Farmer Giles of Ham did not look like a hero. He was fat and red bearded and enjoyed a slow, comfortable life. Then one day a rather deaf and short-sighted giant blundered on to his land. More by luck than skill, Farmer Giles managed to scare him away. The people of the village cheered: Farmer Giles was a hero! His reputation spread far and wide across the kingdom. So it was natural that when the dragon Chrysophylax visited the area it was Farmer Giles who was expected to do battle with it!

The Adventures of Tom Bombadil consists of 16 poems, three of which are about Tom Bombadil himself, one about a hobbit and a troll, two about the Man in the Moon, six which represent simply "adventures," and four which are in the nature of a bestiary. There is a wealth of good storytelling and mythmaking here. For those who love The Lord of the Rings, there are hobbits in the Shire, elves sailing west, and enough familiar places to give one the feel of Middle Earth as the setting.