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Will Passey, a specialist in the books and manuscripts department at Sotheby’s, said the “moving” letter served as “a testament to the strength” of their friendship.
“Although we have quite a lot of published letters of Tolkien’s, these have been hitherto overlooked.”
The items sold at auction for more than double their pre-sale estimates.
The lots, dating from 1961 to 1964, reached a total selling price of £103,680 including seller’s premium.
Passey said: “The sale proved that Tolkien is a highly sought-after collecting area right now, with top clients willing to pay a premium for unique items with excellent provenance such as these.”
