Letter 158a

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
Letter 158a
Recipient	Rayner Unwin
Date	20 December 1954
Subject(s)	The Return of the King

Letter 158a is a letter written by J.R.R. Tolkien and published in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien: Revised and Expanded edition.

Summary

In this letter Tolkien apologises to Rayner Unwin for the delay in sending material for the Appendices of The Return of the King. Tolkien explains that he has been severely harried and ill, contributing to his inability to meet the deadline. He assures Unwin that he will try to send the main content of the Appendices the following day, acknowledging that it will still be late even if it arrives by Wednesday.

Tolkien also mentions his exhaustion due to a particularly challenging year filled with personal and domestic difficulties.