Milton Waldman (1895–1976) was an author of historical biographies and literary advisor atWilliam Collins, Sons, London. He is also remembered for his correspondence with J. R. R. Tolkien who was seeking a publisher forhis legendarium andThe Lord of the Rings, combined into one work. Waldman was interested but refused to publish the work.
Milton Waldman was born in 1895 inCleveland,Ohio. He was educated atYale University. During theFirst World War, he served in the United States Army. He wrote biographies of historical figures, especially Queens of England. His first published book wasAmericana in 1925, about American literature from the time of the first Europeans onwards. Around 1930 he moved to London, where he worked as an editor at theLondon Mercury literary journal, and as a literary advisor for the publisherLongmans, Green. In 1949 he became a literary advisor to the publisherWilliam Collins, Sons. He rose to become director of that company. He also became managing director of the publisherRupert Hart-Davis Ltd. He was made a fellow of theRoyal Society of Letters. He had a son and two daughters. He died in London in 1976.[1]
In April 1950, the philologist and authorJ. R. R. Tolkien attempted to persuadeStanley Unwin, who had publishedThe Hobbit, to publish bothThe Lord of the Rings and a selection fromhis legendarium, including material that later becameThe Silmarillion, as a two-volume book, but Unwin refused. Tolkien had already met Waldman, who had shown interest in both works; Tolkien had sent him a manuscript of the legendarium in 1949. Waldman replied that it was "a real work of creation", but expressed concern about its length.[2][3] Accordingly, in 1951, Tolkien decided to approachWilliam Collins, Sons to publish the two books together. Waldman was interested but asked Tolkien to shortenThe Lord of the Rings.[2] To help persuade Collins that the two were "interdependent and indivisible",[4] Tolkien sent a long letter (#131) to Waldman, outlining the foundations and ambitions of his writings, and giving a potted history of thewhole story from the creation, through the First, Second and Third Ages, and finishing with a reference toThe Hobbit and a lengthy outline ofThe Lord of the Rings.[a] The Tolkien scholarColin Duriez describes the 10,000-word letter as "one of the best keys to the extraordinary legendarium".[7] But further delays followed; Waldman was enthusiastic but the editors at Collins were not. In particular, the size of the work and the high price of paper at the time made for a large publication cost. In April 1952 Collins refused to publish the work.[2][3]
