A new, expanded edition of one of Tolkien’s major pieces of short
fiction, and his only finished work dating from after publication of The
Lord of the Rings; it contains many previously unpublished texts.

In
1964 J.R.R. Tolkien was invited to write the preface to a new edition
of “The Golden Key” by George MacDonald. Accepting the invitation,
Tolkien proposed the preface would explain the meaning of Fairy through a
brief story about a cook and a cake. But the story grew, and took on a
life of its own, and the preface was abandoned. Tolkien eventually gave
it the title, “Smith of Wootton Major”, to suggest an early work by P.G.
Wodehouse or a story in the Boy’s Own paper. It was published in 1967
as a small hardback, complete with charming black and white
illustrations by Pauline Baynes.

Now, almost 40 years on, a
facsimile of this early illustrated edition is being republished, but in
addition to this enchanting story the new edition includes:

• Tolkien’s own account of the genesis of the story
• Tolkien’s Time-Scheme and Characters
• Tolkien’s
  discussion of the shadowy but important figure of “Grandfather Rider”
  and a lengthy, 10,000-word essay on the nature of Faery
• Early draft versions and alternative endings
• Foreword
  by the editor, containing a brief history of the story’s composition
  and publication, and its connection to Tolkien’s other published stories

Contained
within “Smith of Wootton Major” are many intriguing links to the world
of Middle-earth, as well as Tolkien’s other tales, and in this ‘extended
edition’ the reader will finally discover the full story behind this
major piece of short fiction.