Tales from the Perilous Realm: Roverandom and Other Classic Faery Stories

Available for the first time in one volume, this is the definitive collection of Tolkiens five acclaimed modern classic fairie tales in the vein of The Hobbit, fully corrected and reset for this edition and all beautifully illustrated in pencil by the awardwinning artist, Alan Lee.The five tales are written with the same skill, quality and charm that made The Hobbit a classic. Largely overlooked because of their short lengths, they are finally together in a volume which reaffirms Tolkiens place as a master storyteller for readers young and old. Roverandom is a toy dog who, enchanted by a sand sorcerer, gets to explore the world and encounter strange and fabulous creatures. Farmer Giles of Ham is fat and unheroic, but having unwittingly managed to scare off a shortsighted giant is called upon to do battle when a dragon comes to town; The Adventures of Tom Bombadil tells in verse of Toms many adventures with hobbits, princesses, dwarves and trolls; Leaf by Niggle recounts the strange adventures of the painter Niggle who sets out to paint the perfect tree; Smith of Wootton Major journeys to the Land of Faery thanks to the magical ingredients of the Great Cake of the Feast of Good Children.This new collection is fully illustrated throughout by Oscarwinning artist, Alan Lee, who provides a wealth of pencil drawings to bring the stories to life as he did so memorably for The Hobbit and The Children of Hrin. Alan also provides an Afterword, in which he opens the door into illustrating Tolkiens world.Worldrenowned Tolkien author and expert, Tom Shippey, takes the reader through the hidden links in the tales to Tolkiens Middleearth in his Introduction, and recounts their history and themes.Lastly, included as an appendix is Tolkiens most famous essay, On Fairystories, in which he brilliantly discusses fairystories and their relationship to fantasy.Taken together, this rich collection of new and unknown work from the author of The Children of Hrin will provide the reader with a fascinating journey into lands as wild and strange as Middleearth.