What is the author's tone in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien by J.R.R. Tolkien?

The tone of the work seems to have a natural consistency to it. The author has a personality and a "personal voice" that shine through the work. Given that this is a collection of letters that he has written this may come as little surprise. That depends in part upon the individual's expectations. The letters actually span decades of the author's life. Through them, the progress of his life is shared.

There are a few interests and attitudes that come through the most. This is partly artificial in that the editor made selections for this collection. The interests, goals and personality of this figure come through rather clearly. Letters to his son, which are frequent, show how real his interests are. Here this means the tone is simply honest and that the same main ideas are shared with the most intimate of friends, nearest dearest relatives and professional contacts.

The author writes in a way that is really quite friendly. He does not hide his affection for his son, as far as can be interpreted. At the same time, in truth his letters come across such that he is just as friendly to his publisher as he is to his own son. While this does not cover all aspects of his life, his letters give this message. However, at this point, it is worth noting that the editor did explain that no intensely personal letters were used as they refused to violate the author's private life for the sake of creating this book of letters.

JRR Tolkien is wonderful in the sense that his tone is highly informative, almost that of a confidante. It is also true that he is free from condescension. For those who have felt wrongly condescended to, this can come as quite a relief. Effectively, regardless of whom he is writing to, he is engaging, respectful, friendly and informative. He shares with honesty and integrity and enthusiasm.