Letter 307a

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
Letter 307a
Recipient	Michael Tolkien
Date	29 December 1968
Subject(s)	Personal difficulties

Letter 307a 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 his son Michael, Tolkien expresses hope that Michael had recovered from his overwork and maladies to enjoy Christmas. He recounted a quiet but pleasant Christmas, made more enjoyable by a visit from "Prisca".

Tolkien shared that he was still easily fatigued and struggling to organise his workspace and books to manage his increasing work pressure. He noted the remarkable success of the paperback sales of The Lord of the Rings which had outperformed all other books in the Christmas market, while The Hobbit had also seen a significant increase in sales. Despite this commercial success, Tolkien mentioned financial strains due to a substantial tax bill on his increased income before his trust became operative, leaving him with significantly reduced actual income and large financial demands in the coming year.

He also expressed concern for Edith, who had been significantly burdened by his accident and the resulting anxiety and responsibilities. Tolkien admitted to feeling much older since the accident and longing for peace, noting that his work had slowed and time seemed to slip away.