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Letters from Father Christmas
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Review
‘Tolkien at his relaxed and ingenious best’
The Times
Review
'Tolkien at his relaxed and ingenious best' The Times
--This text refers to the
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
34 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
J.R.R. Tolkien was best known for his epic fantasy "Lord of the Rings" and his studies in myth and language. But Tolkien was also the proud dad of four kids -- and he didn't just read "Hobbit" to them at bedtime. Over the course of many years, he wrote and illustrated detailed, whimsical letters from Father Christmas, populated with a clumsy polar bear, elves and goblins.
In these letters, Father Christmas kept the Tolkien children updated with stories about the hijinks at the North Pole -- the slapsticky North Polar Bear and all the things he broke, firework explosions, the discovery of ancient caves full of old cave drawings, and battles with the goblins. (When Father Christmas couldn't write, his Elvish secretary filled in)
When reading these letters, it's hard to imagine any luckier kids in the Christmases of the '20s and '30s. After all, how many children gets detailed letters and pictures from Father Christmas -- complete with special stamps? Tolkien's love for his kids is evident in the care he took to create these letters, and the affection that comes from "Father Christmas" that is written in.
Tolkien's old-school style of writing is a bit formal and very correct, but he tosses in comments of exasperation, amusement, and in the last letter, a sort of sad resignation that children will grow up. Maybe it is because they were given to real children, not intended for publication, that the letters are only a little cutesy, and never cloying.
And of course, Tolkien's detailed, colorful, fantastical, intricate pictures are what make the letters come alive; you can imagine the Tolkien kids eagerly examining the pictures as well as the written words. They aren't terribly realistic -- Father Christmas never looks quite real -- but their detailed fantastical charm makes up for it, such as the murals on Father Christmas's walls, with suns, moons, stars and trees.
Tolkien also sprinkles the stories with things that his kids were probably intrigued by, like prehistoric cave paintings, fireworks, and a comic bear who causes all kinds of mayhem. And fans of Tolkien's fantasy works will probably enjoy checking out things like the invented Elf language (as written by the secretary Ilbereth) and goblin language. Tolkien includes a letter from the North Polar Bear in the latter language.
"Letters From Father Christmas" won't exactly make you believe in Santa Claus again, but it is one of the prettiest and most charming Christmas picture books out there. Definitely recommended -- and not just for Tolkien fans too.
39 of 40 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
My mum used to read this to us when we were children - it really added to the magic of Christmas, especially as 'Father Christmas' then used to write notes to us on the back of beautiful postcards.
Tolkien builds a fabulous picture of Father Christmas's world in a way that shows how he understood children so well - of course there has to be a North Pole, and I never forgot the stories of the North Polar Bear climbing up to get Father Christmas's hat back and breaking it because he had been eating rather a lot and was a bit plump! The goblins were a bit scary, the North Polar Bear a bit scatty (one year he went to sleep in the bath and the cellars got flooded ruining all the presents so that year there nearly weren't any presents at all). So beautifully illustrated and magical, my brother and I would beg my mum to re-read the book every year in the lead up to Christmas and when we got our cards from FC it was always a highlight of Christmas morning. My mum never wrote as much as Tolkien or drew pictures, but a few lines in shaky writing thanking us for the sweets we left out and and telling a small story to explain if we hadn't quite got what we'd asked for was part of the magic of Christmas - it stopped us complaining if we got something different and we always treasured the cards - who says everything about Christmas has to be expensive! Every friend of mine gets a copy when they have their first child.
Tolkien builds a fabulous picture of Father Christmas's world in a way that shows how he understood children so well - of course there has to be a North Pole, and I never forgot the stories of the North Polar Bear climbing up to get Father Christmas's hat back and breaking it because he had been eating rather a lot and was a bit plump! The goblins were a bit scary, the North Polar Bear a bit scatty (one year he went to sleep in the bath and the cellars got flooded ruining all the presents so that year there nearly weren't any presents at all). So beautifully illustrated and magical, my brother and I would beg my mum to re-read the book every year in the lead up to Christmas and when we got our cards from FC it was always a highlight of Christmas morning. My mum never wrote as much as Tolkien or drew pictures, but a few lines in shaky writing thanking us for the sweets we left out and and telling a small story to explain if we hadn't quite got what we'd asked for was part of the magic of Christmas - it stopped us complaining if we got something different and we always treasured the cards - who says everything about Christmas has to be expensive! Every friend of mine gets a copy when they have their first child.
35 of 36 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book is a treasure, and I thank the Tolkien Estate, and Tolkien's own family for allowing their personal letters to be shared with the wider public. The illustrations (all by JRR Tolkien himself) are enchanting. Original calligraphy samples are included with full typesets of each letter. Father Christmas' explanations for shortages (during WWII) and other mishaps (the Goblin's invaded) are a wonderful read. His helpers, a Polar Bear and a secretarial Elf, enter the story and never leave, as the saga continues each Christmas. Never mind the kids - buy this one for yourself.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Christmas present
Bought this as a Christmas gift. The recipient had a copy when she was a little girl and has been looking for a copy.
Published 3 months ago by A. P. Woolrich
A nice warm read!
My Book Club were looking for a nice Christmassy read, fun and cheery to get us in the mood for our post-read dinner! Read more
Published 4 months ago by Squishy
Letters from Father Christmas JRR Tolkien
This book is magical for all young children. It really helped my daughter to enjoy reading! She is 8 and quite often it is difficult to motivate her to read, but she didn't want... Read more
Published 4 months ago by holiday
A magical read
This is a book that was given to me as a child and I now read it with my children every year. It is truely magical and a big part of our Christmas tradition. Read more
Published 5 months ago by alex
Magical
Lovely Book, beautifully written as you might expect from Tolkein my 9 year old son loved it and i certianly enjoyed reading it with him at bed time. Read more
Published 6 months ago by jingle bells
Gorgeous book - unforgettable!
A lovely book. Tolkien wrote these letters for his own children between the years of 1925 and 1939. As usual, he creates a marvellously imaginative world - goblin wars, a clumsy... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Alice
Charming
A collection of charming tales by Tolkien as written by father christmas to his children.
Absoloutly beautiful, I'll be purchasing a copy for my niece shortly!
Absoloutly beautiful, I'll be purchasing a copy for my niece shortly!
Published 9 months ago by Animagus
Inspired me to start writing my own 'Santa' letters
This is a book full of beautiful tales and illustrated letters by JRR Tolkein. It conjures up a magical sense of the 1930's christmas in England, and is slightly tinged with... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Anne M
Letters from Father Christmas (Book)
If you're a fan of Tolkien but haven't read anything other than The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings or the Silmarillion then start now. Read more
Published 17 months ago by The Academate
magical bedtime
my little girl really loved these stories before going to bed and said they where really magical just the right thing to read before christmas
Published 17 months ago by lizzie
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