J.R.R. Tolkien was one of the most prolific letter-writers of this century. Over the years he wrote a mass of letters which often reveal the inner workings of his mind, and which record the history of composition of his works and his reaction to subsequent events. In this revised and expanded edition of the book, it has been possible to go back to the editors’ original typescripts and notes, restoring more than 150 letters that were excised purely to achieve what was then deemed a ‘publishable length’. Enthusiasts for his writings will find much that is new, for the letters not only include fresh information about Middle-earth, such as Tolkien’s own plot summary of the entirety of The Lord of the Rings, but also many insights into the man and his world.