Reuters Life! reports: When it comes to literary pursuits in the United States most people agree on at least one thing — the most popular book is the Bible, according to a new survey. It came in first in a Harris Poll of nearly 2,513 adults but the second choice in the survey was not as clear cut. “While the Bible is number one among each of the different demographic groups, there is a large difference in the number two favorite book,” Harris said in a statement announcing the results. Men chose J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” and women selected Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone With the Wind” as their second-favorite book, according to the online poll. Thanks to message board member Ainu Laire for the tip! Read More
April 6th, 2008 by Calisuri
| Source: SKY Magazine
In the March 2008 edition of Delta Airlines ‘SKY’ Magazine, the ‘Star Books’ area featured an excerpt from ‘The Two Towers.’ The entire edition of the magazine featured a ‘green’ theme and The Two Towers we chosen because of Professor Tolkien’s love for the environment. Ringer Michelf send along some great scans, but you can also visit the official Sky Magazine website to see the article for yourself. [Scans] [Delta Sky Magazine]
Ringer Forum Member Diedye points us to this intriguing news today from the UK:
A rare collection of books and artefacts will be open to the public for the first time after a £5million donation was made to the famous Bodleian Library at Oxford University.
Original manuscripts from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein will be among a number of national treasures put on display in a new exhibition hall.
The donation by Julian Blackwell, president of the Blackwell’s academic bookshop chain, is the largest yet made to a university library in the UK.
Ringer board member and artist, Ainu Laire, was kind enough to point out that today is Aragorn’s official birthday:
“Aragorn is one of the few Tolkien characters to be actually granted a date of birth and not just a year. He was born on March 1st, 2931 of the Third Age to Arathorn and Gilraen. At two years old, his father was slain by an orc-arrow that pierced his eye and he died at the age of sixty. Gilraen took her child to Rivendell, and Elrond took the place of his father and loved him as if he were his own. In this house his lineage was kept secret from him, and he was called Estel, which means ‘hope’ in the Elven tongue. “
Ainu Laire has posted a complete history on our boards, as well as some links to their wonderful artwork (featured in this post). Please check out the full post! [Read More]
The Lord of the Rings has remained popular since the 1960s, and became a hugely successful film trilogy. Tolkien’s themes of fellowship, sacrifice and the importance of the natural world are traceable to his experiences in the First World War, as well as to a love of folklore and of myth. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in South Africa and educated at King Edward 1V School, Birmingham, and Oxford. His mother, who inspired a love of fairytales and Roman Catholicism, died when he was 12. The Times Names 50 greatest postwar writers: Tolkien Comes in 6th
Miles writes: The University of Victoria is offering a Tolkien course this winter. Tolkien’s Prophetic Vision and The Lord of the Rings This course will discuss the meaning of J.R.R. Tolkien’s mythology, especially as portrayed in The Lord of the Rings, along with comparative references to the work of C.G. Jung. Tolkien brings a necessary compensatory vision to our contemporary culture in a way that is in harmony with Jung’s perspective and concerns. He was able to penetrate to the core of our Western cultural dynamics, and his sub-creation gives us images, words, language, values and a view that can serve as a light that illuminates our deeper needs for collective individuation. Tolkien’s message involves the requirement to assimilate both pagan sensibility and Christian values to consciousness, which have slipped into the unconscious in a one-sided scientific and technological, consumer-driven world. Tolkien has also given us feeling-toned images, both of shadow and light, which are relevant to Jung’s path of individuation. University of Victoria Tolkien Course (PDF)
Harry Potter’s magic was not enough to beat the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy in a new list of Britain’s favourite children’s book adaptation. The movies based on JRR Tolkien’s literary series of the same name, emerged the winner in the poll taken to find which book’s adaptation kids liked best. The movies based on JK Rowling’s books came next in line at the second spot. Third place on the list went to the adaptation of Roald Dahl’s ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. ‘Lord of the Rings’ voted Britain’s Favourite Children’s Book Adaptation’
Bulgarian readers placed The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K.Rowling at the top three spots in a survey of the fifteen books of all times. A total of 28,000 readers voted for their favorite book in the poll carried out by Helicon bookstores, abandoning renowned literature classics at the bottom of the ranking. Read the rest of this entry »
Starting November 2, the Field Museum in Chicago is hosting an exhibit that will include some of J.R.R. Tolkien’s maps and writing. Specifically, included will be Thror’s Map from The Hobbit, Topographical View of Minas Tirith from The Return of the King, and Notes on Times and Distances by J.R.R. Tolkien (all of the John P. Raynor, S.J. Library, Marquette University).
From clay tablets to sea charts, from satellite navigation systems to sketches of worlds real and imagined—maps are much more than wayfinding. Travel through landscapes of time and space, science and imagination, in a rare exhibition of more than 100 of the world’s greatest maps. Explore high-tech interactive displays, and see original works by Ptolemy, Leonardo da Vinci, J.R.R. Tolkien, and many others. You’ll learn how early maps were made, see how the technology changed over centuries, and discover the latest advances in digital map-making. [More]
Loading ...
Shawn writes: There is a humorous new LOTR-themed Yahoo! Mail/messaging demo that Yahoo has put out on their site, 
