106 From a letter to Sir Stanley Unwin

[Allen & Unwin expressed enthusiasm for Farmer Giles of Ham, but asked if Tolkien could provide other stories to make up a sufficiently large volume.]

30 September 1946

I should, of course, be delighted if you see your way to publish 'Farmer Giles of Ham'. . . With leisure I could give him company, but I am in a tough spot academically, and see no hope of leisure until the various new professors come along. I could not promise to complete anything soon. At least I suppose I could, but it would be difficult – and really the Hobbit sequel is so much better (I think) than these things, that I should wish to give it all spare hours. I picked it up again last week and wrote (a good) chapter, and was then drowned with official business — in which I have waded since your kind letter came 10 days ago.

I have never tried illustrating 'Farmer Giles' and do not know of any one.