The Marvellous Land of Snergs.; Illustrated by George Morrow by [TOLKIEN] WYKE SMITH, E.A - 1927

London: Ernest Benn, 1927. First Edition. MORROW, George. Incredibly scarce first edition. The final book written by Wyke Smith, this tale is set on a far off island inhabited by the helpful Snergs, and is credited as a major influence on Tolkien's race of Hobbits. In a letter to W. H. Auden from 1955: "Not any better I think than The Marvellous Land of Snergs, Wyke-Smith, Ernest Benn 1927. Seeing the date, I should say it was probably an unconscious source-book! for the Hobbits, not of anything else." Illustrated throughout by Punch cartoonist, George Morrow. Large octavo in the original quarter cloth; illustrated throughout, the occasional fox mark, a very good copy.