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Gospodarz Giles z Ham. Przygody Toma Bombadila
Farmer Giles of Ham
Fabulous tale of the days when giants and dragons walked the kingdom. Full of scholar's wit. - Sunday Times
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil
By turns gay, prattling, melancholy nonsensical, mysterious. And what is most exciting and attractive about them is their superb technical skill. Professor Tolkien revealed in the verses scattered through The Hobbit that he had a talent for songs, riddling rhymes, and a kind of balladry. In The Adventures of Tom Bombadil the talent can be seen to be something close to genius. - Anthony Thwaite, The Listener
Cover illustration: Pauline Baynes
Fabulous tale of the days when giants and dragons walked the kingdom. Full of scholar's wit. - Sunday Times
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil
By turns gay, prattling, melancholy nonsensical, mysterious. And what is most exciting and attractive about them is their superb technical skill. Professor Tolkien revealed in the verses scattered through The Hobbit that he had a talent for songs, riddling rhymes, and a kind of balladry. In The Adventures of Tom Bombadil the talent can be seen to be something close to genius. - Anthony Thwaite, The Listener
Cover illustration: Pauline Baynes
191 pages, Paperback
First published October 30, 1949
12 people are currently reading
747 people want to read
About the author
J.R.R. Tolkien
786 books77.3k followersJohn Ronald Reuel Tolkien: writer, artist, scholar, linguist. Known to millions around the world as the author of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien spent most of his life teaching at the University of Oxford where he was a distinguished academic in the fields of Old and Middle English and Old Norse. His creativity, confined to his spare time, found its outlet in fantasy works, stories for children, poetry, illustration and invented languages and alphabets.
Tolkien’s most popular works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are set in Middle-earth, an imagined world with strangely familiar settings inhabited by ancient and extraordinary peoples. Through this secondary world Tolkien writes perceptively of universal human concerns – love and loss, courage and betrayal, humility and pride – giving his books a wide and enduring appeal.
Tolkien was an accomplished amateur artist who painted for pleasure and relaxation. He excelled at landscapes and often drew inspiration from his own stories. He illustrated many scenes from The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, sometimes drawing or painting as he was writing in order to visualize the imagined scene more clearly.
Tolkien was a professor at the Universities of Leeds and Oxford for almost forty years, teaching Old and Middle English, as well as Old Norse and Gothic. His illuminating lectures on works such as the Old English epic poem, Beowulf, illustrate his deep knowledge of ancient languages and at the same time provide new insights into peoples and legends from a remote past.
Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in 1892 to English parents. He came to England aged three and was brought up in and around Birmingham. He graduated from the University of Oxford in 1915 and saw active service in France during the First World War before being invalided home. After the war he pursued an academic career teaching Old and Middle English. Alongside his professional work, he invented his own languages and began to create what he called a mythology for England; it was this ‘legendarium’ that he would work on throughout his life. But his literary work did not start and end with Middle-earth, he also wrote poetry, children’s stories and fairy tales for adults. He died in 1973 and is buried in Oxford where he spent most of his adult life.
Tolkien’s most popular works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are set in Middle-earth, an imagined world with strangely familiar settings inhabited by ancient and extraordinary peoples. Through this secondary world Tolkien writes perceptively of universal human concerns – love and loss, courage and betrayal, humility and pride – giving his books a wide and enduring appeal.
Tolkien was an accomplished amateur artist who painted for pleasure and relaxation. He excelled at landscapes and often drew inspiration from his own stories. He illustrated many scenes from The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, sometimes drawing or painting as he was writing in order to visualize the imagined scene more clearly.
Tolkien was a professor at the Universities of Leeds and Oxford for almost forty years, teaching Old and Middle English, as well as Old Norse and Gothic. His illuminating lectures on works such as the Old English epic poem, Beowulf, illustrate his deep knowledge of ancient languages and at the same time provide new insights into peoples and legends from a remote past.
Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in 1892 to English parents. He came to England aged three and was brought up in and around Birmingham. He graduated from the University of Oxford in 1915 and saw active service in France during the First World War before being invalided home. After the war he pursued an academic career teaching Old and Middle English. Alongside his professional work, he invented his own languages and began to create what he called a mythology for England; it was this ‘legendarium’ that he would work on throughout his life. But his literary work did not start and end with Middle-earth, he also wrote poetry, children’s stories and fairy tales for adults. He died in 1973 and is buried in Oxford where he spent most of his adult life.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
November 2, 2025
Absolutely delightful.
August 26, 2014
If you are looking for a short, humble, fantasy story then Farmer Giles of Ham is your man. This is about a Farmer who becomes a hero after "defeating" a giant. Soon after, word of Farmer Giles of Ham's courage spreads and his life will never be the same again. This story is not connected with Lord of the Rings or the Hobbit but does involve creatures common in Middle Earth.
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil is however, linked to Lord of the Rings as Tom Bombadil occurs in the Fellowship of the Ring. These are presented in a series of poems, some which are included in The Lord of the Rings and some other ones. They give more scope to the character of Tom Bombadil which is rather interesting.
Personally, I preferred Farmer Giles of Ham to the Adventures of Tom Bombadil as I found the story format more exciting but that's just me as I am not entirely poem compatible. Both stories are interesting and a good read so I recommend this to all.
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil is however, linked to Lord of the Rings as Tom Bombadil occurs in the Fellowship of the Ring. These are presented in a series of poems, some which are included in The Lord of the Rings and some other ones. They give more scope to the character of Tom Bombadil which is rather interesting.
Personally, I preferred Farmer Giles of Ham to the Adventures of Tom Bombadil as I found the story format more exciting but that's just me as I am not entirely poem compatible. Both stories are interesting and a good read so I recommend this to all.
September 27, 2019
These stories were so fun! I even thoroughly enjoyed the poetry, which, as one who does not typically like poetry, was fantastic! This is something I can see reading to my future children if I have them.
March 2, 2022
So, the backstory of Tom Bombadil and Goldberry is that he abducted her and forced her to marry him, while her mother was left behind crying? How romantic 🤪😅
Liked the Farmer Giles story. The poems were ok, some were nice.
Liked the Farmer Giles story. The poems were ok, some were nice.
July 23, 2022
Delightful! Farmer Giles is a humourous and stirring adventure tale, and The Adventures of Tom Bombadil is a collection of enchanting poems. Tolkien's wit and clever wordplay are on full display! Illustrations by Pauline Baynes (known for her illustrations of C.S. Lewis's Narnia chronicles).
August 4, 2025
klasyczek
March 12, 2018
Borrowed this book from my Grandpa; having never read any Tolkien before I thought that perhaps starting with a couple of small books would be a great introduction to his wonderful imagination.
The first half of this book is the story of Farmer Giles of Ham; I loved this! Such an easy read and brilliantly written. Farmer Giles just does what any farmer would and tries to protect his land and his prefered way of life, along with his hound Garm, just one small act escalates and we watch the rise of Farmer Giles.
The second half of this book consisted of poetry. Again we see how masterful Tolkien was and how much lore he knew of his created world. Beautiful poems with great narratives, easy to read and best read aloud.
I will be reading more from Tolkien.
The first half of this book is the story of Farmer Giles of Ham; I loved this! Such an easy read and brilliantly written. Farmer Giles just does what any farmer would and tries to protect his land and his prefered way of life, along with his hound Garm, just one small act escalates and we watch the rise of Farmer Giles.
The second half of this book consisted of poetry. Again we see how masterful Tolkien was and how much lore he knew of his created world. Beautiful poems with great narratives, easy to read and best read aloud.
I will be reading more from Tolkien.
September 21, 2022
Farmer Giles of Ham: 5/5*
This review is based off of the Harper Collins Pocket Hardcovers sold in a set as the “Tolkien Treasury.” This book includes the published version of the story, the first manuscript version, and the short outline for the sequel. I’m including that info because I don’t know if other versions include the same.
To me this was a great little tale, falling just short of me loving it. I think this is a cute, silly story that could so easily fall into the realm of other fairytale stories/the same popularity, if only it was more readily available. Although, it is again one of those older children’s stories where while I’m reading I’m like, “this was told to kids?!” So with that being said this could easily have been dulled down or “Disney-fied” or made even more adult in a longer version/adaptation.
