A handwritten letter J.R.R Tolkien wrote to an eight-year-old boy over 60 years ago is set to fetch thousands at auction.
The Lord Of The Rings author who studied and taught at Oxford University penned the note to Christopher Howard in 1961.
After his mother had read The Hobbit to him and his brother Nicky, Christopher wrote to the famous author telling him how much he had enjoyed The Hobbit.
Tolkien replied on December 28, 1961, and told the youngster about his Lord Of The Rings trilogy.
He warns Christopher that the plot is "grim and frightening" while the books are "very expensive" but suggests he borrows them from a library.
The letter includes Tolkien’s Oxford address of 76 Sandfield Road, Headington and his phone number.
Tolkien also jokes about the weather, saying Christopher must be “frozen stiff” and says he put water out for the birds but it iced over just hours later.
Christopher, now 71, kept the letter and envelope safely tucked in a box for 63 years.
The letter is expected to fetch between £8,000-£10,000 but could sell for far more when it goes under the hammer at Hansons Ross on April 12.
Christopher, a renewable energy consultant from Wye, near Canterbury, Kent, said: “Back in 1961 we were living in the North West of England at the curious address you can see on the envelope, ‘Asmall Lodge, Asmall Lane, Ormskirk, Lancashire’.
“My mother was an English teacher who would read bedtime stories to my younger brother and I, and when we were aged six and eight she started reading The Hobbit to us.
“I quickly realised I wanted to read it myself, which I did.
“The magical effect of reading words that created pictures in my mind amazed me.
“I could see the dragon, Smaug, in his lair, the Dwarves in their mountain halls, Wizards, Orcs and of course, Hobbits.
“I needed to know if the author had written any more books full of such thrilling adventures, and therefore wrote a letter to him which mum sent to his publisher, George Allen & Unwin.
“They passed it on to Professor Tolkien, who replied in a letter dated December 28, 1961.
“You can imagine how thrilled I was to receive this letter.
“Immediately, on seeing the envelope, in my mind Professor Tolkien’s beautiful handwriting transported our home straight to Middle Earth.
“It became, ‘Asmall Lodge, Asmall Lane, Ormskirk, Lancashire’.
“In his reply, he took time to carefully address every point in my letter, referred to my younger brother Nicky, mentioned characters in The Hobbit, and informed me in detail about the other book - or books - he had written, The Lord Of The Rings.”
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