DIALOGUS - John R. R. Tolkien - Tobacco in Middle-earth

Tobacco in Middle-earth

skywalker_2000@mail.ru
Dear J.R.R.

I am a pipe smoker too.

But after reading "The Lords Of The Rings" I was questioned about tobacco smoked by in Middle-earth.

All information you give in your prologue is quite poor and covered with mysteries.

Can you please give more info on taste of most popular tobaccos (like Longbottom Leaf, Old Toby and Southern Star)? Were these brands of pipe-weed flavoured or not? What kind of tobacco it was?

I also have a question on the material of pipes and their shapes (Talking about pipes of Meriadoc, Bilbo, Gandalf, Gimli and Aragorn). It is only said that they are wooden. What kind of wood it was? And what shapes did these pipes have?

With all respect,

Valentine Erofeev.

John R.R. Tolkien
Dear M. Erofeev,

I hope not to offend you by answering the following. I think that the prologue says enough about Hobbits and their art of pipe-smoking. I do know people want more - but I think that covering the story in mysteries is a good thing, if not a necessery one. It also helps to replicate real history.

Regarding the taste, I'm inclined to answer that I do not know myself. The hobbit leaves surely made for very good flavoured pipe-weed (I would not say brand, as there's no question about commercial products here) but I've not given much thought to that until now - or if I did, my old memory is failling me somewhat. However, I do imagine that most pipes were primarily simple in design. Their shape would look similar to the the large half bent Billiard or Dublin shapes, but often much more long-stemmed.

Regarding the material, I think that Hobbits, if they could not grow suitable briar in the hills, would use hardwood like beech or oak - or perhaps even a type of wood I do not know about. These are details that, when writing, do not come to mind and that must be thought out later, if at all. I must admit I'm always hard put to give out so many of them, and in the end I often favour giving only a partial answer, lest the flavour of authenticity I try to give the story completely disappears. Indeed, I see my job primarily as that of a translator, not an encyclopedist!

My sincere greetings to a fellow pipe smoker,
J.R.R.T.

				Tobacco in Middle-earth




skywalker_2000@mail.ru				Dear J.R.R. I am a pipe smoker too. But after reading "The Lords Of The Rings" I was questioned about tobacco smoked by in Middle-earth. All information you give in your prologue is quite poor and covered with mysteries. Can you please give more info on taste of most popular tobaccos (like Longbottom Leaf, Old Toby and Southern Star)? Were these brands of pipe-weed flavoured or not? What kind of tobacco it was? I also have a question on the material of pipes and their shapes (Talking about pipes of Meriadoc, Bilbo, Gandalf, Gimli and Aragorn). It is only said that they are wooden. What kind of wood it was? And what shapes did these pipes have? With all respect, Valentine Erofeev.


John R.R. Tolkien				Dear M. Erofeev, I hope not to offend you by answering the following. I think that the prologue says enough about Hobbits and their art of pipe-smoking. I do know people want more - but I think that covering the story in mysteries is a good thing, if not a necessery one. It also helps to replicate real history. Regarding the taste, I'm inclined to answer that I do not know myself. The hobbit leaves surely made for very good flavoured pipe-weed (I would not say brand, as there's no question about commercial products here) but I've not given much thought to that until now - or if I did, my old memory is failling me somewhat. However, I do imagine that most pipes were primarily simple in design. Their shape would look similar to the the large half bent Billiard or Dublin shapes, but often much more long-stemmed. Regarding the material, I think that Hobbits, if they could not grow suitable briar in the hills, would use hardwood like beech or oak - or perhaps even a type of wood I do not know about. These are details that, when writing, do not come to mind and that must be thought out later, if at all. I must admit I'm always hard put to give out so many of them, and in the end I often favour giving only a partial answer, lest the flavour of authenticity I try to give the story completely disappears. Indeed, I see my job primarily as that of a translator, not an encyclopedist! My sincere greetings to a fellow pipe smoker, J.R.R.T.