Which J.R.R. Tolkien story was first published in 1949 and follows a farmer facing a giant?

Farmer Giles of Ham was first published in 1949 and follows a farmer who faces a giant.

The comic medieval fantasy tells of Ægidius Ahenobarbus Julius Agricola de Hammo, usually called Farmer Giles of Ham. After accidentally driving off a giant with an old blunderbuss, Giles gains a reputation as a hero. He is then expected to confront the dragon Chrysophylax Dives, whose name combines Greek elements associated with gold and guarding.

Tolkien wrote the story as a mock-heroic tale, using exaggerated names, pseudo-historical framing, and playful language. Unlike the grand scale of The Lord of the Rings, it focuses on a local community, a reluctant hero, and the comic consequences of reputation. Its tone also reflects Tolkien’s interest in medieval texts and the ways legends can grow around ordinary people.

The book was illustrated by Pauline Diana Baynes, who later illustrated several Tolkien works. Farmer Giles of Ham is sometimes grouped with Tolkien’s children’s stories, but its wordplay and scholarly jokes also appeal strongly to adult readers.