ings ▁fant asy ▁novel . ▁He ▁arg ues ▁that ▁the ▁basic ▁structure ▁and ▁them es ▁of ▁the ▁Ball ad ▁were ▁borrow ed ▁and ▁incorpor ated ▁into ▁the ▁Lord ▁of ▁the ▁R ings . ▁However , ▁after ▁Cla us en ' s ▁writing , ▁it ▁was ▁revealed ▁that ▁Tol k ien ▁wrote ▁dispar aging ly ▁of ▁parts ▁of ▁Ch est erton ' s ▁“ B all ad ” ▁in ▁his ▁private ▁letters . ▁ ▁Robert ▁E . ▁Howard , ▁the ▁American ▁author , ▁poet , ▁and ▁widely ▁known ▁pul p ▁magazine ▁" f ict ione er ", ▁was ▁much ▁im pressed ▁by ▁Ch est erton ' s ▁The ▁Ball ad ▁of ▁the ▁White ▁Hor se . ▁In ▁a ▁letter ▁to ▁his ▁friend ▁Te vis ▁C ly de ▁Smith , ▁dated ▁ 6 ▁August ▁ 1 9 2 6 ▁( when ▁Howard ▁was ▁ 2 0 ), ▁he ▁writes : ▁" There ▁is ▁great ▁poetry ▁being ▁written ▁now . ▁G . K . ▁Ch est erton , ▁for ▁instance ." ▁In ▁another ▁letter ▁to ▁Smith ▁c . ▁September ▁ 1 9 2 7 , ▁after ▁a ▁trip ▁to ▁San ▁Antonio ▁from ▁his ▁home ▁in ▁tiny ▁Cross ▁Pla ins , ▁T X , ▁he ▁writes : ▁" S ever al ▁books ▁I ▁purchased ▁on ▁my ▁trip , ▁among ▁them ▁G . ▁K . ▁Ch est erton ' s ▁The ▁Ball ad ▁of ▁the ▁White ▁Hor se . ▁Ever ▁read ▁it ? ▁It ' s ▁great . ▁List en : … " ▁which ▁he ▁follows ▁by ▁qu