Doing research at the Wade Center!

[Faramir Jones]

It's good to read what you've been doing in the Marion E. Wade Center, Corsair_Caruso! I'm one of those here who have written about music and Tolkien; and I've no doubt that many more will also be interested in your research into The Road Goes Ever On.

I laughed when I read that you were able 'to help correct some errors in the Wade Center's transcripts of these letters, including deciphering some of Tolkien's less legible marginalia and some incorrect Tengwar!'.

Your reference to the 'lots of great materials' there illustrates the dangers of research; you can come across lots of interesting information, that sadly you can't use in what you're writing... That's happened in any research I've done.

I also think when involved in research of Samuel Johnson's saying, 'The greatest part of a writer's time is spent in reading, in order to write: a man will turn over half a library to make one book'.

All the best!