Tolkien’s book Tree and Leaf contains “On Fairy-Stories” and “Leaf by Niggle.”
Tree and Leaf was first published in 1964. It brought together Tolkien’s essay “On Fairy-Stories,” originally delivered as the Andrew Lang lecture in 1938, and his short story “Leaf by Niggle.” The volume also included the poem “Mythopoeia” in its first edition.
“On Fairy-Stories” examines what fairy stories do and why they matter. Tolkien discusses concepts including fantasy, recovery, escape, and consolation, and he argues that fairy stories are not merely children’s entertainment. “Leaf by Niggle” follows an artist whose life and work are transformed through an allegorical journey.
Readers sometimes identify the title with Tolkien’s broader theory of secondary-world creation, but Tree and Leaf is specifically a collected volume. It is valuable because it presents both Tolkien’s critical explanation of fantasy and a fictional example of his ideas.