Letter 334a

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
Letter 334a
Recipient	Lord Halsbury
Date	Not dated; probably May 1972
Subject(s)	Tolkien's personal library

Letter 334a 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 a letter to Lord Halsbury, Tolkien expresses his gratitude and delight following Halsbury's visit. Tolkien found great pleasure in his company and was touched by his generous offer to assist in organising Tolkien's library. He mentioned that the process of re-shelving his books would likely be completed by the end of the week. Tolkien had successfully prepared his library shelves to welcome back his collection, which was expected to arrive the following week.

Tolkien also described the difficult task of deciding which books to keep in his sitting room and which to set aside, noting that the older he became, the more he valued books simply for having owned them for a long time. He reflected on the challenges of parting with books, emphasising that past experiences of moving his library between 1930 and 1972 taught him that the books he discards often become ones he suddenly needs later, particularly those that are difficult to replace.