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　　　This　tale　grew　in　the　telling；　until　it　became　a　history　of　the　Great　War　of　the　Ring　and　included　many　glimpses　of　the　yet　more　ancient　history　that　preceded　it。　It　was　begun　soon　after　The　Hobbit　was　written　and　before　its　publication　in　1937；　but　I　did　not　go　on　with　this　sequel；　for　I　wished　first　to　plete　and　set　in　order　the　mythology　and　legends　of　the　Elder　Days；　which　had　then　been　taking　shape　for　some　years。　I　desired　to　do　this　for　my　own　satisfaction；　and　I　had　little　hope　that　other　people　would　be　interested　in　this　work；　especially　since　it　was　primarily　linguistic　in　inspiration　and　was　begun　in　order　to　provide　the　necessary　background　of　'history'　for　Elvish　tongues。
　　　When　those　whose　advice　and　opinion　I　sought　corrected　little　hope　to　no　hope；　I　went　back　to　the　sequel；　encouraged　by　requests　from　readers　for　more　information　concerning　hobbits　and　their　adventures。　But　the　story　was　drawn　irresistibly　towards　the　older　world；　and　became　an　account；　as　it　were；　of　its　end　and　passing　away　before　its　beginning　and　middle　had　been　told。　The　process　had　begun　in　the　writing　of　The　Hobbit；　in　which　there　were　already　some　references　to　the　older　matter：　Elrond；　Gondolin；　the　High…elves；　and　the　orcs；　as　well　as　glimpses　that　had　arisen　unbidden　of　things　higher　or　deeper　or　darker　than　its　surface：　Durin；　Moria；　Gandalf；　the　Necromancer；　the　Ring。　The　discovery　of　the　significance　of　these　glimpses　and　of　their　relation　to　the　ancient　histories　revealed　the　Third　Age　and　its　culmination　in　the　War　of　the　Ring。
　　　Those　who　had　asked　for　more　information　about　hobbits　eventually　got　it；　but　they　had　to　wait　a　long　time；　for　the　position　of　The　Lord　of　the　Rings　went　on　at　intervals　during　the　years　1936　to　1949；　a　period　in　which　I　had　many　duties　that　I　did　not　neglect；　and　many　other　interests　as　a　learner　and　teacher　that　often　absorbed　me。　The　delay　was；　of　course；　also　increased　by　the　outbreak　of　war　in　1939；　by　the　end　of　which　year　the　tale　had　not　yet　reached　the　end　of　Book　One。　In　spite　of　the　darkness　of　the　next　five　years　I　found　that　the　story　could　not　now　be　wholly　abandoned；　and　I　plodded　on；　mostly　by　night；　till　I　stood　by　Balin's　tomb　in　Moria。　There　I　halted　for　a　long　while。　It　was　almost　a　year　later　when　I　went　on　and　so　came　to　Lothlórien　and　the　Great　River　late　in　1941。　In　the　next　year　I　wrote　the　first　drafts　of　the　matter　that　now　stands　as　Book　Three；　and　the　beginnings　of　chapters　I　and　III　of　Book　Five；　and　there　as　the　beacons　flared　in　Anórien　and　Théoden　came　to　Harrowdale　I　stopped。　Foresight　had　failed　and　there　was　no　time　for　thought。
　　　It　was　during　1944　that；　leaving　the　loose　ends　and　perplexities　of　a　war　which　it　was　my　task　to　conduct；　or　at　least　to　report；　I　forced　myself　to　tackle　the　journey　of　Frodo　to　Mordor。　These　chapters；　eventually　to　bee　Book　Four；　were　written　and　sent　out　as　a　serial　to　my　son；　Christopher；　then　in　South　Africa　with　the　RAF。　Nonetheless　it　took　another　five　years　before　the　tale　was　brought　to　its　present　end；　in　that　time　I　changed　my　house；　my　chair；　and　my　college；　and　the　days　though　less　dark　were　no　less　laborious。　Then　when　the　'end'　had　at　last　been　reached　the　whole　story　had　to　be　revised；　and　indeed　largely　re…written　backwards。　And　it　had　to　be　typed；　and　re…typed：　by　me；　the　cost　of　professional　typing　by　the　ten…fingered　was　beyond　my　means。
　　　The　Lord　of　the　Rings　has　been　read　by　many　people　since　it　finally　appeared　in　print；　and　I　should　like　to　say　something　here　with　reference　to　the　many　opinions　or　guesses　that　I　have　received　or　have　read　concerning　the　motives　and　meaning　of　the　tale。　The　prime　motive　was　the　desire　of　a　tale…teller　to　try　his　hand　at　a　really　long　story　that　would　hold　the　attention　of　readers；　amuse　them；　delight　them；　and　at　times　maybe　excite　them　or　deeply　move　them。　As　a　guide　I　had　only　my　own　feelings　for　what　is　appealing　or　moving；　and　for　many　the　guide　was　inevitably　often　at　fault。　Some　who　have　read　the　book；　or　at　any　rate　have　reviewed　it；　have　found　it　boring；　absurd；　or　contemptible；　and　I　have　no　cause　to　plain；　since　I　have　similar　opinions　of　their　works；　or　of　the　kinds　of　writing　that　they　evidently　prefer。　But　even　from　the　points　of　view　of　many　who　have　enjoyed　my　story　there　is　much　that　fails　to　please。　It　is　perhaps　not　possible　in　a　long　tale　to　please　everybody　at　all　points；　nor　to　displease　everybody　at　the　same　points；　for　I　find　from　the　letters　that　I　have　received　that　the　passages　or　chapters　that　are　to　some　a　blemish　are　all　by　others　specially　approved。　The　most　critical　reader　of　all；　myself；　now　finds　many　defects；　minor　and　major；　but　being　fortunately　under　no　obligation　either　to　review　the　book　or　to　write　it　again；　he　will　pass　over　these　in　silence；　except　one　that　has　been　noted　by　others：　the　book　is　too　short。
