"What began as a preface to The Golden Key by George MacDonald eventually grew into this short story, so named by Tolkien to suggest an early work by P. G. Wodehouse. Composed almost a decade after The Lord of the Rings, and when his lifelong occupation with the 'Silmarillion' was winding down, Smith of Wootton Major was the product of ripened experience and reflection. It was published in 1967 as a small hardback, complete with black and white illustrations by Pauline Baynes, and would be the last work of fiction to be published in Tolkien's own lifetime. " "Now, almost 40 years on, this tale of a wanderer who finds his way into the periolous realm of Faery is being republished; but in addition to a facsimile of the illustrated first edition this new version includes a manuscript of Tolkein's early draft of the story, notes on the genesis, chronology and alternate ending of the story, and a lengthy essay on the nature of Faery, all of which is previously unpublished. Contained within Smith of Wootton Major are many links to the world of Middle-earth, as well as Tolkien's other tales, and in this 'extended edition' the reader will finally discover the full story behind this major piece of short fiction. "--Jacket.