The Scouring of the Shire

[davem]

Originally Posted by William Cloud Hickli

Well, however much Tolkien may have benefited from the NHS, he was outraged by income tax, complaining that until his retirement it "took all my literary earnings."* Notwithstanding his Green opinions, Tolkien's politics have been aptly described as "Telegraph-reading Tory."

Well, he could protest too much - his friend George Sayer, in his talk at the 92 Centenary Conference, states that Tolkien 'was cock a hoop & talked with great enthusiasm of the fate of the Ace paperback editions, & that 'It was wonderful to have at long last plenty of money, more than he knew what to do with. He once began a meeting with me by saying: "I've been a poor man all my life, but now for the first time I've a lot of money. Would you like some?"