FORMAT: HARDCOVER | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

The epistolary format (stories in the form of letters) is one we rarely see these days, but it does have its own charm. Episodic storytelling can be delightful and letters carry their own sort of magic. Letters From Father Christmas is a compilation of the letters JRR Tolkien wrote to his children in the guise of Father Christmas from 1920 to 1943.

These are whimsical tales intended to entertain beloved children and as such are charming and silly fun. We have stories about clumsy polar bears, nasty goblins, clever elves and strange snowmen. It’s mostly delightful whimsy though if you’re a scholar of Tolkien you could certainly read more into it if you wanted to. Certainly, this is fantasy storytelling and the roots of Tolkien’s later work are here, but nothing as elaborate as Middle Earth, just pure fun intended for young minds.

This new edition is a robust, fully illustrated hardback, and is intended to celebrate the first letter, which was created in 1920. The letters are high-quality images of the original letters, with the envelopes and the like also included. You can see every crease and every imperfection of Tolkien’s letter’s to his children, with the text reproduced next to the images to make it easier to read. It serves mostly as a fascinating artefact of the writer’s work.

Tolkien’s illustrations are especially noteworthy and the style is unique and entertaining. These do feel a little bit personal at times and we doubt it really works as a book for children; the appeal at the time was in the letters themselves and this serves more as an insight into Tolkien’s life as it does as a children’s book though it works perfectly well as a book to read to young ones at bedtime.

This new edition looks like it will last a very long time and is a charming addition to any fantasy fans collection.