[Child of the 7th Age]

I do not want to get into the politics here, but I wanted to share who Peter Beagle was. He was a fairly noted fantasy writer -- author of A Fine and Private Place and The Last Unicorn (two very fine books), and was also one of two men who wrote the script for the Bashiki movie in 1978.

See the quote below on his other contributions a la Tolkien.

Peter Beagle's relationship with J.R.R. Tolkein goes back to Beagle's adolescence. The Hobbit was published in 1937, and Beagle probably encountered it in his late teens. While his writing style may not have been as influenced by Tolkein as other writers of his generation, Beagle holds a firm place in the Tolkein mythos. He has written forewords to two of Tolkein's books, a lengthy article praising The Lord of the Rings entitled "Tolkein's Magic Ring" which was eventually included in The Tolkein Reader, he has contributed to a "tribute" anthology honoring J.R.R. entitled After the King, and helped write the screenplay for the animated version of "The Lord of the Rings."

As to whether or not Tolkien knew him or approved of the foreward, I have no idea. His article Tolkien's Magic Ring appeared in 1966, while Tolkien was still alive. I don't think the book foreward appeared till 1973, but I could be wrong, since this is coming off the top of my head.

For those of us who were Tolkien fans in the sixties and seventies, Peter Beagle is a familiar name and face.