Farmer Giles of Ham Audiobook By J. R. R. Tolkien cover art

Farmer Giles of Ham

 Preview
Get this deal Try for $0.00
Offer ends January 21, 2026 11:59pm PT
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just $0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible Premium Plus.
1 audiobook per month of your choice from our unparalleled catalog.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Farmer Giles of Ham

By: J. R. R. Tolkien
Narrated by: Derek Jacobi
Get this deal Try for $0.00

$14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime. Offer ends January 21, 2026 11:59pm PT.

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $14.51

Buy for $14.51

LIMITED TIME OFFER | Get 3 months for $0.99 a month

$14.95/mo thereafter-terms apply.

Tolkien’s acclaimed modern classic ‘fairie’ tale, read by Derek Jacobi.

Farmer Giles of Ham is one of Tolkien’s most popular stories, full of wit and humour, set in the days when giants and dragons walked the earth. He 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!

Two further stories in this collections are Smith of Wooton Major which tells of the preparation of the Great Cake to mark the Feast of Good Children, and the strange events which follow, and Leaf by Niggle, which recounts the strange adventures of the painter, Niggle.

©1949 The J.R.R. Tolkien Copyright Trust; (P)1999 HarperCollins UK Dragons & Mythical Creatures Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Historical Classics Funny Witty Feel-Good Paranormal Scary

Critic reviews

‘A fabulous tale of the days when giants and dragons walked the kingdom’
Sunday Times

Featured Article: Elrond—A Lord of the Rings Character Guide


If you love J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, then you know that all of the events of the story would be impossible without the half-Elf Elrond. Elrond, the Lord of Rivendell, lived in Middle-earth from the First Age to the beginning of the Fourth Age. It was with the help of Elrond that the evil Sauron was defeated and alliances were forged. Elrond is one of the most prominent characters throughout Tolkien's stories. But who is he and what is his story?

Featured Article Elrond A Lord of the Rings Character Guide
Continue Your Journey Through Middle earth

Continue Your Journey
Through Middle-earth

Explore collection
Witty Humor • Clever Storytelling • Excellent Narration • Lighthearted Fantasy • Timeless Moral • Entertaining Adventure

Highly rated for:

All stars
Most relevant

Would you consider the audio edition of Farmer Giles of Ham to be better than the print version?

It is an enjoyable listen that goes well with the print version.

Have you listened to any of Derek Jacobi’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Derek Jacobi is excellent once again. Children will be able to follow along easily and perhaps even take more of the story in as a result of his narration.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I did listen to it in one sitting as the book is full of Tolkien 's humour and is well narrated and easy to listen to.

Any additional comments?

Children and adults alike, should enjoy this Tolkien adventure with a deadly dragon, a dog who keeps crying help and a farmer who becomes a king.

Farmer to King

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is a brilliant little story. It's witty and fun, clever and comical, not at all obvious and, as all Tolkien's works do, has a great and timeless moral to the story. It is also brilliantly delivered.

Brilliant Little Story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Loved it! Hard to put down... though my teen and tween children didn't care for it quite so much.

A Simply Wonderful Story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
read by derek Jacoby too! this story shows how great tolkien's writing was. even not as lotr!

excellent story by tolkien!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is an absolute classic fantasy tale and the Accents used in the narration or on point.

worth a credit

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews