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Abstract
[...]Rateliff elucidates the case of the 1947 revisions, the text now known to most readers, and presents for the first time Tolkien's abandoned attempt in 1960 to rewrite the entire novel to bring it into greater harmony with the mood, language, and geography of The Lord of the Rings. [...]there is an astonishing series of explicit references both to the real Primary World and to the burgeoning world of the "Silmarillion," including on the one hand, Shetland ponies, policemen on bicycles, the Gobi desert, China, Christmas, and even the star Sirius; and on the other, not only Gondolin, but also the Gnomes (that is, the inchoate Noldor), Tu the Fay (that is, the Necromancer, later Sauron), and even a direct reference, by name, to Beren and Tinuviel (removed prior to publication). First and foremost among these, to me: apart from a short and highly selective list of frequently cited works (xxx-xxxii), there is no proper bibliography. [...]they are incentives for even deeper exploration, Rateliff's book in hand.