   Mystery surrounds Tolkien letter
From NewsToday: A “MYSTERIOUS” letter written by JRR Tolkien has sold at auction for over £1,500 – after dropping out of a book. The hand-written note – addressed to a couple Tolkien had met on a particularly disastrous holiday with his wife – sold on Thursday for £1,700 to an unnamed internet bidder at Richard Winterton auctioneers, in Lichfield, Staffs. But as the seller’s family had no apparent links to the world famous ‘Lord of the Rings’ author, mystery surrounds the origins of the revealing letter. It describes a holiday Tolkien and his wife took in 1963, although not a happy one he talks about his delight at meeting the couple, who he addresses “My Dear People”. Tolkien goes on describe his and his wife’s health, a ‘disastrous holiday’ and to thank the recipients for their ‘company and kindness’. Accompanying the letter is a Christmas card with photograph of Tolkien flanked by his holiday companions, Wilfrid and Nora. …Read More Supreme Court Rules For Copyright On Old Foreign TitlesTexts from J.R.R. Tolkien and George Orwell have been removed from the public domain in the United States, thanks to a Supreme Court ruling this week. On Wednesday, The Supreme Court upheld a 1994 law which gives copyright protection to body of foreign works that had previously been available for free in the public domain. Google hoped that the high court would overturn the law. The Wall Street Journal has more: “Google Inc. was the leading company challenging the law, in an echo of the separate battle in Washington over an Internet piracy bill that pits Google against movie studios. The search company, which didn’t respond to a request for comment, said in court papers that the restored copyrights could affect more than a million books it has scanned through its Google Books Library Project.” More.. Nobel Prize for Tolkien dashed by ‘poor prose’
Happy Birthday, J.R.R. Tolkien!
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, S.A., on January 3, 1892. He would eventually move to England, become an accomplished linguist and scholar, an Oxford professor and a beloved husband and father. While in his twenties, he began developing a series of stories that went on to become the rich, complex history of a place called Middle-earth: a world that millions would eventually visit, both on the written page and on the big screen, and come to love. TheOneRing.net raises a glass to “The Professor!” today, in honor of all the enjoyment and camaradarie his birth, and life, has lead to. Thank you, professor Tolkien! And don’t forget, today is the annual Tolkien Society’s Birthday Toast to Professor Tolkien. For complete details on the toast, jump on over to the Tolkien Society’s website. [Tolkien Toast] Tolkien Fans Unite in WellingtonWellington is set to get a permanent organized Tolkien fan group thanks to Jack of the Noldor Blog. He’s organized six “Wellymoots” over the past year, and the most recent one set plans in place to form a Wellington chapter of the Tolkien Society. It’s been long overdue. I’m late with this news, but thought it timely to post for Tolkien’s birthday here! In the LA area? Join local fans in toasting TolkienJoin in the Tolkien Toast 2012 and come celebrate the professors birthday at our annual toast. Tuesday, Jan 3rd, 2012, 7pm, at the Cat and the Fiddle in Hollywood. 6530 West Sunset Blvd, LA, CA 90028. Valet parking is cheap ($6) and recommended. Please bring cash to pay for your dinner, it makes things so much easier when the bill come around. Costumes are not required, but Costume lite if inclined to do so. For more info, visit our Facebook site. [Learn more about Tolkien Toast 2012] Tolkien Birthday Toast: January 3, 2012
For those unfamiliar with British toast-drinking ceremonies: To make the Birthday Toast, you stand, raise a glass of your choice of drink (not necessarily alcoholic), and say the words ‘The Professor’ before taking a sip (or swig, if that’s more appropriate for your drink). Sit and enjoy the rest of your drink. The Tolkien Society has a webpage for the 2012 toast where fans across the globe can let other fans know where they’ll be celebrating if they’re hosting a party, or just what particular tipple they’ll be raising. Fans will be able to check the webpage and see who is celebrating where and if they wish to get in touch and join in. Or, you can add your own gathering. TheOneRing.net Top 20 Stories of 2011
Spring Enrollment Open at Mythgard Institute for “The Making of Myth” and “Taking Harry Seriously” until January 13th
Tolkien letters return to rightful homeLONG-lost letters written by Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien have been returned to their rightful owner and will get top notch protection. Former Oxford University student and professor, Tolkien was the guest of honour at the opening of Deddington Library in December 1956. He wrote one letter accepting librarian Miss Stanley-Smith’s invitation, including lunch, which he said: “was impossible for him to refuse”. And a second letter following the visit, on December 19, where he thanked the librarian for her kindness, but said he was “depressed by his performance” which was “wretched and inadequate” and he did not deserve a fee. In the letter, Tolkien also promised to give a volume of his next book to the library. More.. TORn Message Boards Weekly Roundup – December 11, 2011
Welcome to our collection of TORn’s hottest topics for the past week. If you’ve fallen behind on what’s happening on the Message Boards, here’s a great way to catch the highlights. Or if you’re new to TORn and want to enjoy some great conversations, just follow the links to some of our most popular discussions. Watch this space as every weekend we will spotlight the most popular buzz on TORn’s Message Boards. Everyone is welcome, so come on in and join in the fun! The Dragon’s Egg – High fantasy for young adultsAt Oxford in the nineteen-forties, Professor John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was generally considered the most boring lecturer around, teaching the most boring subject known to man, Anglo-Saxon philology and literature, in the most boring way imaginable. “Incoherent and often inaudible” was Kingsley Amis’s verdict on his teacher. Tolkien, he reported, would write long lists of words on the blackboard, obscuring them with his body as he droned on, then would absent-mindedly erase them without turning around. “I can just about stand learning the filthy lingo it’s written in,” Philip Larkin, another Tolkien student, complained about the old man’s lectures on “Beowulf.” “What gets me down is being expected to admire the bloody stuff.” More.. |
 
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It is time to say goodbye to 2011 and hello to 2012 – a year in which we will not only see the first installment of The Hobbit, but also a year of some huge announcements from us here at TheOneRing.net! Below you will find links to the top 20 TheOneRing.net stories of 2011 based on popularity, visits and shares. We can’t say we are surprised to find that nearly all of the stories relate directly to Peter Jackson’s upcoming ‘The Hobbit‘ films, but a few LOTR specific stories manage to sneak in. Our resolution to you this year: Provide unique, relevant and exciting content inspired by the words and world of JRR Tolkien. Wishing you and years a very Happy New Year! Reminisce and enjoy!
The Mythgard Institute will be continuing their look at the life and works of J.R.R. Tolkien – while delving into new territory – by offering the course “The Making of Myth: C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien” this spring. The 15-week course can be taken for master’s level credit or audited and will focus on examining the work of Tolkien and Lewis hand-in-hand. The class will engage in a careful comparison of Lewis’ and Tolkien’s fiction, paying close attention to those moments when they are both exploring similar ideas or undertaking comparable literary enterprises. Not only will the course look at what they shared in common, but will also examine their primary differences. Books and essays to be discussed include but are not limited to The Hobbit, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, “Ainulindale,” The Magician’s Nephew, “Leaf by Niggle,” Till We have Faces, “The Lost Road,” The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and “Smith of Wootton Major.” [