Where do you go after The Lord of the Rings? To the heart of the matter ... Tolkien's famous essay on fairy stories, Leaf by Niggle, and Mythopoeia (which was written as a response to C.S. Lewis saying that myths were lies).

As one would expect the essay on fairy stories is rich and deep. I would really like to hear it read aloud but I don't see an audio version anywhere of the entire thing ... so I may just have to record it for myself. When paired with this essay, Leaf by Niggle takes on similarly deep resonance, especially when considering that Tolkien dreamed it. For me as a Catholic, Leaf by Niggle has particularly meaningful spiritual observations which have influenced my actions since I read it about a year ago. Again, this is one I'd like to hear read aloud but it seems not to be available ... so this is another which I may have to record just for myself.

I picked up this collection because it contains Tolkien’s essay “On Fairy Stories,” which is one of my favorite essays ever—and I wanted a new edition of it to newly annotate (I still have my original copy from my teen years with my original annotations). But this also contains a few of Tolkien’s works I’ve never read, or never read in their entirety. I also love that this edition has one of Tolkien’s “Tree of Tales” illustrations on the cover. Anyhow! This is a wonderful collection, and I’ve now read again (and loved even more, as usual) “On Fairy Stories,” and also expanded my knowledge of Tolkien’s works. This makes a great addition to an Tolkien-collector’s library.

Tree and Leaf is a collection of shorter works by Tolkien, which I enjoyed to varying degrees. My recommendation? Unless you are the most committed of Tolkein fans, just read his essay “on fairy stories” online and call it a day.

ON FAIRY STORIES - this is an essay by Tolkien on, you guessed it, fairy stories. I love this essay particularly for a word that tolkein invented to express a concept he believes is vital to the fairy story - Eucatastrophe. He beautifully connects this concept in the epilogue of the essay to the Christian story as well. Easy 5 stars for this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

MYTHOPOEIA - if you’ve read Lord of the Rings you already know Tolkien is a wonderful poet as well as writer of prose. This particular poem was written defending fairy stories “to one who said that myths were lies and therefore worthless, even though ‘breathed through silver’.”
My favorite portion of the poem ⬇️

“The heart of man is not compound of lies, but draws some wisdom from the only Wise, and still recalls him. Though now long estranged, man is not wholly lost nor wholly changed.
Dis-graced he may be, yet is not dethroned, and keeps the rags of lordship once he owned, his world-dominion by creative act: not his to worship the great Artefact, man, sub-creator, the refracted light
through whom is splintered from a single White to many hues, and endlessly combined in living shapes that move from mind to mind.”

I don’t have quite the same love for Mythopoeia as the poems within Lord of the Rings, but still beautiful if you’re in the mood for a little poetry ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

LEAF BY NIGGLE - this was a short story commissioned by to be “an effective expression of Catholic humanity”. Tolkein’s disdain for allegory is pretty widely known, but this was such a clearly allegorical work and also super interesting as the main character seems pretty clearly to be a stand in for Tolkein himself. The story itself isn’t nearly as compelling to me as the stories in the Legendarium, but i appreciated for the understanding of how Tolkein saw himself as an artist and his view what happens after death (his Catholic really shows here). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE HOMECOMING OF BEORHTNOTH - this was oddly placed in this compilation. It is historical fiction on the battle of Malden made up of an intro essay on the battle, an poem/play set after the battle as a dialogue between two survivors, and another essay on “ofermod” or overmastering pride which influenced the tragic end of this battle of Maldon. Was it interesting? Yes. Why was it included in this specific collection? I have no clue ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Happy Tolkien Reading Day!

As always, Tolkien's poetry is sublime. Mythopoeia might be one of my favourite poems written. The use of language, the imagery, the subject. All are beautifully laid out.

On Fairy-Stories is an excellent essay written by Tolkien on, you guessed it, Fairytails, and is insightful and well-written.

Leaf by Niggle is a delightful little fairystory in itself. Whimsical and poignant both. I enjoyed it quite a lot.

The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth is a translation of a fragment of an Old English poem/play about the viking invasion of Britain. It's alright, I guess.