I feel like pretty much from top to bottom this story is about greed. While Giles is considered to be good to his people, and well liked, he is also still tempted by the gold of the dragon. Albeit, not as grossly as the king and his court.
Of course we also get the dual pleasure of something light and enjoyable as with most of Tolkien’s earlier works (ie. Roverandom or even the full length The Hobbit), mixed with the lush imagination of the king of fantasy Himself.
Personally a 5/5* for me, as I liked it even more the second time around.
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil: 4/5*
This is the third in Tales from the Perilous Realm, but this one was a first time read for me. I admit that the ‘other verses’ kind of went over my head or I misunderstand, because about halfway through I was like “what in the world does this have to do with Tom Bombadil?” So I actually listened to this twice today.
This is a collection of poems by Tolkien. It includes two about Bombadil, who readers will know from Frodo meeting him in The Fellowship of the Ring. As one of the strangest characters I personally think he ever created, it still does not surprise me that Peter Jackson skipped that part entirely.
The collection includes three that are actually featured in The Lord of the Rings as well, and the book had a very cool ‘in-universe’ (esque) preface. It speaks of how some of the stories are written by Bilbo or Sam, and how one featured is actually a dream that Frodo had, although probably not actually written by him.
During my first listen through, as I stated above, I was looking for the Tom Bombadil context and was super confused. On the second, I enjoyed it and appreciated it for what it was. Poetry is not really my thing, but some of these are considered to be very good works by Tolkien, so I’m glad to have experienced them.
The 16 featured poems are:
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil
Bombadil Goes Boating
Errantry
Princess Mee
The Man in the Moon Stayed Up too Late
The Man in the Moon Came Down too Soon
The Stone Troll
Perry-the-Winkle
The Mewlips
Oliphaunt
Fastitocalon
Cat
Shadow-Bride
The Hoard
The Sea-Bell (OR ‘Frodos Dreme’)
The Last Ship
Enjoyable, well down works written throughout his life. Personally a 4/5* for the king.
This review is based off of the Harper Collins Pocket Hardcovers sold in a set as the “Tolkien Treasury.” This book includes the published version of the story, the first manuscript version, and the short outline for the sequel. I’m including that info because I don’t know if other versions include the same.
To me this was a great little tale, falling just short of me loving it. I think this is a cute, silly story that could so easily fall into the realm of other fairytale stories/the same popularity, if only it was more readily available. Although, it is again one of those older children’s stories where while I’m reading I’m like, “this was told to kids?!” So with that being said this could easily have been dulled down or “Disney-fied” or made even more adult in a longer version/adaptation.
I feel like pretty much from top to bottom this story is about greed. While Giles is considered to be good to his people, and well liked, he is also still tempted by the gold of the dragon. Albeit, not as grossly as the king and his court.
Of course we also get the dual pleasure of something light and enjoyable as with most of Tolkien’s earlier works (ie. Roverandom or even the full length The Hobbit), mixed with the lush imagination of the king of fantasy Himself.
Personally a 5/5* for me, as I liked it even more the second time around.
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil: 4/5*
This is the third in Tales from the Perilous Realm, but this one was a first time read for me. I admit that the ‘other verses’ kind of went over my head or I misunderstand, because about halfway through I was like “what in the world does this have to do with Tom Bombadil?” So I actually listened to this twice today.
This is a collection of poems by Tolkien. It includes two about Bombadil, who readers will know from Frodo meeting him in The Fellowship of the Ring. As one of the strangest characters I personally think he ever created, it still does not surprise me that Peter Jackson skipped that part entirely.
The collection includes three that are actually featured in The Lord of the Rings as well, and the book had a very cool ‘in-universe’ (esque) preface. It speaks of how some of the stories are written by Bilbo or Sam, and how one featured is actually a dream that Frodo had, although probably not actually written by him.
During my first listen through, as I stated above, I was looking for the Tom Bombadil context and was super confused. On the second, I enjoyed it and appreciated it for what it was. Poetry is not really my thing, but some of these are considered to be very good works by Tolkien, so I’m glad to have experienced them.
