There used to be a pdf of letters called the Almost Unpublished Letters of JRR Tolkien edited by Natalia Prokhorova that I used to access online. It's since been taken down and, while I fully understand the reasons why, I regret having not downloaded it... it was extremely useful in my research on the Inklings.
Crickhollow: #TalkingTolkien
https://calmgrovebooks.wordpress.com/2026/06/25/hollow/
Well, that blog post should remove any doubts at all as to who Jenny Hall is.
2 hours ago
(edited)
2026-7-4 4:56:38 PM UTC
Edited by Trotter on 2026-7-4 5:16:18 PM UTC
Edited by Trotter on 2026-7-4 5:19:34 PM UTC
Edited by Trotter on 2026-7-4 5:19:34 PM UTC
2026-7-4 4:56:38 PM UTC
A better headline would be "Ents confirmed in the Shire at one point in time in Tolkien's head, two years after he confirmed that they were Trolls. Letter from J.R.R. Tolkien to James Heaf • 28 February 1964 (#544)[1] " Tolkien's ideas were constantly changing, and I don't think that a short, unpublished letter to a young fan is enough to establish "canon" (whatever that is).
Doug kane wrote:
A better headline would be "Ents confirmed in the Shire at one point in time in Tolkien's head, two years after he confirmed that they were Trolls.*" Tolkien's ideas were constantly changing, and I don't think that a short, unpublished letter to a young fan is enough to establish "canon" (whatever that is).
Couldn't agree more. I am happy that people are excited by the contents of the letter but as I have spoken about privately, we do not know the exact nature of the letter to Tolkien, and we know that Tolkien would offer conflicting details at times. Tolkien could have dreamed this answer up on the spot to please a fan and any letter should not be described as "confirmation" or "concrete evidence".
What people decide for their head lore is up to them, but this letter does not confirm anything.







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