J.R.R. Tolkien published the first edition of Farmer Giles of Ham in 1949.
The comic fantasy story appeared in a limited edition from George Allen & Unwin on 20 October 1949. It is set in a mock-medieval England where Farmer Giles unexpectedly becomes a hero after confronting a giant and later a dragon. The tone is lighter and more satirical than the grand histories of Middle-earth.
The book is not part of Tolkien’s legendarium, although it demonstrates several interests familiar from his other writing: invented names, linguistic jokes, medieval storytelling, and the tension between ordinary people and legendary events. It is sometimes confused with The Hobbit because both feature dragons and humor, but Farmer Giles of Ham is a separate short work with a different setting and cast. Tolkien wrote it partly as a playful tale about the relationship between heroic reputation and practical common sense.