The Father Christmas Letters

Letters from Father Christmas
First edition
EditorBaillie Tolkien
AuthorJ. R. R. Tolkien
Original titleThe Father Christmas Letters
IllustratorJ. R. R. Tolkien
Cover artistJ. R. R. Tolkien
LanguageEnglish
GenreFantasy, children's literature
PublisherAllen and Unwin (1976)
Houghton Mifflin (1976)
HarperCollins (2004)
Publication date
1976, reprinted in 2004
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)
ISBN0-395-24981-3 (1976)
ISBN 0-261-10386-5 (2004)
OCLC2603606
LC ClassPZ7.T5744 Fat4
Preceded byBilbo's Last Song 
Followed byThe Silmarillion 

Letters from Father Christmas, formerly known as The Father Christmas Letters, are a collection of letters written and illustrated by J. R. R. Tolkien between 1920 and 1943 for his children, from Father Christmas. They were released posthumously by the Tolkien estate on 2 September 1976, the 3rd anniversary of Tolkien's death. They were edited by Baillie Tolkien, second wife of his youngest son, Christopher. The book was warmly received by critics, and it has been suggested that elements of the stories inspired parts of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.