Tree and Leaf: Including Leaf by Niggle - Softcover

Tolkien, J. R. R.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0008761892 ISBN 13: 9780008761899

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2025

Synopsis

New edition of Tolkien’s Tree and Leaf, illustrated for the first time by Pauline Baynes, which includes his famous essay, ‘On Fairy-stories’ and the story that exemplifies this, ‘Leaf by Niggle’, together with the poem ‘Mythopoeia’ and the verse drama, ‘The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth’, that tells of events following the disastrous Battle of Maldon.

Fairy-stories are not just for children, as anyone who has read Tolkien will know. In his essay On Fairy-Stories, Tolkien discusses the nature of fairy-tales and fantasy and rescues the genre from those who would relegate it to juvenilia. The haunting short story, Leaf by Niggle, recounts the story of the artist, Niggle, who has ‘a long journey to make’ and is seen as an allegory of Tolkien’s life.

The poem Mythopoeia relates an argument between two unforgettable characters as they discuss the making of myths. Lastly, we are treated to The Homecoming of Beorthnoth which considers the wastefulness of war following the disastrous Battle of Maldon in 991.

Tree and Leaf is an eclectic, amusing, provocative and entertaining collection of works which reveals the diversity of J.R.R. Tolkien’s imagination, the depth of his knowledge of English history, and the breadth of his talent as a creator of fantastic fiction.

About this title

About the Authors

J.R.R.Tolkien (1892-1973) was a distinguished academic, though he is best known for writing The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, plus other stories and essays. His books have been translated into over 80 languages and have sold many millions of copies worldwide.

Christopher Tolkien, born on 24 November 1924, was the third son of J.R.R. Tolkien. As his father’s literary executor, he devoted over forty years to the publication of his father’s unpublished works, from The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales to Beren and Lúthien and The Fall of Gondolin, and within 'The History of Middle-earth' series, and was awarded the Bodley Medal for his services to literature in 2016. He died in January 2020 at the age of 95.

Pauline Baynes was a British illustrator renowned for her work on C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia. J.R.R. Tolkien admired her work so much that she was invited to illustrate first his Farmer Giles of Ham and then The Adventures of Tom Bombadil. Her work spanned 60 years, and in 1968 she won the Kate Greenaway Medal. In 1999 she drew a map of the Little Kingdom for the 50th anniversary edition of Farmer Giles of Ham. Pauline Baynes died in 2008.

From the Back Cover

New edition of Tolkien’s Tree and Leaf, illustrated for the first time by Pauline Baynes, which includes his famous essay, ‘On Fairy-stories’ and the story that exemplifies this, ‘Leaf by Niggle’, together with the poem ‘Mythopoeia’ and the verse drama, ‘The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth’, that tells of events following the disastrous Battle of Maldon.

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0008761892
• ISBN 13: 9780008761899
• Binding: Paperback
• Illustrator: Baynes Pauline
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192