The J. R. R. Tolkien Companion and Guide: Volume 1: Chronology. Christina Scull

Unwin, noting that ‘this is the most busy time of the year in every way. A week later and a time of relative peace will arrive’ (Tolkien–George Allen & Unwin archive, HarperCollins). He discusses how the publication date of The Hobbit might affect its sales in Oxford. He would prefer it to come out sooner than later, lest people assume that it is the major fruit of his Leverhulme Research Fellowship. He mentions the possibility of reviews in the Oxford Magazine, and by C.S. Lewis in the Times Literary Supplement. He encloses three ‘Silmarillion’ pictures as examples of his work in colour. If Houghton Mifflin like them, he could probably improve his standard for The Hobbit pictures. He will see what he can do as soon as he has time. He asks if there is any chance that Houghton Mifflin might use Mirkwood as an endpaper in their Hobbit, and put the maps in the text in the original colours, with Thror’s Map and the runes redrawn?

      31 May 1937 Tolkien writes to Lionel Salt, the Bursar at Pembroke College. He will have to miss a play this evening, as one of his sons (Christopher) is being operated on for appendicitis.

      June 1937 Tolkien spends much of his time caring for one of his children who is seriously ill (presumably Christopher, while recovering from appendicitis), and is ill himself. – He draws an ornamental wraparound design for the Hobbit binding, featuring mountains, moons, suns, and winged dragons.

      1 June 1937 C.A. Furth writes to Tolkien. Allen & Unwin have written to Houghton Mifflin regarding Tolkien’s letter of 28 May and have sent them the three ‘Silmarillion’ drawings. Furth asks Tolkien to return the approved Hobbit binding case. He agrees to remove the wavy line from underneath the title on the binding, but feels that something is needed at the edge; perhaps Tolkien’s small design will change the effect. They will change the lettering from italic to roman. Publication is now planned for September. Allen & Unwin will send unbound advance copies to C.S. Lewis and to the editor of the Oxford Magazine.

      2 June 1937 Mabel Day reports to the Early English Text Society Committee that their Ancrene Riwle subcommittee met on 27 May and recommended that the texts of that work to be published by EETS should be printed line by line as in the original manuscripts. The main Committee, unconvinced of the need for this approach, asks that the printer prepare specimen pages from several of the manuscripts, and instructs Mabel Day to ask Professor Tolkien what would be the precise benefits of line-by-line transcription relative to the expense involved. She does so on the same day.

      10 June 1937 Tolkien attends an English Faculty Library Committee meeting. – English Final Honour School Examinations begin.

      15 June 1937 Tolkien attends a Pembroke College meeting.

      18 June 1937 Tolkien attends an English Faculty Board meeting at 3.30 p.m. in Oriel College Lecture Room No. 4. – Tolkien possibly attends a meeting of the Committee for Comparative Philology at 5.15 p.m. in the Delegates Room of the Clarendon Building.

      19 June 1937 Trinity Full Term ends.

      23 June 1937 Encaenia.

      June or July 1937 A.H. Smith calls on Tolkien in regard to his Ancrene Riwle edition for the Early English Text Society.

      1 July 1937 Tolkien’s Sir Israel Gollancz Memorial Lecture, Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics, is published. In the weeks to follow he will receive several letters of appreciation and praise: correspondents include R.W. Chambers, Allen Mawer (1 July), David Nichol Smith (4 July), F.E. Harmer (5 July), George S. Gordon (8 July), F. Molina (29 July), and Oliver Elton (3 August). At least Chambers and Harmer, as well as Elaine Griffiths and Kenneth Sisam, receive copies personally from the author.

      8 July 1937 C.A. Furth writes to Tolkien. He is sending a new Hobbit sample binding case with different lettering and without the lines under the title, which he agrees is an improvement. But unless Tolkien feels strongly about it, Allen & Unwin would like to leave the wavy lines at top and bottom.

      ?9 July 1937 Tolkien belatedly writes to C.A. Furth, sending the Hobbit binding design ‘at far as it had got a month ago, rather as evidence that I did do something. I thought the wavy line might be transformed into something significant; and tried to find an ornamental dragon-formula’ (Tolkien–George Allen & Unwin archive, HarperCollins). But he thinks that the revised cover will do, and returns the sample case. He asks what the Americans think of the specimens he sent. He says that he has not yet drawn any new Hobbit illustrations but will start to do so if they are still wanted. – In the event, he evidently does not wait for confirmation of the latter, and will soon begin to produce five new pictures in pen and watercolour, some of which will evolve through a series of preliminary sketches. See note.

      ?22 July 1937 In reply to a request from Susan Dagnall, Tolkien writes to Allen & Unwin, enclosing the most recent photograph of himself that exists. He asks again if Houghton Mifflin are likely to require colour illustrations for The Hobbit from him, as he does ‘not want to labour in vain.’ Since he has to be in London on 28 July, he would like to call at Allen & Unwin’s offices and submit what he has done. ‘Your production dep[artmen]t might perhaps kindly advise me as to whether the efforts are passable, and in any case suitable for reproduction’ (Tolkien–George Allen & Unwin archive, HarperCollins). – By now Tolkien has made four colour illustrations for The Hobbit: Rivendell, Bilbo Woke Up with the Early Sun in His Eyes, Bilbo Comes to the Huts of the Raft-elves, and Conversation with Smaug.

      23 July 1937 A.W. Rablen, an undergraduate at Oxford for the past few years, writes to Tolkien, listing misprints Rablen has found in the 1930 impression of the Tolkien–Gordon edition of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

      24 July 1937 Stanley Unwin writes to Tolkien. He and C.A. Furth would be pleased to see Tolkien on 28 July, and suggests that they meet at 12.20 p.m. Allen & Unwin will cable Houghton Mifflin if they have not had a reply by 26 July. Unwin asks if Tolkien owns the copyright to the photograph he sent.

      25 July 1937 Tolkien writes to Stanley Unwin. He will arrive at Allen & Unwin’s offices at about 12.30 p.m., if his train is on time. He does not think that it will take long to tell him whether what he has done is suitable, or if not suitable, what is wrong. The photograph he has supplied was paid for by the students in his department when he left Leeds; he is not sure of the copyright position.

      28 July 1937 Tolkien goes to London, arriving probably on the 12.05 p.m. train. Around 12.30 p.m. he visits Allen & Unwin’s offices in Museum Street, taking with him the four finished colour illustrations for The Hobbit. These are approved and left to be forwarded to Houghton Mifflin. He is scheduled to be at a meeting in Curzon Street from 3.00–4.30 p.m.

      29 July 1937 Tolkien is in London again. Although Stanley Unwin had invited him to lunch, apparently when he next came down from Oxford, Tolkien felt that 29 July was ‘too soon … to bother you again’ (Tolkien–George Allen & Unwin archive, HarperCollins).

      August 1937 Tolkien writes this date on a page of rough notes related to The Fall of Arthur.

      6 August 1937 Mabel Day writes to Tolkien. Although most members of the Early English Text Society Committee are in favour of publishing the texts of the Ancrene Riwle line-by-line, A.W. Pollard considers it unnecessary and not advisable. Pollard is disappointed that Tolkien still has not provided detailed evidence of the advantages of retaining line-endings as in the original manuscripts. She asks Tolkien for copy to set up thirty-two pages so that the Committee can see how a line-by-line treatment would work. Since the point of view has also been extended that if the line-endings are kept, so too should contractions, Day asks for two pages with contractions not expanded, and which includes a passage in Latin. She requests the material in time to be printed by November.

      ?7–?21 August 1937 Tolkien and his family take a holiday in Sidmouth.

      10 August 1937 C.A.