14 MAY 1977, page 22

Hobbit Forming

Nick Totton J. R. R. Tolkien: a Biography Humphrey Carpenter (Allen and Unwin £4.95) 'And after this, you might say, nothing else really happened.' With this disarmingly honest......

Sharp Cards

Peter Ackroyd The Castle of Crossed Destinies Ital° Calvino (Secker and Warburg £4.50) People play card-games with each other because they enjoy winning, but one PlaY s cards......