Priscilla Tolkien (1929–2022)

A big format, short collection of Tolkien family photos and family anecdotes compiled and written by two of J.R.R. Tolkien's children and published at the centenary of his birth. Most of the pictures are ones I'd never seen before, and the little tidbits of family history and anecdotes were, if not earth-shattering additions to our knowledge of his biography, nevertheless a delight to read. I'm not sure how I managed to be ignorant of this book's existence for twenty-five years, but I'm thrilled I came across it and added it to my Tolkien collection.… (more)

Sometimes dreams don't come true.

J. R. R. Tolkien hated fame. The idea that there would be even a single biography of him probably bothered him -- he wanted his works to be remembered, but he didn't think you could learn much about a writer's works by learning about the writer. So he didn't think he needed a biography. He got them anyway. In droves. Most of them, frankly, bad, although some (such as the first one, by Humphrey Carpenter) are well worth reading.

In that context, it's good to have a "setting the record straight" book such as this one, compiled by Tolkien's oldest son and his only daughter.

And yet, it's a bit of a disappointment. There really isn't much "inside" information here; the large majority of it is readily accessible in the other biographies. Which leaves -- the pictures. If all you want is pictures of Tolkien's life, this is unquestionably the place to start. Some of the biographies are illustrated, but not like this. Almost every page has a photo or a reproduction of an old writing; many have more than one. In addition to photos of the young Tolkien, there are images of his grandparents, his father, his mother, his brother as a boy, and scenes from his youth. Sadly, less effort seems to have been made to gather pictures of his middle years, and some of the photos are not captioned.

Edith and Ronald Tolkien are long dead, and their children mostly gone as well, and their grandchildren were not as intimate with them. There is little more to be learned of J. R. R. Tolkien the man, and I think that genuinely sad. It is regrettable that this book did not tell more. But for those who wish to know about J. R. R. Tolkien's life, this volume is essential.… (more)