'An opportunity to buy autographs of Tolkien, Voltaire and Tennyson has arisen in Berlin next month. Antiquarian dealer J A Stargardt is holding a sale of 1,200 items at the Kempinski Hotel on 5 and 6 June, including 300 letters and manuscripts by some of Europe's greatest writers. Perusing the catalogue, we see there's a rather dull letter by the poet Algernon Swinburne, in which he frets about cheques and proofs; there's also a grovelling letter from William Makepeace Thackeray, in which he apologises for not having given a friend a ticket to his lecture, and offers her hospitality "of Barmecide victuals". But the star lot must be the letter from JRR Tolkien, written in 1967, in which he reveals his dislike for children's fiction: "I am afraid I cannot help you in the matter of children's books, one, because after a long absence, my own affairs take all of my present limited strength and secondly, because I have never been a lover of books for children and have seldom read any since my childhood." Not even his own?'

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-ent ... ers-27052012-7791198.html

via http://news.ansible.co.uk/a299.html#07

- wellinghall

Here's a link to the catalogue :

http://www.stargardt.de/download/file/698/I_Literatur.pdf

Lot 274 is the letter, and lot 275 is a sale of a signed and inscribed Tree and Leaf.

Since my German is not that good: even though the lot description says "Ein Brief mit fünfzeiliger e. Nachschrif", does not the sale actually include three letters (1 März, 16 März, 7 Dezember)?

Completists might be interested in purchasing this catalogue (Catalogue 698: Auction on June 5 and 6, 2012):

http://www.stargardt.de/en/contact_2/

There's the following note on the dealer's site: "25 € INCL. DISPATCH WITHIN EUROPE" (and no mention of shipping costs outside Europe). Although I see no reason why they wouldn't ship outside Europe, I'd be glad to help any non-Europeans in case they don't offer this possibility. Just send me a message.

Not that my German is that good, but I think the lot description translates as follows:

3 Br. m. U. „J.R.R. Tolkien“. Oxford 1. und 16.III. sowie 7.XII.1967. 3 S. kl.-4o. . Ein Brief mit fünfzeiliger e. Nachschrift. Auf seinem Briefpapier. Gelocht.

3 letters signed "J.R.R. Tolkien". Oxford 1 and 16 March as well as 7 December 1967. ["3 S. kl. -4o" ??]. One letter has a 5 line postscriptum on his [Tolkien's] brief paper. Perforated.

[I'm assuming all three letters are typed except for the postscriptum of the third letter]

From the prospectus:

http://www.stargardt.de/download/file/Prospekt%20698_web.pdf

Overseas by air mail: US-$ 60.–


"Catalogue
richly illustrated with about 200 facsimiles, describing in detail about
1200 autographs – letters, manuscripts, documents, photographs – from
all fields of collecting (Literature, Science, Fine Arts, Music, Theatre/Film,
and History), with estimates for all items.
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE including postage and list of results: € 25.–
Overseas by air mail: US-$ 60.–
IBAN: DE56 5001 0060 0011 6026 04
BIC: PBNKDEFF (Postbank Frankfurt a.M.)
Please place your order in time.
Catalogue online at www.stargardt.de"