Letter 15

Letter 15 is the fifteenth letter written by J.R.R. Tolkien and published in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien.
== Summary ==
This letter was addressed to Allen & Unwin, Specifically Mr. Furth. The letter included a colored version of the drawing 'The Hill: Hobbiton-across-the-Water.' Tolkien asked Furth – if he felt the picture was good enough – to submit 'The Hill: Hobbiton-across-the-Water,' to the Houghton Mifflin Company as an exclusive. Tolkien also asked Furth, "Could you at the same time make it finally clear to them (It does not seem easy): that the first three drawings were not illustrations to 'the Hobbit', but only samples: they cannot be used for that book, and may now be returned," in regards to his other submitted drawings. All of the drawings, excluding 'Huts of the Raft-elves', were later used in the first American edition, and all but 'Bilbo woke with the early sun in his eyes' were added to the second British impression.
At the end of the letter, Tolkien enclosed commentary on Allen & Unwin's remarks on the jacket-flap. Segments of Allen & Unwin's comments read as follows: "J. R. R. Tolkien.... has four children and The Hobbit .... was read aloud to them in nursery days. .... The manuscript.... was lent to friends in Oxford and read to their children. .... The birth of The Hobbit recalls very strongly that of Alice in Wonderland. Here again a professor of an abstruse subject is at play." (Tolkien 26) Tolkien responded with a lengthy essay explaining his word use in The Hobbit and how the book had no voluntary similarities with Alice In Wonderland. He also stated that this was one of many reasons why he had "certain anxiety lest the H.M.Co seize upon the words and exaggerate the inaccuracy to falsehood."
==References==
Category:The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien