If the publishers had encouraged Tolkien, he could have continued with the
flurry of activity in which he wrote the tales of Tuor and Turin from
Unfinished Tales. Much of what is in the Appendices to LotR could have
been fleshed out in The Silmarillion. I sure would have liked to see the
result. If he could just have finished the fleshed-out stories of Tuor,
Turin, and Beren, that would have been enough for me.
But there is a possibility that it would have put off publication forever, or
that it would have spoiled the mystery of LotR as published, with its many
references to an unpublished mythos and history.
I certainly can understand why the publishers were not willing to wait another
12 years or longer for a prequel to LotR. But I really do wonder what
would have happened if they had given Tolkien any
encouragement.
________________________________________
"‘I think he was a silly little man,' said Councillor Tompkins. ‘Worthless, in fact; no use to Society at all.'
"‘Oh, I don't know,' said Atkins, who was nobody of importance, just a schoolmaster. ‘I am not so sure: it depends on what you mean by use .'
"‘No practical or economic use,' said Tompkins. . . .
. . .
"‘It is proving very useful indeed,' said the Second Voice. ‘As a holiday, and a refreshment. It is splendid for convalescence; and not only for that, for many it is the best introduction to the Mountains. It works wonders in some cases. I am sending more and more there. They seldom have to come back.'"
