Book News: Houghton Releasing J.R.R. Tolkien's Tales from the Perilous Realm

Michael Rogers -- Library Journal, 09/23/2008

• Book debuts November 17
• Combines four novellas with poetry collection
• Features new foreword and endmatter, and pencil illustrations by Alan Lee

Who says dead men tell no tales? HoughtonMifflin November 17 will release J.R.R. Tolkien’s Tales from the Perilous Realm, which is being billed as “the definitive collection of Tolkien’s classic ‘fairie’ tales.” Illustrated by noted Tolkien artist Alan Lee, the 432-page book combines the author’s novellas Farmer Giles of Ham, Leaf by Niggle, Smith of Wootton Major and Roverandom, plus the poetry volume, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil into a single volume for the first time. “This new, definitive collection of works,” the publisher said, “has appeared separately in various formats between 1949 and 1998 and comes with a brand new foreword and endmatter, and a series of detailed pencil illustrations by Alan Lee in the style of his other award-winning Tolkien work.” Perilous Realm’s release follows the upcoming paperback debut of Tolkien’s 2007 New York Times number 1 bestseller The Children of Húrin October 14.