Letters From Father Christmas, Centenary Edition

Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien is a charming collection of the letters Mr. Tolkien wrote to his children each year for Christmas as they were growing up. Each story is told from the perspective of Father Christmas himself, but there are other characters that sometimes take the spotlight and write to the children, including most notably a polar bear who seems to find himself in a bit of trouble with Father Christmas from time to time and has his own adventures worth sharing with Tolkien’s children.The letters are actually meticulously crafted demonstrations of art and calligraphy. While the former seems intended for a young audience, with dancing bears and a variety of colors, the typography is something to behold all by itself. When one considers the same meticulousness that went into certain other works of the author, it’s no wonder he put such thought and care into the lettering of these whimsical narrations.One recommendation: If you buy the Kindle edition of this book, do yourself a favor and read it on a color device such as a Fire tablet or iPad. A black and white, E Ink Kindle does not do the art, colors, and typography justice, and that’s what you’ll want to see most here. The stories told in each letter are charming in their own right, but they’re not the main attraction (though they do provide some amusement).Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien is a fun, almost nostalgic-like glimpse into the lives of the Tolkiens. It’s the sort of book one can share with the children each and every year much like Mr. Tolkien did with his own children. I’m giving it a solid three rockets and hope you enjoy it.

Tolkien’s pal C. S. Lewis once said, “A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children’s story in the slightest,” and this book passes that test.Every year Tolkien would write one or more letters from Father Christmas to his children, and this book collects all 24 years’ worth (1920-1943), complete with pictures of the original letters and accompanying drawings. The first few are little more than simple notes, but they soon include little stories about the goings-on at the North Pole…most of which involve the North Polar Bear getting into some kind of mischief. North Polar Bear adds occasional editorial comments (my favorite part of the letters), and later on so does Santa’s elven secretary Ilbereth.The overall tone is cute and innocent without being sickly sweet. There are occasional mentions of times being difficult (presumably due to the Great Depression and WWII), but the overall tone is always positive. There is also a bittersweet element to the letters as we see occasional mention of each child getting older and no longer sending letters to Father Christmas or hanging their stocking.Overall, this is a beautiful little book. I enjoyed it so much that I am now reading it aloud to my children (ages 8, 10, and 13) and they are enjoying it immensely…mostly they want to see what the North Polar Bear is going to get up to next.

I purchased this centenary edition of Letters from Father Christmas for my niece and her husband, who have one young daughter, and a little boy on the way. They love J.R.R. Tolkien, and even incorporated elements of Bilbo's Long Expected Party into their wedding reception, so I know they will lovingly and zealously adopt this delightful book and be fully engaged with their children in reading through it each Christmas season, starting this year.In fact, this might be an ideal Advent Book for young families - large format with plenty of illustrations and color to appeal to the little ones, coupled with the warmth and heart to captivate and endear the parents, enabling families to rediscover the wonder of reading together during this blessed season.The design and attention to detail is top tier, with gold foil accents on the cloth-bound cover, and there is even a handsome ribbon marker as befits a keepsake which asks to be used and enjoyed, not merely collected and displayed. The generous sized reproductions of the letters and envelopes themselves have real impact on the thick, quality paper, and the addition of the text of the letters helps when we cannot always discern the spindly handwriting of Father Christmas.A treat for all, and, like me, you may decide to order a copy for yourself after you've seen the one you give as a gift!

Purchased along with the book was the audio which enhanced this book to the delight of my granddaughters. Tolkien's original art, including pictures of the letters and his drawings can easily be enhanced on this kindle version. THIS BOOK IS A DELIGHTFUL READ ! Tolkien also took into account what was historically taking place over each year at Christmas time. Some families were having a hard time during war. But the absolute best part goes to the wonderful character of POLAR BEAR.

If you want the original with the full-sized letters, get the revised edition with the blue cover. It's a large hardcover book, and you can get it used.It's a great book. There are pictures of the letters, and there are some drawings. Where the letter would not have fit, they type it all out. Mine came with an odd taping job on the cover, but the tape was old so I fixed it.

I'm lucky enough to own all eighteen of the books in the de luxe Tolkien collection, and I think that it's this one and The Hobbit which do the most to justify their premium pricing. Not only does this new version of Father Christmas bring you the extra letters that Baillie Tolkien added in her second edition of her father-in-law's festive jeux d'esprit, but you also get some new Tolkien illustrations published here for the very first time. And HarperCollins's uncredited designers have added many imaginative touches that are just delightful.The slipcase, for example, is decorated with a row of shiny silver icicles and a glued-on facsimile of one of JRRT's North Pole stamps. The cover of the book has abandoned the de luxe library's customary golden lettering in favour of an appropriately wintry silver, complemented by a dusting of snow flakes rendered in silver too. And the scarlet of Father Christmas's robe is subtly deployed within the text to supplement the gaiety of JRRT's paintings. The overall effect is simply joyous, and the quality of the paper, the printing and the binding are up to the Folio Society standard that collectors of de luxe Tolkien books have come to expect.I was so pleased with this book that I took advantage of its current 50% price discount to order a copy for the library of my old primary school too. And if that's the effect that it had on a wretched Scrooge like me, it must be something pretty special!

This book is absolutely beautiful! What a wonderful idea. The letters are so imaginative and themes run across years. The drawings and sketches are just lovely. I’m feeling like a terribly inadequate parent! This would make a beautiful gift for any new baby/parents.

What a lovely book. Very interesting and informative about how Tolkien wrote to his children at Christmas whilst he was away fighting in WW1. The illustrations are beautifully rendered and the whole outer coverings are sturdily made. A must for your Tolkien collection.

I got this in a 99p Kindle deal. Bargain. It is a lovely read. The way it follows the children and changes as they grow is very sweet. Having the original versions to go with the typed versions gives it a good reread bit of value. I just wish a few of the children's letters could have also been used too. A couple of the longer letters do go fantasy with goblin battles and goblins getting killed. No detail, just a surprise if you were going to share it with little ones. I liked how Tolkien adapted to suits the children's ages and the times such as adapting to war. It's also great how it goes explain Santa such as he believes in you still even when you grow out of him. Lovely, quick read.

It's interesting for Tolkien fans to see this fatherly account of the man who brought us lord of the rings. There are similarities in it especially in the later letters that you might want to draw a parallel to his fiction like the goblins and blowing up the gate/tunnel.Also the calligraphy he used. And the drawings are very good and I admire the time and effort that give into those letters.It made me melancholic to see that over the years naturally the addressees changed when his older children stopped writing to Santa.