The 16 featured poems are:
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil
Bombadil Goes Boating
Errantry
Princess Mee
The Man in the Moon Stayed Up too Late
The Man in the Moon Came Down too Soon
The Stone Troll
Perry-the-Winkle
The Mewlips
Oliphaunt
Fastitocalon
Cat
Shadow-Bride
The Hoard
The Sea-Bell (OR ‘Frodos Dreme’)
The Last Ship
Enjoyable, well down works written throughout his life. Personally a 4/5* for the king.
November 28, 2023
Farmer Giles of Ham is max comfy reading for a cold autumn day.
February 18, 2016
It is unfair to review this book simply because it is a compilation of two books: Farmer Giles of Ham and, a separate book, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, which is in itself a compilation of many different poems, and not all of them are about the title character.
However, since this is the edition that I have, then the rating pertains to this copy -- it is unfair, yes, but what are we going to do.
Having read Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings numerous times over the years, I knew two things: 1) I do not like Tom Bombadil and 2) I do not like his poetry. In fact, poetry, for the most part, does not gel with me very well. I like a certain cadence to my reading, and poetry, despite the rhythm, breaks that cadence for some reason. It causes a lot of stops and starts, and that is not the way that I like to read.
Anyway, going in, I didn't have much expectations for The Adventures of Tom Bombadil. In fact, I go as far as saying that Peter Jackson made the right choice by leaving him out of the adaptation. Bombadil's character, while fascinating and an intricate part of the universe, is not fun to read at all. The poems that I did enjoy from the second half of this book turned out not to be anything related to Bombadil, because he's most likely going to sing his way out of a tight situation, like he did in The Fellowship of the Ring. If I were Tolkien's editor, I'd totally cut him out from the text altogether. Yes, he wore the ring and the ring had no effect on him, but I can live without him, for sure. Most of the poems didn't really grab me, which explains why I docked two stars from the final rating.
But Farmer Giles of Harm is a totally different animal -- and an enjoyable one, at that!
I had such a pleasant time reading Farmer Giles of Ham that, halfway through, I figured that this is the kind of book that I'd like to read to my children in the future. It has everything! Giants, dragons, knights, treasures, humour and adventure -- what's not to love?
And everything Tolkien writes is, in a way, a precursor to The Lord of the Rings. He wrote The Hobbit almost as a test-run for the epic fantasy series, and Farmer Giles is essentially Bilbo Baggins, but taller. He is the reluctant farmer who is unwilling to go on adventures at first, but his heroism is gradually proven in the course of the story. Also, Giles has several confrontations with a dragon, another precursor to Bilbo's meeting with Smaug in another universe altogether.
And boy, can Tolkien write human-dragon meetings! The dragon here may not have the wits and charms of Smaug, but its interaction with Giles is just as enjoyable, if not too brief.
It's a short and sweet story (about 77 pages in this edition) that didn't waste its time at all at world building. Instead, it's a fun little story about a fun little adventure, and I definitely had a lot of unexpected fun along the way.
I highly recommend Farmer Giles of Ham for fans of Tolkien who are curious about the rest of his bibliography. Even if it isn't set in Middle-earth, expect the same wit and greatness from the master himself. Except, of course, if it has to do with Bombadil. Skip that one.
However, since this is the edition that I have, then the rating pertains to this copy -- it is unfair, yes, but what are we going to do.
Having read Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings numerous times over the years, I knew two things: 1) I do not like Tom Bombadil and 2) I do not like his poetry. In fact, poetry, for the most part, does not gel with me very well. I like a certain cadence to my reading, and poetry, despite the rhythm, breaks that cadence for some reason. It causes a lot of stops and starts, and that is not the way that I like to read.
Anyway, going in, I didn't have much expectations for The Adventures of Tom Bombadil. In fact, I go as far as saying that Peter Jackson made the right choice by leaving him out of the adaptation. Bombadil's character, while fascinating and an intricate part of the universe, is not fun to read at all. The poems that I did enjoy from the second half of this book turned out not to be anything related to Bombadil, because he's most likely going to sing his way out of a tight situation, like he did in The Fellowship of the Ring. If I were Tolkien's editor, I'd totally cut him out from the text altogether. Yes, he wore the ring and the ring had no effect on him, but I can live without him, for sure. Most of the poems didn't really grab me, which explains why I docked two stars from the final rating.
