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Farmer Giles of Ham
  
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Farmer Giles of Ham (Hardcover)

by J.R.R. Tolkien (Author), Roger Garland (Illustrator)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover
  • Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd (12 Dec 1991)
  • ISBN-10: 0261102079
  • ISBN-13: 978-0261102071
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

This is the 50th anniversary edition of Tolkien's best-loved short fairy story, originally told to his children in the 1920s and expanded for publication in 1949. Bluff Farmer Giles lives in a land-of-fable England, full of giants and dragons. A reluctant hero like the Brave Little Tailor or Bilbo in The Hobbit, Giles wins a great reputation by firing his blunderbuss at a wandering giant--who retreats not in fear but to avoid this tiresome stinging "insect". One thing leads to another, and despite all his excuses the now famous Giles is called to save his country from the marauding dragon Chrysophylax. He has a legendary anti-dragon sword and a lot of luck, but dragons can be as devious as politicians... Tolkien crammed much sly wit into his little story, plus jokey philological explanations that Giles's amazing adventures are commemorated in Thames Valley placenames like Worminghall and Thame. It's illustrated with nearly 50 line drawings by Paula Baynes: Tolkien loved these, but some look sadly faded here, like fourth-generation photocopies. As a bonus, the anniversary edition includes an introduction telling the story's history, a transcription of the original, unfinished draft, and 23 pages of notes on allusions and names (Chrysophylax means "keeper of gold", which is indeed what dragons do). A pleasant gift book. --David Langford --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Synopsis

A tale of the days when giants and dragons walked the kingdom, this tells the story of Farmer Giles of Ham who is fat, unheroic and red-bearded. But he is also fortunate and shrewd. When a large and stupid giant blunders into his fields it begins a surprising chain of events.

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Customer Reviews

7 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A miniature gem, 1 July 2000
This review is from: Farmer Giles of Ham: Aegidii ... Erortus, or in the Vulgar Tongue, the Rise ... of the Little Kingdom (Hardcover)
How a simple but cunning farmer got to be king of his world is told by Tolkien in classically simple style. This is a great stoty for telling to children, but, as always in the best childrens' tales, there are plenty of subtle jokes and sly digs to amuse the teller. Tolkien is, of course, one of the great experts in Dark Ages history and tales and his wide knowledge is reflected in the setting and background to the story. The characterisation is simple yet true to life and the plot twists in delightful ways. If you like historical novels, you will also enjoy the detail and the 'in jokes' in this short tale. Full of amusement yet so authentic in its feel, 'Farmer Giles of Ham' almost makes me wish that this story WAS dug up from among musty manuscripts in a forgotten archive to confound some dull scholar! I read it first in the original edition, again to my children some 15 years ago, to their great delight, and yet again recently; it remains as fresh as the first time. By the way, have you tried "Leaf by Niggle"? This is another little Tolkien beauty!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful - with hidden depths, 9 Dec 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Farmer Giles of Ham (Paperback)
I first read this book 32 years ago. Now I am buying it as a present for a teenager.

It was a delightful read the first time, full of gentle humour. However, I frequently re-read it, often finding something new. Having developed a passion for classical history, I discovered many lingustic and historical jokes, puns and allusions hidden in the text. For example, "Sunny Sam" the Blacksmith's true (Latin) name is Fabricius Cunctator - "Fabricius the delayer", a clear pun on the name of the famous Roman general Fabius Cunctator, who got his cognomen by delaying battle with Hannibal. There are many more absolute gems like this. If you don't recognise them it's still a charming story, but if you do, it enriches the experience even more and is potentially very educational. This book is a joy!

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars In the vulgar tongue, 28 Feb 2006
By E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Farmer Giles of Ham (Paperback)
"Farmer Giles of Ham" (in the vulgar tongue) is an entertaining little tale, maybe the first real comic fantasy novel (actually, more like novella). It's certainly not on par with his tales of hobbits and elves, but it's still cute, funny and very well-written.

Aegidius de Hammo (or in the "vulgar tongue," as Tolkien archly tells us, Farmer Giles of Ham) is a pleasant, not-too-bright farmer (a bit like Barliman Butterbur) who leads a fairly happy life. Until the day his excitable dog Garm warns him that a giant (deaf and very near-sighted) is stomping through and causing mayhem. Giles takes out his blunderbuss and takes a shot at the giant, and inadverantly drive him off.

Naturally, Giles is hailed as a hero. Even the King is impressed, and sends him the sword Caudimordax (vulgar name: Tailbiter), which belonged to a dragonslaying hero. By chance, the not-so-fierce dragon Chrysophylax Dives has started pillaging, destroying and attacking the nearby areas. Can a not-so-heroic farmer drive off a not-so-frightening dragon?

It's a fast, fun little adventure story with blundering giants, greedy dragons and unlikely heroes (the last one is what Tolkien always does best). It's not epic and it's not deep, but it is entertaining, especially for people who enjoy comic fantasies. You'll like this if you enjoyed the cuter moments of "The Hobbit" and stories like "Roverandum."

Tolkien's writing always seems to be winking at the reader. There are a lot of in-jokes for people who know Latin (the "vulgar tongue" comments) and a lot of cute moments, like the young dragons exclaiming that they always knew "knights were mythical!" And the illustrations resemble old tapestries and paintings, but they usually have a funny sort of twist to them.

"Farmer Giles" is not the deepest or most riveting of Tolkien's works, but it's a straightforward, cute little adventure that kids, adults, fans and non-fans of Tolkien will enjoy.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A Rich Guardian of Gold
"Farmer Giles of Ham" was written by JRR Tolkien in 1937, and was first published in 1949. It's set in Ham, a small village in England - sometime after the arrival of the Romans,... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Craobh Rua

5.0 out of 5 stars A MINIATURE GEM
How a simple but cunning farmer got to be king of his world is told by Tolkien in classically simple style. Read more
Published on 29 Jun 2006 by David Croucher

5.0 out of 5 stars A good, children's story that the reader will also enjoy.
When his village is threatened by a giant, Farmer Giles acts out of fright and coincedentally the giant leaves. Read more
Published on 24 Mar 2001

3.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable short fable in the typical Tolkien style
This is in no way up to the standard of LOTR or the Hobbit, understandably as this story was originally intended as a short witty tale not for publication. Read more
Published on 23 Mar 2001

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