172 From a letter to Allen & Unwin

[Allen & Unwin proposed to publish The Return of the King on 20 October 1955.]

12 October 1955

Don't fail of 20 October! The last possible day. On the 21st. I have to give the first 'O'Donnell Lecture' (overdue), & I must hope that a large part of my audience will be so bemused by sitting up late the night before that they will not so closely observe my grave lack of equipment as a lecturer on a Celtic subject. Anyway, I want to tactfully allude to the book, since a part of what I wish to say is about 'Celticness' and in what that consists as a linguistic pattern.