But Farmer Giles of Harm is a totally different animal -- and an enjoyable one, at that!
I had such a pleasant time reading Farmer Giles of Ham that, halfway through, I figured that this is the kind of book that I'd like to read to my children in the future. It has everything! Giants, dragons, knights, treasures, humour and adventure -- what's not to love?
And everything Tolkien writes is, in a way, a precursor to The Lord of the Rings. He wrote The Hobbit almost as a test-run for the epic fantasy series, and Farmer Giles is essentially Bilbo Baggins, but taller. He is the reluctant farmer who is unwilling to go on adventures at first, but his heroism is gradually proven in the course of the story. Also, Giles has several confrontations with a dragon, another precursor to Bilbo's meeting with Smaug in another universe altogether.
And boy, can Tolkien write human-dragon meetings! The dragon here may not have the wits and charms of Smaug, but its interaction with Giles is just as enjoyable, if not too brief.
It's a short and sweet story (about 77 pages in this edition) that didn't waste its time at all at world building. Instead, it's a fun little story about a fun little adventure, and I definitely had a lot of unexpected fun along the way.
I highly recommend Farmer Giles of Ham for fans of Tolkien who are curious about the rest of his bibliography. Even if it isn't set in Middle-earth, expect the same wit and greatness from the master himself. Except, of course, if it has to do with Bombadil. Skip that one.
October 7, 2022
Hello, my name is Werd Nannahs. I have taken my two most important interviews while wandering the lands of Middle Earth for many many years. There will be two interviews. One will be of Farmer Giles, a simple farmer whose life seemed to go in every direction that you would think it wouldn’t. The other will be with a fascinating man who lives deep in the forest whose daily life is like something out of a fairy tail.
Farmer Giles
Q: How would you describe yourself?
A: That is a very hard question to answer. On one side there is still a simple man who happened to have a healthy amount of luck thrown at him. On the other hand, there is Giles the Great, Giles the Slayer. These of course are names that my fame has brought. Although I am a farmer at heart, my exploits have given me many new talents.
Q: Describe any influences in the past that led you to do the things you do today?
A: Well, that would be a list that I believe would not terminate. Events grander than any you could imagine. Occurrences from which I still feel the singe of my hair and see the sweat gleaming on my skin. These events have made me much more precautious and careful when approaching the unknown.
Q: Tell me one thing about yourself that most people don't know and why they don’t know it?
A: As I said previously, I had a quaint, humble background. I lived on a farm with my wife and dog and planned to live the rest of my life like that. It was only until a fortunate series of events did I become the man I am today.
Q: What is one thing you walked away from these events learning?
A: One thing I walked away from these events learning was to expand my horizons and to reach farther than I thought possible. I decided somewhere along the way to take these events in stride and achieve more in this life.
Q: What's one thing you could change if you could? (Could be a choice that you
made, an aspect of your personality or appearance, person you
trusted/mistrusted)
A: I would have not let others take advantage of me if I were to go back into the past. When I was still in the early stages of my journey, I allowed myself to be influenced by those who were in a station above me. Those in power should not have been able to take what was mine. I should have put a stop to it.
Tom Bombadil
Q: What is the one thing you want more than anything and what's stopping you
from getting it?
A: I have seen much and experienced more, and one thing I can tell you needs to happen, is for all of this countless arguing and wartime to stop. Wars between men, elves, dwarves, or orcs hurt Earth and all of its majesty. I wish for the birds to keep flying, the bears to keep sleeping, and the bugs to keep buzzing.
Q: Who is your best friend and why?
A: Of course my best friend must be my beautiful wife Goldberry. Goldberry is like the sun on a gloomy day. Like warm tea on a cold winter day. I remember when I first saw her in that river, she must have been the most beautiful thing my eyes had ever seen, oh how I love her…. If I could, I would spend all of my days with her, but alas, my duties do not allow this.
Q: Who do you consider your nemesis or rival and why?