Interesting collection of stories and essays. I read these on my e-reader, as opposed to the other books that I own in print. These are more complete than the stories you find in the History of Middle-earth series. On Fairy Stories is a wonderful little essay and Leaf by Niggle was also a pleasant surprise. Recommended for Tolkien fans! I will need to find myself a hardcopy for my collection.

Tolkien's essay, On Fairy-Stories, has long been my favourite piece of academic writing. I studied it for my language of sci-fi and fantasy course at university, and I fell so deeply in love. It's the best defense of fantasy literature, and the work itself is a piece of beautiful literature. That's the main reason I had to own this book. However, I found myself fully enjoying the other works featured in this book too.

I didn't love everything in here as much as other things, but that's just personal taste and not something that's any flaw of the book. Everything in here is valuable. It just means it's not able to get that 100% perfect rating because I didn't love 100% of it - but I definitely near did.

I love Tolkien, his prose, his poetry, his way with words. Nothing more can be said.

"Tree and Leaf" contains Tolkien's profound and moving short story, "Leaf by Niggle," and Tolkien's academic essay "On Fairy-Stories," notably a rather poor essay in some regards yet one of Tolkien's most quoted sources (the essay's content and structure is highly idiosyncratic, and yet where Tolkien's points are good and well-constructed they are VERY good, and stated with tremendous force). This volume also collects two other works: Tolkien's poem "Mythopoeia," which as verse is just fine, and in content is very interesting and memorable (it contains in verse-form much of Tolkien's beliefs about the significance of fairy-tales and fantasy, which were shared with C.S. Lewis on Addison's Walk on a night which turned out to be essential to Lewis' acceptance of Christianity: the vague dedication in the poem in fact refers to Lewis); and "The Homecoming," Tolkien's verse-dialogue "sequel" to the famous Old English poem "The Battle of Maldon."

Not too too bad. "On Faerie Stories" was a little hard to follow because there were so many different definitions given that it was hard to keep track of what was what.
I did like Niggle's short story though. The protagonist grows on you and becomes another one of Tolkien's very memorable characters.

I did not read the Homecoming of Beorhtnoth. In this book of Tolkien works I was especially struck by his essay ‘On Fairy-Stories’. It was beautifully written and dialogued on ideas that I would have never thought of nor taken the time to ponder on my own. I was aware of how highly Tolkien views this type of literature and world building but it is now obvious to me how highly he views both education and children, which is beautiful. I was moved and provoked to think deeply by this essay. I would strongly recommend it to someone enamored by stories so that they may think deeper about why that is and why that is a good desire.

***Read for University***

4.75 stars.

I found the first part dealing with Faerie Stories was rather spot on with the thinkings of what I've always wondered about. Certainly is a thrill to see someone, especially when that someone happens to be Tolkien who crafted the world of MiddleEarth and its inhabitants, that they share similar views on certain aspects. It only made my heart swell with something deep and heartfelt since I've been working on a 5 year project that questions where everything begins that we know from myths, legends, fairytales, folklore, and the likes.

But I'm not here to talk about me lol.

However as I noted in my updates on this book, it really drew me into Tolkien's world and take a first-hand peek inside his head, and it is certainly an eye-opener.

As for the other material in here, I liked Mythopoeia, Leaf by Niggle and The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth were interesting and added to his primary article on Faerie Stories.

Good little collection of some of Tolkien’s non-LOTR work. On Fairy Stories is an academic essay on the place of fairy tale. It’s pretty dry, but the payoff comes in the section on eucatastrophe.

Leaf by Niggle, written when Tolkein hit slow going in LOTR, is a moving little story about a man’s labors that no one thinks will amount to much, but is worth much more.

I enjoyed Mythopoeia much more than I thought I would. The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth was a bit over my head.

This collection speaks volumes to me of Tolkien’s worldview and intellect. More potently though, it inspires my heart and soul. While I have no idea the significance of The Homecoming of Beorthnoth, the first 3 parts of the collection are pure gold and deserving of the full 5 stars. Through an essay, then a poem, then a story, Tolkien expresses what making art is all about: creativity as an act of being made in the image of God. Each tugs at my heart on a different level. I will read the others of Tolkien’s works with fresh eyes next time.