Letter 31

Letter 29 is the twenty-ninth letter written by J.R.R. Tolkien and published in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Summary
Tolkien claimed that The Hobbit should have come out in 1938 rather than 1937, on the grounds that in 1939 he would have sufficient energy and mind-set to compose the continuation. Current work weights through September had become scarce all innovation, the continuation remained where it had ceased, and he had no clue what to do with it. He recorded explanations behind being hindered: First, the first was never proposed to have a continuation. Second, every single usable rationale had been pressed into The Hobbit so a spin-off would look more slender. Third, while he enjoyed Hobbits being Hobbits this was not the situation with his fans. Fourth, his brain was more engrossed with The Silmarillion.

In 1937 Tolkien had recommended to Allen and Unwin that Farmer Giles of Ham might be a successor to The Hobbit. In this letter Tolkien specified that he had rewritten Farmer Giles about 50% more drawn out and read it to the Lovelace Society (the article club of Worcester College, Oxford) where it was generally welcomed. Notwithstanding, its tone was distinctive from The Hobbit, having a more grown-up and satiric flavor. Additionally he had not composed more stories about the Little Kingdom that Allen & Unwin would need to make a full-length book. Tolkien proposed a distribution of his story, Mr Bliss. He finished the letter expressing that he couldn't produce The Hobbit sequel by September 1938 and he hope his motivation will come in 1939.