People's Guide to JRR TolkienWith its very own book “The People’s Guide to J.R.R. Tolkien” fresh off the press, the TheOneRing.net staff will be “pressing the flesh” while attending the L.A. Times Festival of Books at UCLA on Saturday, April 26 and Sunday, April 27. (http://www.latimes.com/fob) The free festival, a celebration of the written word, hosts authors, readings, panels and a children’s area and this year will feature TORn authors and staff members who have spent years refining their Tolkien scholarship with a lively on-line correspondence with you, TORnados from all over the world. Anwyn, Ostadan, Quickbeam and perhaps Tehanu will be on hand to meet TORnados in person. Co-author Turgon will not be in attendance.

Located in booth #155, at the University’s Wilson Plaza, most of the five TORn authors will be on hand to talk Tolkien, autograph the “The People’s Guide to J.R.R. Tolkien” books, and will sell a limited number of “Two Towers, One Party” t-shirts, “The Lord Of The Rings” books and other Tolkien related merchandise. In short, it will be your one-stop Tolkien shop. Each purchase will also come with a raffle ticket and a chance of winning one of the prizes given away every hour of the festival after Noon. Prizes include: A Noble Collection Arwen Evenstar Pendant, Sideshow/WETA Saruman and Aragorn statues, an extended DVD version of “The Fellowship Of The Ring,” autographed copies of “The People’s Guide to J.R.R. Tolkien” and the soundtrack to “The Fellowship Of The Ring.”

The guide is a collection of essays that explore Tolkien’s myths and the world they are set in. The multi-author approach gives readers different ways to approach Tolkien’s beloved works and explores why Middle-Earth has had such a special hold on reader’s hearts and minds for over 50 years. One section of the book discusses why the fantasy genre is currently so popular while another examines what informed and inspired Tolkien’s creative process.

The section “Good and Evil” looks at the the author’s moral universe and the ways people find guidance and inspiration from his works. “Cultural Norms” delves into how Tolkien’s books are understood – and misunderstood – in a changing world and there is a section about the Peter Jackson films adapted from “The Lord Of The Rings.”

Unique to these authors who interact daily with readers and film-fanatics from every walk of life the world over is the section of answers to the most-asked Tolkien questions. Published by Cold Spring Press the authors, known by their TORN names are Tehanu, Turgon, Quickbeam, Anwyn and Ostadan. Esteemed Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey wrote the forward.

Festival hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. On Saturday Quickbeam, Anwyn and possibly Tehanu will sign from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.. Sunday will feature Ostadan and Quickbeam from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Parking is $7.

If you can’t make the show, pre-order your copy of “The People’s Guide to J.R.R. Tolkien” at the following places:
[Pre-Order at Amazon.com] [Pre-Order at Amazon.ca] [Pre-Order at Amazon.co.uk] [Pre-Order at Amazon.de]