TOLKIEN, J. R. R. A typed letter signed from Tolkien, with manuscript post-script, dated July 10th, 1964. With 6 cm. tear mended on verso.Responding to a Mrs. Marcus of Ojai, California from his Oxford address, Tolkien discusses the development of the Lord of the Rings universe in rather counter-intuitive terms: "But one might say that the opposite of what you surmised is the fact: the hobbits are a late addition."In the space of a single typescript page, Tolkien further addresses his passion for language, landscape, and history, while despairing, in his manuscript post-script, that "there are no legends current (i.e. popular and oral) in England, other than those presented in books and the films."While Tolkien letters are not uncommon, the present example provides a glimpse into the mechanics of his imaginaton and testifies to the integrity of his vision.