This book has a lot of material that just isn't up to Tolkien's extraordinary level of writing. The lecture on Faerie stories is just that, a lecture. But Farmer Giles of Ham is a pretty good story. And Leaf by Niggle rescues the book from the dustbin of history. It is a great story about the arts and Tolkien's conception of their importance in this life and the life to come. If you are an artist, musician, or writer, read Leaf by Niggle!

FOOTNOTE #26 ON PAGE 41-"this is, naturally, often enough what chidren mean when they ask:'Is this true?' They mean:'I like this, but is it contemporary? Am I safe in my bed?' The answer: 'There is certainly no dragon in England today,' is all that they want to hear."

Farmer Giles of Ham is hilarious.

This would get 5 stars except for the long academic lecture from Tolkien that takes up the large middle section of this text. I thoroughly enjoyed the stories and poems, though, and they inspired and reflected the rhymes and poems from my youth and beyond. Wish there were more insight into Tom Bombadil.

Farmer Giles of Ham was a very fun read. The Adventures of Tom Bombadil is pretty good as well -- a must for any Middle Earth fans. The others I did not care for

This collection is a must read for fans of all forms of fantasy. His essay "On Fairy Tales" is worth reading at least twice.

If reading "On Fairy tales" for the first time, I suggest you try to avoid reading the footnotes. They're interesting, but they knock you out of Tolkien's thought train. Then read it again, preferrably immediately. For, while Tolkien focuses on fairy stories, he in fact discusses nothing short of the nature and significance of all fiction.

"The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth" and "Farmer Giles of Han" illustrate the enormous breadth of Professor Tolkien's wit and scholarship. The poems, frankly, might only be of interest to die-hard LOTR fans.

Recommend you skip Peter S. Beagle's essay on "Tolkien's Magic Ring" as it adds nothing to the collection. If Mister Beagle actually read "The Lord of the Rings," he certainly didn't understand it. Your opinions will be at least as good as his.

This is a nice selection of Tolkien's writings - and Peter Beagle's introduction to the joys of Middle Earth. Samples of his scholarly work, including the brilliant On Fairy Stories show his thoughtful, penetrating, and sometimes playful, critical mind at work, as does his comparison of the Maldon poem fragment with Beowulf, analaysing the nature and limitations of chivalric ideals. Two of his own fairy stories - the extremely odd and curious Leaf By Niggle, and the more straightforward, albeit with typically Tolkeinesque humble settled folk of limited ambitions as hero, Farmer Giles Of Ham and lots of hobbity poetry, much of it featuring Tom Bombadil which is the sort of thing you will certainly like if you certainly like that sort of thing. I picked this up for Tolkien reading day having merely leafed idly through it over the years it's been sitting on our shelves, and a real pleasure it's been.

"J.R.R. Tolkien's devoted following in America has expanded into a multitude. Now, for all hobbit fanciers and Tolkien collectors, here is a rich treasury of his shorter fiction, from the publishers of the Authorized Edition of "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings."
~~back cover

I was disappointed in this book -- I liked the stories, but the poems and the essay weren't my cup of tea.

Tolkien's understanding of languages never ceases to amaze me, but his imagination is even more amazing!

If you're looking for more Lord of the Rings when you read this book, you're going to be disappointed.

That said, it's got some really stunning poetry in it, a few very interesting stories, and an interesting essay of mine, "On Faerie Stories."

Odds are, you'll find something in here you really like, some things you're pretty indifferent toward, and some things you don't like at all.

Many classics, both narrative and otherwise. Great evening, piecemeal read.

Not really my type of reading but it's still a Tolkien piece and I have nothing but respect for it.