Tree and Leaf is the 1964 J.R.R. Tolkien book that combines “On Fairy-Stories” with “Leaf by Niggle.” The volume also includes Tolkien’s poem “Mythopoeia,” which presents a defense of imaginative creation.
“On Fairy-Stories” originated as a lecture delivered at the University of St Andrews in 1938 and was later revised for publication. Tolkien discusses what fairy-stories are, what they can do, and why fantasy should not be dismissed as mere escapism. He famously connects fantasy with recovery, escape, and consolation.
“Leaf by Niggle” is an allegorical story about an artist who is unable to finish a vast tree painting before death interrupts his work. The story is often read alongside Tolkien’s ideas about subcreation, the making of secondary worlds by human artists. The title Tree and Leaf reflects the relationship between the natural image at the center of the tale and Tolkien’s broader theory of imaginative art.