Books by J. R. R. Tolkien

The following is a list of Tolkien's short stories that fall outside the legends of Middle-Earth.

Recommended to any and all fans of Tolkien's better known works:

Tree and Leaf

(Available in 'The Tolkien Reader' and 'Tree and Leaf' by Houghton Mifflin)

Includes the famous essay 'On Fairy Stories' (one of the best examinations on the meaning and importance of fantasy literature) and the semi-autobiographical 'Leaf by Niggle' a must-read allegory that is a poignant look at how Tolkien viewed himself and his life's work. Powerful and haunting.

Farmer Giles of Ham

(50th Anniversary Edition 1999 by Houghton Mifflin Co.)

Funny and very amusing parody of the Quest story that is reminiscent of the Hobbit. Farmer Giles and his dog must save the village from the unforgettable dragon Chrysophylax and the greed of the king. Beautifully illustrated by Pauline Baynes.

Smith of Wooten Major

(available in 'The Tolkien Reader' by Houghton Mifflin Co. and 'A Tolkien Miscellany' published by The Sci-Fi Book Club)

Elegiac and moving tale of a boy who's given the gift to enter the land of Faerie and what happens when that gift must pass. One of Tolkien's most beautifully written short stories. Wonderfully illustrated by Pauline Baynes

Roverandom

(1998 Houghton Mifflin Co.)

In 1925, while on vacation with his family, four year old Michael Tolkien lost his favorite toy, a little dog he was reluctant to put down even to play on the beach. To console him, his father, J.R.R. Tolkien, improvised a story - the story of Rover, a real dog transformed into a toy who goes on many adventures on the moon and in the sea, in search of the wizard who wronged him. A charming tale illustrated by Prof. Tolkien himself.

Mr. Bliss

(1994 Harper Collins Publishers)

Facsimile reproduction of the original colored manuscripts. Mr. Bliss, a man known for his immensely tall hats and for the girabbit in his garden, decides to buy a motor car. But his first drive to visit friends quickly becomes a catalogue of disasters. Some of these could be blamed on Mr. Bliss' driving, but even he could not anticipate being hi-jacked by three bears.