Discuss Letter from J.R.R. Tolkien to Michael Bell on 25 January 1969

marcorespinti wrote:

Letter link: Letter from J.R.R. Tolkien to Michael Bell • 25 January 1969 (#1174)
Sirs, where can I find the complete transcript of this letter?
Thank you.

Good day to you. We can't offer the transcript due to copyright but if you look at the bottom of the letter page you will be able to follow the reference to the auction house where the letter images are still visible.

Thank you

The date of the letter should be 23 of January, I guess.

Ecthelion wrote:

The date of the letter should be 23 of January, I guess.

Hi Ecthelion, this letter is definitely from 25 January with an accompanying typed letter, Letter from Allen & Unwin (Joy Hill) to Michael Bell • 23 January 1969 (#1175) also included in the auction.

Ah, sorry for the misunderstanding! Thanks!

Ecthelion wrote:

Ah, sorry for the misunderstanding! Thanks!

No trouble at all. Thank you for taking an interest in the guide

Just a note for the Letters team, I am pretty confident that the summary description of this letter should read "boarding the bark" of Peter. If this error is in the transcript as well, "back" should be corrected to "bark" there as well. This is a common expression referring to the Catholic Church, which is the context Tolkien is writing about (see, e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barque_of_Saint_Peter). Although I am not a Tolkien handwriting expert, the writing in the letter would appear to support this as well.

Tuor son of Huor wrote:

Just a note for the Letters team, I am pretty confident that the summary description of this letter should read "boarding the bark" of Peter. If this error is in the transcript as well, "back" should be corrected to "bark" there as well. This is a common expression referring to the Catholic Church, which is the context Tolkien is writing about (see, e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barque_of_Saint_Peter). Although I am not a Tolkien handwriting expert, the writing in the letter would appear to support this as well.

Spot on Tuor, thank you. 'back' and 'bark' can easily be confused and I certainly did not know the term until now. Thank you for the close reading and information.

Now I understand this line in Carpenter #294a: Letter from J.R.R. Tolkien to Michael Tolkien • 5 March 1967 (#1495) : "I think the trouble in our Church is at present more trying than all our personal and physical woes. But it has to be endured. Only loyalty and silence (in public) will provide the ballast for the rocking bark!"