A: As of right now, I have no enemies. I have no reason to quarrel with anybody. The only thing that would force me to consider someone as my enemy is if they destroyed the natural orders of the world. If a sheep stopped baaing, if a parakeet stopped chirping, or if a beetle stopped…beetling. I protect the order or the world, though I do not believe I have encountered any that have threatened it.
Q: How do you feel about your surroundings (setting) and why?
A: I love my home and the inhabitants of my community. I live in the west of this land with the lovely Hobbits and all of my forest friends. I spend most of my time wandering about, talking to the animals of the forest or settling disputes between them.
Q: Name three things you consider yourself to be good at, and three things you
consider yourself to be bad at.
A: I would say that I am good at magic, making friends, and maintaining peace. All three of these skills I use often to make my life more enjoyable. Three things I am bad at, however, are organizing, hygiene, although I suppose I do not have to worry about this as I live in a forest, and being up to speed. I must say, when Gandalf visited me with his hobbit friend, his face looked as old as the sun is bright.
This has been my interpretation of what these characters would act and speak like if they were real. These characters are from J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Farmer Giles of Ham/The Adventures of Tom Bombadil”. I do not recommend this book to most people. This book has archaic language and a confusing sentence structure. Unless one has a higher reading level this book is far too confusing. Additionally, the second half of the book is entirely made up of unclear poems - a superfluous addition to the book.
Farmer Giles
Q: How would you describe yourself?
A: That is a very hard question to answer. On one side there is still a simple man who happened to have a healthy amount of luck thrown at him. On the other hand, there is Giles the Great, Giles the Slayer. These of course are names that my fame has brought. Although I am a farmer at heart, my exploits have given me many new talents.
Q: Describe any influences in the past that led you to do the things you do today?
A: Well, that would be a list that I believe would not terminate. Events grander than any you could imagine. Occurrences from which I still feel the singe of my hair and see the sweat gleaming on my skin. These events have made me much more precautious and careful when approaching the unknown.
Q: Tell me one thing about yourself that most people don't know and why they don’t know it?
A: As I said previously, I had a quaint, humble background. I lived on a farm with my wife and dog and planned to live the rest of my life like that. It was only until a fortunate series of events did I become the man I am today.
Q: What is one thing you walked away from these events learning?
A: One thing I walked away from these events learning was to expand my horizons and to reach farther than I thought possible. I decided somewhere along the way to take these events in stride and achieve more in this life.
Q: What's one thing you could change if you could? (Could be a choice that you
made, an aspect of your personality or appearance, person you
trusted/mistrusted)
A: I would have not let others take advantage of me if I were to go back into the past. When I was still in the early stages of my journey, I allowed myself to be influenced by those who were in a station above me. Those in power should not have been able to take what was mine. I should have put a stop to it.
Tom Bombadil
Q: What is the one thing you want more than anything and what's stopping you
from getting it?
A: I have seen much and experienced more, and one thing I can tell you needs to happen, is for all of this countless arguing and wartime to stop. Wars between men, elves, dwarves, or orcs hurt Earth and all of its majesty. I wish for the birds to keep flying, the bears to keep sleeping, and the bugs to keep buzzing.
Q: Who is your best friend and why?
A: Of course my best friend must be my beautiful wife Goldberry. Goldberry is like the sun on a gloomy day. Like warm tea on a cold winter day. I remember when I first saw her in that river, she must have been the most beautiful thing my eyes had ever seen, oh how I love her…. If I could, I would spend all of my days with her, but alas, my duties do not allow this.
Q: Who do you consider your nemesis or rival and why?
A: As of right now, I have no enemies. I have no reason to quarrel with anybody. The only thing that would force me to consider someone as my enemy is if they destroyed the natural orders of the world. If a sheep stopped baaing, if a parakeet stopped chirping, or if a beetle stopped…beetling. I protect the order or the world, though I do not believe I have encountered any that have threatened it.
Q: How do you feel about your surroundings (setting) and why?
A: I love my home and the inhabitants of my community. I live in the west of this land with the lovely Hobbits and all of my forest friends. I spend most of my time wandering about, talking to the animals of the forest or settling disputes between them.
