Tom Bombadil
J. R. R. Tolkien wrote the works contained within "The Tolkien Reader" in different contexts and for different purposes. "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil" began as a single poem, inspired by a Dutch doll belonging to Tolkien’s son, Michael. Tolkien wrote the poem as a form of entertainment for his children, but by 1934 it had been published in "The Oxford Magazine." In October 1961, Tolkien's aunt Jane Neave encouraged him to put together a small book which would have "Tom Bombadil at the heart of it." Tolkien took her advice and a year later Allen &amp; Unwin published "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil". It contains both older works, such as "Oliphaunt" (1927), and works written specifically for the book, such as "Tom Bombadil Goes Boating" (1662). The collection has connections to Tolkien’s trilogy "The Lord of the Rings". There are a few points in the trilogy where the main characters recite or sing the poems in "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil". Frodo sings “The Man in the Moon Stayed Up Too Late,” during his stay at The Prancing Pony in Bree, and Samwise recites “Oliphaunt” during a battle. The title character of the poems, Tom Bombadil, appears on several occasions in the series, one time being when he rescues Frodo from the Barrow-wights in "The Fellowship of the Ring".