Have you ever wondered what it was like on the sets of The Lord of the Rings in New Zealand and how the magic of Middle-earth was created? Then we invite you to join us Saturday, December 7 at 6pm GMT (1pm EST) in #TheHallofFire for a live, moderated chat with Brian Sibley, author of “The Lord of the Rings: The Making of the Movie Trilogy”, “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Insiders’ Guide”, and “The Lord of the Rings Official Movie Guide” among many other works.

The well-respected BBC broadcaster Sibley already had an enduring interest in Tolkien and fantasy fiction when he first joined up with artist John Howe 20 years ago to provide text to Howe’s HarperCollins-published maps on Tolkien¹s “The Hobbit”, “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Silmarillion”.

Much like Peter Jackson, Sibley’s reading of Tolkien’s works as a child and teen, followed by viewing of Ralph Bakshi’s film production, laid the foundation for what would become his own masterwork: the acclaimed BBC dramatization of ‘Lord of the Rings’ — beloved by fans, respected by scholars, and much-referred to by Peter Jackson’s crew, actors, and executives.

Sibley’s intimate knowledge of Tolkien’s works, as well as his tremendous research skills, made him a natural choice as chronicler of Jackson’s own Rings odyssey. Granted unprecedented access to all areas of production, Sibley’s “Official Movie Guide” and “Making of the Movie Trilogy” put the reader alongside the films’ creators as they brought the massive project to life.

Brian Sibley’s long career includes not only numerous works focused on Tolkien, but also examinations of C.S. Lewis’s Narnia, the history of Walt Disney Studio, and several volumes focusing on film animation and A.A. Milne.

Bibliography:
The Lord of the Rings: The Making of the Movie Trilogy
The J.R.R. Tolkien Handbook: A Concise Guide to His Life, Writings, and World of Middle-Earth (with Colin Duriez)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Insiders’ Guide
The Lord of the Rings Official Movie Guide
Three Cheers for Pooh: The Best Bear in All the World (Ernest Shepard, Illustrator)
Chicken Run: Hatching the Movie
The Wisdom of C. S. Lewis
C. S. Lewis Through the Shadowlands: The Story of His Life With Joy Davidman
Creating 3-D Animation: The Aardman Book of Filmmaking (with Peter Lord)
The Pooh Sketchbook (Winnie-The-Pooh Collection) (Ernest Shepard, Illustrator)
The Land of Narnia: Brian Sibley Explores the World of C.S. Lewis
There and Back Again: The Map of the Hobbit (John Howe, Illustrator)
The Map of Tolkien’s Middle-Earth (John Howe, Illustrator)
Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs & the Making of the Classic Film (with Richard Holliss)
The Great Food Feud or a Little Give and Take (Rosslyn Moran, Illustrator)
The Disney Studio Story (with Richard Holliss)

We’d like to thank Megan at Houghton Mifflin Publishers for helping set up this chat! Thanks Megan! You rock!!!