, not all of which are about Bombadil. For those not interested in poetry, this isn’t your cup of tea. If you love reading whatever you can get your hands on concerning Middle Earth, however, this is definitely for you. One area in which I’ve always felt Tolkien never received enough credit was in his poetry work. He writes excellent, lyrical poetry. Some of the additions here are lovely, bringing to mind the beauty of nature among other things straight from the realm of Faerie.
tIn summary, The Tolkien Reader will delight fans of Tolkien, while the drier and more studious portions are likely not what the average reader is willing to dig into. If you take nothing else away from this, read Leaf by Niggle!

A greet, adventure filled book with some of Tolkien’s great classics, as well as Tolkien’s introduction to fairy tales and why he thinks they should not be just for children. There’s poetry in the back as well, and though it’s not the best poetry ever, it is still pretty good and fun! Great for school :) it’s not difficult to read.
Two parts of the book stuck out to me, the story Leaf by Niggle, and the poem in the back Princess Mee. Both have really interesting symbolism, and when it clicks it’s very satisfying and enjoyable to read :)