The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum - View Single Post - Scholarly Edition of The Adventures of Tom Bombadil

Faramir Jones · 05-19-2015, 05:12 AM

Aiwendil, I got the book you mentioned when it came out last October.

It reminded me of an edition I have of Marx and Engels' The Communist Manifesto, the commentry being far larger than the original text!

It is a small, attractive looking volume, with the dust jacket and inside the covers having a copy of Pauline Baynes' original artwork used on the dust jacket for the first edition.

Inside we first have the 'Introduction' by Mr. Hammond and Ms. Schull. It contains an overview of the debate on who or what Tom Bombadil is; the background to the book's publication, in terms of its contents and Ms. Baynes' illustrations, Tolkien being worried that some of the poems were old and not originally intended for LotR; and its reception, the book selling well for one of verse.

What follows are what was in the original book: Tolkien's Preface, the poems, and the Baynes illustrations.

Then we have a 'Commentary' by Hammond and Schull of over 150 pages, looking at each poem in turn, its background (including an earlier version if it was published earlier), and explanations of some of the words and phrases used.

There follows a gallery of 3 illustrations of the earliest examples of Tolkien's 'Elvish' alphabet.

Second last is an 'Appendix' in 2 parts. The first is a 3 paragraph fragment on Tom Bombadil, found among Tolkien's papers in the Bodleian Library; the second is 'Once Upon a Time' a third poem by Tolkien about Tom and Goldberry, published in a 1965 collection of poems and stories for children. Also in this part is the 1924 poem 'An Evening in Tavrobel', suggested as an ancestor of 'Once Upon a Time'.

The book then finishes with a bibliography.

In terms of whether this book is worth buying, I would say 'Yes', if you are interested in looking at the background to the material in The Adventures of Tom Bombadil. It is a nice-looking, nicely-sized, not expensive book, containing as well as the original material an introduction to and a long commentary on it as well as related materials from other sources.

I hope the above answers some of your queries, Aiwendil and Galadriel55.

05-19-2015, 05:12 AM	#4
Faramir Jones Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Lonely Isle Posts: 706	Worth getting if that's your interest Aiwendil, I got the book you mentioned when it came out last October. It reminded me of an edition I have of Marx and Engels' The Communist Manifesto, the commentry being far larger than the original text! It is a small, attractive looking volume, with the dust jacket and inside the covers having a copy of Pauline Baynes' original artwork used on the dust jacket for the first edition. Inside we first have the 'Introduction' by Mr. Hammond and Ms. Schull. It contains an overview of the debate on who or what Tom Bombadil is; the background to the book's publication, in terms of its contents and Ms. Baynes' illustrations, Tolkien being worried that some of the poems were old and not originally intended for LotR; and its reception, the book selling well for one of verse. What follows are what was in the original book: Tolkien's Preface, the poems, and the Baynes illustrations. Then we have a 'Commentary' by Hammond and Schull of over 150 pages, looking at each poem in turn, its background (including an earlier version if it was published earlier), and explanations of some of the words and phrases used. There follows a gallery of 3 illustrations of the earliest examples of Tolkien's 'Elvish' alphabet. Second last is an 'Appendix' in 2 parts. The first is a 3 paragraph fragment on Tom Bombadil, found among Tolkien's papers in the Bodleian Library; the second is 'Once Upon a Time' a third poem by Tolkien about Tom and Goldberry, published in a 1965 collection of poems and stories for children. Also in this part is the 1924 poem 'An Evening in Tavrobel', suggested as an ancestor of 'Once Upon a Time'. The book then finishes with a bibliography. In terms of whether this book is worth buying, I would say 'Yes', if you are interested in looking at the background to the material in The Adventures of Tom Bombadil. It is a nice-looking, nicely-sized, not expensive book, containing as well as the original material an introduction to and a long commentary on it as well as related materials from other sources. I hope the above answers some of your queries, Aiwendil and Galadriel55.