I've just learned that Wayne Hammond and Christina Scull will be releasing a new book called The Art of the Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien in June of this year, featuring "more than 100 paintings and drawings produced by Tolkien to illustrate The Hobbit, or made by him for other purposes but which served as models or inspiration for his Hobbit art. More than two dozen of these pictures are previously unpublished, and many have never before been printed in colour." Wayne and Christina "will provide an introduction and brief explanatory texts, as well as lay out the art and captions."
http://wayneandchristina.wordpress.com/ ... he-hobbit/
Pretty exciting!
The Art of the Hobbit By J.R.R. Tolkien (new book)
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Voronwë the Faithful
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The Art of the Hobbit By J.R.R. Tolkien (new book)
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
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Voronwë the Faithful
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N.E. Brigand
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What else is there? There are about 40 poems that we know of: Scull and Hammond list every Tolkien poem yet published and many still unseen in an appendix to the Chronology volume of their J.RR. Tolkien Companion and Guide. The most notable of these are "The Fall of Arthur" and the incomplete Beowulf translation. (There is also a complete prose translation of Beowulf. I'd really like to see the remaining "Bimble Bay" and bestiary poems, myself.) Probably there are more poems besides, given that one of the two short poems in The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún did not appear in Scull and Hammond's list. There are at least two complete short stories, one of which, "Sellic Spell", was actually accepted for publication by a journal in 1945, but it folded. There are letters: Humphrey Carpenter described reading thousands, out of which fewer than 400 were collected in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. Some highlights from these have appeared in Scull and Hammond's volumes. I expect there are at least a few more volumes of linguistic material to appear in Parma Eldalamberon. And there are scholarly notes, personal papers (including Tolkien's diaries and "The Ulsterior Motive", which will probably never be published), fragmentary tales like "The King of the Green Dozen" and "The Orgog", and variant drafts of the published fiction. All of this can be gleaned from the public record (and I've probably forgotten a few things). Doubtless there is more besides known only to a few experts or to the family.
Hmm. I'd be very curious to read the "Ulsterior Motive". If, as I suspect, its a typical "King and Country" appraisal of the troubles in Northern Ireland, its probably just as well I don't. I would hate to find myself disliking Tolkien personally.
ETA: Which just goes to show one shouldn't jump to conclusions. It appears to have more to do with Protestantism vs Catholicism and the sectarianism involved (absent the political aspect).
ETA: Which just goes to show one shouldn't jump to conclusions. It appears to have more to do with Protestantism vs Catholicism and the sectarianism involved (absent the political aspect).
The Vinyamars on Stage! This time at Bag End
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N.E. Brigand
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Yes, I believe that the "Ulsterior Motive" is a response to C.S. Lewis's Letters to Malcolm, and that the title refers to what Tolkien saw as a strain of anti-Catholicism in some of Lewis's writing.Alatar wrote:Hmm. I'd be very curious to read the "Ulsterior Motive". If, as I suspect, its a typical "King and Country" appraisal of the troubles in Northern Ireland, its probably just as well I don't. I would hate to find myself disliking Tolkien personally.
ETA: Which just goes to show one shouldn't jump to conclusions. It appears to have more to do with Protestantism vs Catholicism and the sectarianism involved (absent the political aspect).
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Old_Tom_Bombadil
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This sounds like a "must have" for my wish list. I own a copy of their J.R.R. Tolkien Artist & Illustrator and enjoy it immensely.
I have immense respect for him as both a person and a scholar, and of course enjoy his works (or at least some of them) tremendously. I think I would have liked him personally had I met and known him, but I'm sure there would be things about him that bothered me. (Of course this is true of many of our friends, and probably our family members and perhaps even our spouses.)
There is something, however, about Tolkien that I find a bit confusing.
He was apparently very proud of his Anglo-Saxon heritage and his status as a citizen of England. He claimed that the motivation for developing his mythology was to provide one that his people lacked due to the Norman Conquest. (The King Arthur myths are Welsh in origin with a re-telling by the French.) He spent his life studying, teaching, and writing about elements that comprised the background of his people's culture, so it was evidently very important to him. However, as a devout Catholic he was attached to a religion brought to the British Isles by invaders from Rome. (Of course all branches of Christianity developed out of Judaism, the religion of peoples whose homeland resides in the Middle East.) He wrote that he "detested" French cooking, and presumably there were other elements of French culture that he did not like. I believe that this may have been, at least in part, due to resentment about the Norman Quest.
It has been suggested that Tolkien's devotion to his religion is strongly rooted in his devotion to his mother, who was ostracized by her family for having converted from Protestantism, and died when Ronald was very young. I don't doubt this, and perhaps it explains at least in part why Christianity was so important to him, apart from the fact of societal influences, etc., with Christianity being the dominant religion in the Western world. Still, it does not seem to equate with one so devoted to his ethnicity.
