|
| Smith of Wootton Major & Farmer Giles of Ham | 
| Author: J.r.r. Tolkien
Publisher: Del Rey
Category: Book
List Price: $6.99
Buy Used: $0.01
You Save: $6.98 (100%)
New (31) Collectible (2) from $2.96
Avg. Customer Rating:  19 reviews
Sales Rank: 47662
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 160
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 4.4 x 0.5
ISBN: 0345336062
EAN: 9780345336064
ASIN: 0345336062
Publication Date: January 12, 1986
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Two bewitching fantasies by J.R.R. Tolkien, beloved author of THE HOBBIT. In SMITH OF WOOTTON MAJOR, Tolkien explores the gift of fantasy, and what it means to the life and character of the man who receives it. And FARMER GILES OF HAM tells a delightfully ribald mock-heroic tale, where a dragon who invades a town refuses to fight, and a farmer is chosen to slay him.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 14 more reviews...
Great read September 21, 2008
Tolkien was a very prolific writer. Everyone knows about "The Hobbit", and especially "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. But those were not the only books that he wrote, and I was pleased to find these two relatively short stories (compared with the other stories that I mentioned earlier). Both of them are great; in Farmer Giles of Ham,Tolkien tells us about a simple farmer, content with his farm and his land, who ends up being an acclaimed hero because he rids the land of a dragon named Chrysophylax Dives. Just as with his greater stories, this one is full of imagination and Tolkien's peculiar humor and writing style. The other story, Smith of Wooton Major, is about a boy who receives a very special gift when he eats a slice of a cake that was only baked for good children every 24 years, and what happens with that gift. If you want to read some other stories about Tolkien, without having to spend days on end, then I recommend this book.
Tolkien's Shorter Works September 6, 2008
This book has two stories from Tolkien. I especially enjoyed the second story, Farmer Giles of Ham. I loved the characters from this story and Tolkien's masterful storytelling. Two Hobbit-thumbs up!
A most wonderful little book August 10, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have long been familiar with J.R.R. Tolkein's famous books - The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings - but, this cute little book shows that just about everything that he put his hand to he did beautifully! It contains two of Prof. Tolkein's novellas - Smith of Wootton Major and Farmer Giles of Ham. The stories are sure to charm anyone who believes in beauty and wonder...and maybe hopes just a little that that land of Faery is a real place after all!
Smith of Wootton Major tells the story of a little town that has a wonderful tradition where a special cake is baked every twenty four years, and eaten by twenty four good children. But, when a magical Faery star is slipped into this year's cake, it is eaten by the local smith's son. And so the life of the younger smith is changed beyond anyone's imagination - he is marked by beauty of face and voice, and (unbeknownst to anyone) he can even visit the land of Faery whenever he likes. It is a life of magic and giving.
Farmer Giles of Ham tells the story of a farmer by the name of Aegidius Ahenobarbus Julius Agricola de Hammo - or in the vulgar form, Farmer Giles of Ham. A no-nonsense man was Farmer Giles, and when someone steps onto his property, he is there to meet him with his blunderbuss. However, when the next person to set foot on his property is a giant, Farmer Giles soon finds himself dealing with kings and knights and legendary swords and, worst of all, dragons!
This book, as the others of Tolkein, is fantastic May 14, 2005
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
J. R. R. Tolkien, known almost exclusively for the Middle-Earth tales, has a more humorous side. In his short story, "Farmer Giles of Ham", Tolkien displays a superb sense of irony, and a gentle wit. A satirical mock epic of almost Alexander Pope or Voltaire proportions, "Farmer Giles of Ham" is a lesser known, but intriguing part of Tolkien's body of work.
Farmer Giles (of the village known as Ham in the "vulgar tongue") lives a quiet life with his wife and dog, who possesses the power of speech. Alas! To unsettle his provencial habits, a giant stumbles upon the village of Ham, and it is Giles who reluctantly takes up his blunderbus to clumsily sting the giant in the eye. The irony is, when Giles (who came out of the trial almost as badly as the giant himself) is celebrated as a hero and reknowned in the village and beyond, the giant himself thinks that the hit of the primative gun was nought but the sting of a rather large insect.
And so, Giles, who was the last person in the land to become a hero (very much like other Tolkien heros the likes of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins) must take out a dangerous (but delightfully polite) dragon whose fire and claws have ravaged the country for some time. This he accomplishes in a suit of poorly made chainmail, and an ancient helmet.
As a climax, the farmer-turned-warrior must make battle with the high king of the land so that he may claim the dragon's hoard as his own, instead of trying to slake the king's thirst for wealth. With the help of this same dragon, Giles defeats the avaricious monarch and becomes a king in his own right.
Tolkien's knowledge of Medaeval culture and lore make this story an enchanting and amusing tale of the best and worst of humankind. He spares no one in his satire, even condemning the chivalrous knights of the king. With a smile and a pen that stings, Tokien creates here a fantasy story of the deliciously unexpected. Charming and intelligent, "Farmer Giles of Ham" has a light sense of wit and humor that one rarely finds in modern literature.
For the true lover of Fairy Tale. October 19, 2004
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This edition is for those who truly love Fairy Tale. It is amazing to witness first hand Tolkien's breathtaking ability to weave the tales of Faerie. Any reader who enjoyed The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, or The Silmarillion will be greatly pleased.
|
|
|
Wildlife, nature and the Environment
Sponsored Links
Learn how to get your own Amazon Book shop | |
