Bilbo's Last Song

Farewell friends! The sails are set, the wind is east, the moorings fret. Bilbo's Last Song is considered by many to be Tolkien's epilogue to his classic work, The Lord of the Rings. Bilbo Baggins, famous Hobbit adventurer and saviour of the One ring, arrives at the Grey Havens to board the White Ship on its journey west. It is here that he composes his last song, reflecting on the leaving of Middle-earth and the voyage that will take him to the Undying Lands at the end of the sunset. Poignant and lyrical, the song is both a longing and a tender farewell to friends left behind. Pauline Baynes was Tolkien's favourite illustrator. Her jewel-like paintings for this book follow two routes: the larger illustrations depict the journey that brings the ring-bearers and the company of elves to the Grey Havens, and the beginning of the final voyage. Running concurrently is a sequence of vignettes showing scenes from The Hobbit: so Bilbo remembers his first journey as he prepares for his last. For readers who would like more information on the pictures, there is a short section of notes at the end of the book. A must for all fans of Tolkien's vast, epic fantasy - Publishers Weekly