(It just occurred to me that Voronwë has probably not missed my derailing of threads. Sorry!
)
N.E. Brigand wrote:What else is there? There are about 40 poems that we know of....
That's an interesting notion. Do we have to like the man, or agree with everything he said (or wrote), to respect him and/or enjoy his works?Alatar wrote:I would hate to find myself disliking Tolkien personally.
I have immense respect for him as both a person and a scholar, and of course enjoy his works (or at least some of them) tremendously. I think I would have liked him personally had I met and known him, but I'm sure there would be things about him that bothered me. (Of course this is true of many of our friends, and probably our family members and perhaps even our spouses.)
There is something, however, about Tolkien that I find a bit confusing.
He was apparently very proud of his Anglo-Saxon heritage and his status as a citizen of England. He claimed that the motivation for developing his mythology was to provide one that his people lacked due to the Norman Conquest. (The King Arthur myths are Welsh in origin with a re-telling by the French.) He spent his life studying, teaching, and writing about elements that comprised the background of his people's culture, so it was evidently very important to him. However, as a devout Catholic he was attached to a religion brought to the British Isles by invaders from Rome. (Of course all branches of Christianity developed out of Judaism, the religion of peoples whose homeland resides in the Middle East.) He wrote that he "detested" French cooking, and presumably there were other elements of French culture that he did not like. I believe that this may have been, at least in part, due to resentment about the Norman Quest.
It has been suggested that Tolkien's devotion to his religion is strongly rooted in his devotion to his mother, who was ostracized by her family for having converted from Protestantism, and died when Ronald was very young. I don't doubt this, and perhaps it explains at least in part why Christianity was so important to him, apart from the fact of societal influences, etc., with Christianity being the dominant religion in the Western world. Still, it does not seem to equate with one so devoted to his ethnicity.
(It just occurred to me that Voronwë has probably not missed my derailing of threads. Sorry!
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Voronwë the Faithful
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Primula Baggins
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What do you think? Do tell!
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
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Voronwë the Faithful
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Glad you didn't have to wait too long after all!
I do love Tolkien's Hobbit illustrations; even though I love the colour plates I also particularly admire his black & white line drawings which, IMO show off his skills better.
I do love Tolkien's Hobbit illustrations; even though I love the colour plates I also particularly admire his black & white line drawings which, IMO show off his skills better.
There is magic in long-distance friendships. They let you relate to other human beings in a way that goes beyond being physically together and is often more profound.
~Diana Cortes
~Diana Cortes
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Voronwë the Faithful
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It was obscenely expensive, either. I'm quite pleased with the transaction. It was through an Amazon affiliate called the Book Community.
I still don't know why Houghton Mifflin doesn't want to release this in the U.S. It is a sure moneymaker.
I still don't know why Houghton Mifflin doesn't want to release this in the U.S. It is a sure moneymaker.
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
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Primula Baggins
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Is it possible they're waiting until next year so as to piggyback on the excitement about the first film?
ETA: If so, I hope they don't replace that lovely cover with some tie-in photo!
ETA: If so, I hope they don't replace that lovely cover with some tie-in photo!
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
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Voronwë the Faithful
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They can't possibly use a movie image for a book that is dedicated to Tolkien's own art. That is going too far.
My contacts tell me that there are no plans for a U.S. edition. Of course, that might not be accurate, but there you have it.
My contacts tell me that there are no plans for a U.S. edition. Of course, that might not be accurate, but there you have it.
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
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Primula Baggins
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Yes, it's going too far, but that never seems to stop anyone.
Why on Earth no U.S. edition? Did the Tolkien estate choose not to offer the rights here? (Maybe to avoid becoming a Peter Jackson movie tie-in against their will? Even if the book itself has no mention of the film on it anywhere—which is actually what I would expect—it still might benefit the film in a minuscule way.)
Why on Earth no U.S. edition? Did the Tolkien estate choose not to offer the rights here? (Maybe to avoid becoming a Peter Jackson movie tie-in against their will? Even if the book itself has no mention of the film on it anywhere—which is actually what I would expect—it still might benefit the film in a minuscule way.)
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
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Voronwë the Faithful
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Something to do with Houghton Mifflin having money problems. Or something like that. I really don't know, because, it just doesn't make sense.
But there is no way that a version of this book will ever be made with movie images. I personally will not allow it!
Lot's of great stuff; too much to comment on. So I'll just comment on one. Not even a picture. A reproduction of Thorin's letter to Bilbo, containing the "contract" written in Tengwar. It really is written by Thorin. I swear it is true!
Get this book.
But there is no way that a version of this book will ever be made with movie images. I personally will not allow it!
Lot's of great stuff; too much to comment on. So I'll just comment on one. Not even a picture. A reproduction of Thorin's letter to Bilbo, containing the "contract" written in Tengwar. It really is written by Thorin. I swear it is true!
Get this book.
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."