Q: Name three things you consider yourself to be good at, and three things you
consider yourself to be bad at.
A: I would say that I am good at magic, making friends, and maintaining peace. All three of these skills I use often to make my life more enjoyable. Three things I am bad at, however, are organizing, hygiene, although I suppose I do not have to worry about this as I live in a forest, and being up to speed. I must say, when Gandalf visited me with his hobbit friend, his face looked as old as the sun is bright.
This has been my interpretation of what these characters would act and speak like if they were real. These characters are from J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Farmer Giles of Ham/The Adventures of Tom Bombadil”. I do not recommend this book to most people. This book has archaic language and a confusing sentence structure. Unless one has a higher reading level this book is far too confusing. Additionally, the second half of the book is entirely made up of unclear poems - a superfluous addition to the book.
August 6, 2024
The story of Farmer Giles I found to be a humerous tale of an unwilling hero. It held the classic Tolkien charm throughout it, having an unlikely protagonist having to face creatures much more 'mighty' than they are.
We watch him spook off a giant and then courageously face off a dragon (even though it's not by choice) and even tame it later on. He stays witty and bold throughout, his mare companion sharing the same traits.
Overall, it's a cute short tale of this character.
And then the poetry in the second half of the book had me grinning ear to ear. Tolkien, to me, is simply a genius. The fact that he writes poetry in different voices to reflect each character and how different parts of the ages have affected their writing is insane. The amount of lore he manages to squeeze into a page of poetry is incredible, and you just have to give him kudos to that alone.
But for me, the shift in tone for chapter 15 stands out. The prior stories are cute and funny, whilst this one is so much darker and sadder. Tolkien is such a versatile writer that every piece of work just makes me wanna scream.
I recommend it as a lovely afternoon read if you want to just add to the already marvellous world of Middle Earth.
We watch him spook off a giant and then courageously face off a dragon (even though it's not by choice) and even tame it later on. He stays witty and bold throughout, his mare companion sharing the same traits.
Overall, it's a cute short tale of this character.
And then the poetry in the second half of the book had me grinning ear to ear. Tolkien, to me, is simply a genius. The fact that he writes poetry in different voices to reflect each character and how different parts of the ages have affected their writing is insane. The amount of lore he manages to squeeze into a page of poetry is incredible, and you just have to give him kudos to that alone.
But for me, the shift in tone for chapter 15 stands out. The prior stories are cute and funny, whilst this one is so much darker and sadder. Tolkien is such a versatile writer that every piece of work just makes me wanna scream.
I recommend it as a lovely afternoon read if you want to just add to the already marvellous world of Middle Earth.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 2, 2024
Farmer Giles of Ham is an excellent and whimsical tale, very much European folk, about a farmer who fought a giant. Like Jack and the beanstalk, but with more dragons.
Tom Bombadil is a strange and jester like character, and the second half of this slim book is a poetry collection partly about him. Not much of this is connected to the Middle Earth portrayal of Tom as a wise but playful elder spirit, in this he's mostly a trickster and just good at getting away with stuff.
Tom Bombadil is a strange and jester like character, and the second half of this slim book is a poetry collection partly about him. Not much of this is connected to the Middle Earth portrayal of Tom as a wise but playful elder spirit, in this he's mostly a trickster and just good at getting away with stuff.
October 4, 2025
Opowiadanie o człowieku, który nic prawie nie zrobił, a sporo zarobił oraz zbiór wierszy.
Wiersze jak to poezja, rymowana i całkiem przyjemna, ale nadal u mnie proza wygrywa. Bo jeśli ktoś się zmęczy heroicznym fantasy, to zawsze może poczytać o rolniku, który cudownym zbiegiem okoliczności przepędził olbrzyma z działki i został okrzyknięty Wielkim Bohaterem... póki nie pojawił się smok, którego też wystrychnął xD
Krótkie, ale za to jakie przyjemne. Aż chce się więcej.
