J. R. R. Tolkien own vehicular mishaps with his first car, purchased in 1932. The bears were based on toy bears owned by Tolkien's sons. Tolkien was both author and illustrator of the book. He submitted it to his publishers as a balm to readers who were hungry for more from him after the success of "The Hobbit". The lavish ink and coloured-pencil illustrations would have made production costs prohibitively expensive. Tolkien agreed to redraw the pictures in a simpler style, but then found he did not have time to do so. The book was published in 1982 as a facsimile of Tolkien's difficult-to-read
J. R. R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator was natural and keen. Portraits are conspicuously absent from his work. The book explores Tolkien's art at length, from his childhood paintings and drawings to his final sketches. It reproduces 200 examples of his artwork. At its heart are his illustrations for his books, especially his tales of Middle-earth. Also examined are the pictures Tolkien made for his children (notably in his "The Father Christmas Letters" and "Mr. Bliss"), his expressive calligraphy, his love of decoration, and his contributions to the typography and design of his books. "J. R. R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator" won the 1996 Mythopoeic Scholarship Award