　　　As　for　any　inner　meaning　or　'message'；　it　has　in　the　intention　of　the　author　none。　It　is　neither　allegorical　nor　topical。　As　the　story　grew　it　put　down　roots　（into　the　past）　and　threw　out　unexpected　branches：　but　its　main　theme　was　settled　from　the　outset　by　the　inevitable　choice　of　the　Ring　as　the　link　between　it　and　The　Hobbit。　The　crucial　chapter；　〃The　Shadow　of　the　Past'；　is　one　of　the　oldest　parts　of　the　tale。　It　was　written　long　before　the　foreshadow　of　1939　had　yet　bee　a　threat　of　inevitable　disaster；　and　from　that　point　the　story　would　have　developed　along　essentially　the　same　lines；　if　that　disaster　had　been　averted。　Its　sources　are　things　long　before　in　mind；　or　in　some　cases　already　written；　and　little　or　nothing　in　it　was　modified　by　the　war　that　began　in　1939　or　its　sequels。
　　　The　real　war　does　not　resemble　the　legendary　war　in　its　process　or　its　conclusion。　If　it　had　inspired　or　directed　the　development　of　the　legend；　then　certainly　the　Ring　would　have　been　seized　and　used　against　Sauron；　he　would　not　have　been　annihilated　but　enslaved；　and　Barad…d？r　would　not　have　been　destroyed　but　occupied。　Saruman；　failing　to　get　possession　of　the　Ring；　would　m　the　confusion　and　treacheries　of　the　time　have　found　in　Mordor　the　missing　links　in　his　own　researches　into　Ring…lore；　and　before　long　he　would　have　made　a　Great　Ring　of　his　own　with　which　to　challenge　the　self…styled　Ruler　of　Middle…earth。　In　that　conflict　both　sides　would　have　held　hobbits　in　hatred　and　contempt：　they　would　not　long　have　survived　even　as　slaves。
　　　Other　arrangements　could　be　devised　according　to　the　tastes　or　views　of　those　who　like　allegory　or　topical　reference。　But　I　cordially　dislike　allegory　in　all　its　manifestations；　and　always　have　done　so　since　I　grew　old　and　wary　enough　to　detect　its　presence。　I　much　prefer　history；　true　or　feigned；　with　its　varied　applicability　to　the　thought　and　experience　of　readers。　I　think　that　many　confuse　'applicability'　with　'allegory'；　but　the　one　resides　in　the　freedom　of　the　reader；　and　the　other　in　the　purposed　domination　of　the　author。
　　　An　author　cannot　of　course　remain　wholly　unaffected　by　his　experience；　but　the　ways　in　which　a　story…germ　uses　the　soil　of　experience　are　extremely　plex；　and　attempts　to　define　the　process　are　at　best　guesses　from　evidence　that　is　inadequate　and　ambiguous。　It　is　also　false；　though　naturally　attractive；　when　the　lives　of　an　author　and　critic　have　overlapped；　to　suppose　that　the　movements　of　thought　or　the　events　of　times　mon　to　both　were　necessarily　the　most　powerful　influences。　One　has　indeed　personally　to　e　under　the　shadow　of　war　to　feel　fully　its　oppression；　but　as　the　years　go　by　it　seems　now　often　forgotten　that　to　be　caught　in　youth　by　1914　was　no　less　hideous　an　experience　than　to　be　involved　in　1939　and　the　following　years。　By　1918　all　but　one　of　my　close　friends　were　dead。　Or　to　take　a　less　grievous　matter：　it　has　been　supposed　by　some　that　'The　Scouring　of　the　Shire'　reflects　the　situation　in　England　at　the　time　when　I　was　finishing　my　tale。　It　does　not。　It　is　an　essential　part　of　the　plot；　foreseen　from　the　outset；　though　in　the　event　modified　by　the　character　of　Saruman　as　developed　in　the　story　without；　need　I　say；　any　allegorical　significance　or　contemporary　political　reference　whatsoever。　It　has　indeed　some　basis　in　experience；　though　slender　（for　the　economic　situation　was　entirely　different）；　and　much　further　back。　The　country　in　which　I　lived　in　childhood　was　being　shabbily　destroyed　before　I　was　ten；　in　days　when　motor…cars　were　rare　objects　（I　had　never　seen　one）　and　men　were　still　building　suburban　railways。　Recently　I　saw　in　a　paper　a　picture　of　the　last　decrepitude　of　the　once　thriving　corn…mill　beside　its　pool　that　long　ago　seemed　to　me　so　important。　I　never　liked　the　looks　of　the　Young　miller；　but　his　father；　the　Old　miller；　had　a　black　beard；　and　he　was　not　named　Sandyman。
　　　The　Lord　of　the　Rings　is　now　issued　in　a　new　edition；　and　the　opportunity　has　been　taken　of　revising　it。　A　number　of　errors　and　inconsistencies　that　still　remained　in　the　text　have　been　corrected；　and　an　attempt　has　been　made　to　provide　information　on　a　few　points　which　attentive　readers　have　raised。　I　have　considered　all　their　ments　and　enquiries；　and　if　some　seem　to　have　been　passed　over　that　may　be　because　I　have　failed　to　keep　my　notes　in　order；　but　many　enquiries　could　only　be