Letter 295a

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
Letter 295a
Recipient	Donald Swann
Date	12 April 1967
Subject(s)	Publication of Namárië and A Elbereth Gilthoniel in The Road Goes Ever On

Letter 295a 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 to Donald Swann Tolkien discusses the manuscripts of Namárië and A Elbereth Gilthoniel he had sent for inclusion in The Road Goes Ever On, along with his handwritten commentaries, which Swann had forwarded to Austin Olney at Houghton Mifflin. Tolkien clarified that there was still time for consultation regarding these materials. The issues were twofold: the reproduction of the calligraphic pages and the suitability of the commentaries for publication.

Tolkien explained that the calligraphic pages, designed in formal and decorative scripts, were intended for reproduction. His idea was for these pages to face the song texts written in the modern alphabet, serving as authoritative examples and instructional aids for fans of the scripts. However, he expressed concerns about the commentaries, noting they were initially written as a personal letter to Swann, another scholar who appreciated his detailed philological insights.

Tolkien believed the commentaries were unfit for direct photographic reproduction or printing in their current form. The hastily written manuscripts contained errors and were poorly arranged for publication. He suggested rewriting the commentaries, both in terms of handwriting and content, to make them suitable for publication. The original materials, if reproduced as they stood, would be largely illegible or nonsensical. He also criticised the type-scripts provided by Olney, which contained numerous transcription errors. To avoid such issues, Tolkien recommended producing a clear, larger script copy or a carefully typed copy, with instructions for precise printing.