Monaco took place auction of the auction house Hermitage Fine Art. During the trading with the hammer, a previously unmanned letter of the English writer and the creator of the novel "Lord of the Rings" John Tolkina, in which he corresponded with an illustrator of the future book. In the text Tolkien addresses it as Miss Sykes and wants to buy her work. It is known that the letter was written back in 1956 and previously did not publish anywhere. The invaluable document acquired an anonymous buyer for 15,000 pounds sterling, which in recalculation to rubles is an amount of 1.5 million.
This is reported by the issue of Daily Mail. For fans and researchers of science fiction, this document represents value primarily because in it the author describes in detail the appearance of hobbits. The writer liked how the illustrator woman depicted the heroes of the saga. Hobbits in its interpretation look like ordinary people, and not fabulous creatures with children's faces and big eyes.
"I showed your drawings to other readers, and they really liked them. Most agreed that the hobbits should look like ordinary people (although the idea with a goat beard or a pigtail to me), and not as little men with a children's expression and round big eyes. I would like to see even more of your drawings, but I am not sure that your work can be adequately paid in the near future, "the writer admits.