Tolkien reads from The Hobbit

Cafe Society
1

Tolkien Reads from The Hobbit in Rare Archival Audio

I don’t think I’d ever heard Tolkien’s voice before.

2

I have a cassette collection called J. R. R. Tolkien Audio Collection which contains that recording among various others of Tolkien’s readings of his works. It’s a total of 3 hours and 16 minutes long. I acquired it sometime after 1992. Also, incidentally, the website talks about the recording in your link being done in George Sayer’s house in Worchestershire. I’ve been to that house and met Sayer. While living in England from 1987 to 1990, I visited several times with a woman who went to my undergraduate college. I talked with her and her husband about C. S. Lewis. Her husband said that he used to live next door to George Sayer, who had written a biography of Lewis. He drew me a map of how to get to Sayer’s house. I went there one evening and introduced myself. He signed my copy of the biography. He also talked about recording Tolkien and showed me the couch where Tolkien sat as he did the recording. Sayer died in 2005.

3

Thank you. I may have heard him before, but I’m not sure.

If you are curious, this is one of the few recordings of C.S. Lewis, discussing theology.

4

I approve. That sounds exactly like Tolkien should sound like.

I’m always a bit nervous about hearing the real voice of people ever since I heard George Patton’s real voice, and had to refuse to allow it since he sounds nothing like George C Scott.

5

Oh, and I should point out that that is not a “rare archival audio” as that website claims. It’s currently available on CDs for $18.81. It’s available in download from various other places.