[Mithalwen]

I think that anyone can get a copy of any will for a small fee so I wouldn't bother with E-Bay.

Having just aquired the letters, it is made clear by Carpenter that he made the selection and CT "commented" and that the restrictions were mainly space related - he does seem to have had free access .. and not all the letters show Tolkien as a "plaster saint" .

I doubt that CT as a scholar would destroy much - certainly if it had bearing on the work. However I wouldn't blame him if he chose to destroy personal letters.

I have just found a clump of letter my parents wrote me when I was a student/abroad, while they are precious as tangible evidence of affection they contain little of interest, and I can't help thinking in an age before cheap telephone calls and email that even Tolkien's letters are going to contain a lot of mundane trivia .... we may be missing on quantity not quality!

Tolkien did write diaries ... I think Carpenter drew on them or at least referred.

I do wonder about what will happen when CT dies. His younger son, Adam, has translated some of HoME into French so he may pick up the baton but I imagine the trust will prevent any individual family member having quite the same influence. In some ways Hammond and Scull seem to be the anointed heirs...