Wiersze jak to poezja, rymowana i całkiem przyjemna, ale nadal u mnie proza wygrywa. Bo jeśli ktoś się zmęczy heroicznym fantasy, to zawsze może poczytać o rolniku, który cudownym zbiegiem okoliczności przepędził olbrzyma z działki i został okrzyknięty Wielkim Bohaterem... póki nie pojawił się smok, którego też wystrychnął xD
Krótkie, ale za to jakie przyjemne. Aż chce się więcej.
March 16, 2020
I really want to give this 3.5 stars.
While I admire most of what's written here, the second story is all poetry, and I'm not very well equipped to read poetry at all. So I'm well aware, it's mostly me. And not at all the quality of what's written here. I still have to say, half of the book didn't grab me.
Farmer Giles from Ham on the other hand was great fun!
While I admire most of what's written here, the second story is all poetry, and I'm not very well equipped to read poetry at all. So I'm well aware, it's mostly me. And not at all the quality of what's written here. I still have to say, half of the book didn't grab me.
Farmer Giles from Ham on the other hand was great fun!
January 7, 2022
Hit and miss.
As a children’s book this is a good way to introduce different poetry styles, and the story of Farmer Giles is amusing. It does have the feel of “some things I made up for my kids to amuse them, but then someone thought to capitalise on Lord of the Rings and make them into a book”.
That said, the illustrations by Pauline Baynes add character and charm to the writings, and it’s fun.
As a children’s book this is a good way to introduce different poetry styles, and the story of Farmer Giles is amusing. It does have the feel of “some things I made up for my kids to amuse them, but then someone thought to capitalise on Lord of the Rings and make them into a book”.
That said, the illustrations by Pauline Baynes add character and charm to the writings, and it’s fun.
December 25, 2021
The fairytale of Farmer Giles of Ham is a masterpiece, but I dislike the Tom Bombadil - to a very large extent.
Hence, I utterly enjoyed the former and altogether skipped the latter, after perusing the poetry and and finding it dull.
Hence, I utterly enjoyed the former and altogether skipped the latter, after perusing the poetry and and finding it dull.
May 20, 2022
I really enjoyed Farmer Giles of Ham. It was a cheery tale. The poems in The Adventures of Tom Bombadil were less up my street. A few were funny and some I enjoyed, but for the most part they were silly rhymes I wasn't drawn to.
September 20, 2022
This book was part of my kids' homeschool curriculum. Our copy is only the Farmer Giles of Ham. It was a fairly fun story of a farmer vs. a dragon. Our favorite character was the farmer's dog. I wouldn't say it was our favorite, but it had an unexpected and happy ending.
December 30, 2017
I enjoyed Farmer Giles of Ham, and The Adventures of Tom Bombadil less so. The Stone Troll and Perry-the-Winkle are quite fun. I really enjoyed the Pauline Baynes illustrations in this edition.
July 25, 2019
I really enjoyed the story of the farmer. It’s simple and nicely written. I loved the poems about Tom Bombadil. Tolkien is a fantastic writer and poet - as we all already knew 😉
September 26, 2020
I really liked this. J.R.R. Tolkien is and has been and always will be my favorite author. These stories are delightful.
January 2, 2022
My favourites were:
Farmer Giles of Ham
Princess Mee
Honourable Mentions:
The Man in the Moon came down Too Soon
Perry-The-Winkle
The Mewlips
The Hoard
Farmer Giles of Ham
Princess Mee
Honourable Mentions:
The Man in the Moon came down Too Soon
Perry-The-Winkle
The Mewlips
The Hoard
May 15, 2022
2.5 ⭐️ (Smith - 3⭐️, Tom - 2⭐️)
The second part was harder to understand because it is written as a poem
The second part was harder to understand because it is written as a poem
August 15, 2022
Wymęczyłam
August 22, 2022
perfect children's bedtime story
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 28, 2022
Farmer Giles of Ham reminds me of Rowan Atkinson's skits
May 14, 2023
This was our "car book" for a while: the kids and I would read a few pages here and there while killing time. They weren't big fans of Tom Bombadil, but liked Farmer Ham.
Read
October 12, 2023Kocham to uniwersum tak bardzo (czuje się jakbym wróciła do bardzo przyjemnego snu)
December 18, 2024
Delightful and whimsical Tolkien at his best. I couldn't put it down!
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