Smith of Wootton Major by Tolkien, Baynes Illustration, 1975 Edition

Title: Smith of Wootton Major
Author: J. R. R. Tolkien (1892 – 1973) — Author of The Lord of the Rings
Illustrator: Pauline Baynes (1922 – 2008) — Tolkien & C.S. Lewis’s Preferred Artist
Genre: Classic High Fantasy / Faerie Lore / Allegorical Fairy Stories
Edition: First Large-Format Illustrated Edition, Second Printing (1975)
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston
Aesthetics: Color pictorial cover boards; full-page interior black-and-white ink line art illustrations.

A deeply moving, valedictory masterwork from the father of modern high fantasy, Smith of Wootton Major serves as J.R.R. Tolkien’s final completed short fantasy narrative published during his lifetime. The story unfolds in the quiet village of Wootton Major, a place renowned across the countryside for its grand festivals and culinary mastery. Every twenty-four years, the village celebrates the exclusive Feast of Good Children, for which the Master Cook bakes a spectacular Great Cake filled with tiny charms and trinkets. When a humble boy unwittingly swallows a mysterious, silver star found hiding inside an old spice box, the magical token passes into his soul—permanently marking him and granting him safe passage to wander the perilous, breathtaking Land of Faery.

This 1975 edition highlights the artistry of Pauline Baynes, the only illustrator to receive Tolkien’s full approval. Her detailed, medieval-style illustrations complement the story's depth. Originally intended as a preface to George MacDonald’s The Golden Key, this Houghton Mifflin pictorial hardback is a premier item for collectors of Tolkien and Baynes.

J. R. R. Tolkien (1892 - 1973), born in South Africa, served as the Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University from 1925 to 1945, and later as the Merton Professor of English Language and Literature until his retirement in 1959. His scholarly work on Old and Middle English texts, including a notable lecture on "Beowulf," has had a lasting impact on the study of English literature. His most renowned works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, have captivated readers with their richly detailed world of Middle-earth, an intricate tapestry of languages, cultures, and histories. Tolkien's son, Christopher Tolkien, posthumously published several of his works, such as "The Silmarillion," further expanding the lore of Middle-earth.

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Condition: Fine. Lacks dust jacket, as issued. Illustrated cover boards. Pages are clean, undamaged, and complete.