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Guide to Tolkien's Letters
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5 Mar, 2020
2020-3-5 8:15:24 PM UTC
Houghton Mifflin has confirmed for me that their edition coming out this year, will be identical to the HarperCollins edition of late last year.
11 Mar, 2020
2020-3-11 10:23:25 AM UTC
It seems that HarperCollins is following up.

ISBN: 9780008406844
Letters from Father Christmas: Centenary edition

This classic festive book of Tolkien’s enchanting Father Christmas letters, written to his children between the 1920s and the 1940s, has been reworked into a sumptuous, new standard hardback edition. It contains high-quality digital reproductions of his wonderful letters and pictures, including a number of them appearing in this format for the first time, and a revised introduction by Baillie Tolkien. (from UK Amazon)
11 Mar, 2020
2020-3-11 10:27:31 PM UTC
Their (as of now) full description:

"Published to celebrate the first ever ‘letter from Father Christmas’ in 1920, this beautiful oversized edition of Tolkien’s famous illustrated letters from ‘Father Christmas’, includes a wealth of charming letters, pictures and decorated envelopes, and promises to be a festive feast for Tolkien fans of all ages.

Every December an envelope bearing a stamp from the North Pole would arrive for J.R.R. Tolkien’s children. Inside would be a letter in strange spidery handwriting and a beautiful coloured drawing or some sketches.

The letters were from Father Christmas.

They told wonderful tales of life at the North Pole: how all the reindeer got loose and scattered presents all over the place; how the accident-prone Polar Bear climbed the North Pole and fell through the roof of Father Christmas’s house into the dining-room; how he broke the Moon into four pieces and made the Man in it fall into the back garden; how there were wars with the troublesome horde of goblins who lived in the caves beneath the house!

Sometimes the Polar Bear would scrawl a note, and sometimes Ilbereth the Elf would write in his elegant flowing script, adding yet more life and humour to the stories. No reader, young or old, can fail to be charmed by the inventiveness and ‘authenticity’ of Tolkien’s Letters from Father Christmas.

This classic festive book of Tolkien’s enchanting Father Christmas letters, written to his children between the 1920s and the 1940s, has been reworked into a sumptuous, new standard hardback edition. It contains high-quality digital reproductions of his wonderful letters and pictures, including a number of them appearing in this format for the first time, and a revised introduction by Baillie Tolkien."

"Oversized", eh....?
11 Mar, 2020
2020-3-11 11:22:13 PM UTC
So, better than the "deluxe" edition, then? I expected this.
12 Mar, 2020
2020-3-12 1:16:34 AM UTC
I guess it really depends on what one is after. I'm personally fine with HC's current paperback edition, but let's see how this new edition looks. I like to monitor Tolkien books, even ones I don't plan on getting.
12 Mar, 2020
2020-3-12 3:41:46 AM UTC

insurrbution wrote:
I guess it really depends on what one is after. I'm personally fine with HC's current paperback edition, but let's see how this new edition looks. I like to monitor Tolkien books, even ones I don't plan on getting.

Oh for sure -- I like to know what is coming out also, but I have no intention of buying this. I'm happy enough with the larger format one with the blue cover that cost me a couple of pounds.
12 Mar, 2020
2020-3-12 1:19:23 PM UTC
I'm confused. Does this have new content or not?
12 Mar, 2020
2020-3-12 1:39:36 PM UTC
My guess it is the same as the Deluxe edition from last year, but have asked HC for clarification.
12 Mar, 2020 (edited)
2020-3-12 2:14:56 PM UTC
Reply from HC

To reassure Khamûl and others, though this is still a work in progress as regards presentation, in essence it should feature all of the content that appeared in the deluxe slipcased edition, which I believe includes all available material, excluding the un-decorated backs of three envelopes (the 1921/1922 letters are, of course, not part of the extant archive). As the product description suggests, the Centenary edition will be at a larger size, of approximately 286 x 225mm, matching that of the 1999 edition but obviously including a great deal more content.
12 Mar, 2020
2020-3-12 2:45:58 PM UTC
I have been working on a table of the various editions of FCL - I have one obvious gap in my collection (the 2012 edition, on the way) and need to pretty the page up with cover images, mobile layout etc., but it seems like everyone is interested now so please have a look and give me feedback.

https://www.tolkienguide.com/modules/w ... ers+From+Father+Christmas
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