Claire writes: I wanted to let you know about the launch last Friday (28th November) of Dr Dimitra Fimi’s new book Tolkien, Race and Cultural History: From Fairies to Hobbits, published by Palgrave Macmillan.

The launch was held at Cardiff University, where Dimitra is an associate lecturer. First a good number of university staff, current and former students of Dimitra’s, family, friends, guests and media representatives gathered in one of the university’s lecture theatres. Dimitra was introduced and gave a half-hour talk on her book. She explained that it’s an exploration of the evolution of Tolkien’s mythology within the framework of its cultural and historical context. Continue reading “Dr Dimitra Fimi’s Tolkien Book Launch Report”

From AICN: In late October, as part of the Chicago International Film Festival’s Closing Night festivities, Viggo Mortensen got himself a Career Achievement Award just before a screening of what will now be his next film to be released in theaters, a strange film that examines the fluid definitions of right and wrong–a movie called GOOD. Set in the early days of the National Socialist moment in Germany, GOOD centers on a professor who wrote a harmless novel years earlier that inadvertently is serving the Nazis as a justification for their theories of racial purity and the killing of the Jewish people. The book serves as such a great inspiration and blueprint that the professor is elevated up through the Nazi ranks almost without any ambition on his part to do so. Now that the adaptation of THE ROAD has been moved into 2009, GOOD is being pushed as Mortensen’s shot at an Oscar for 2008. It’s a quiet, understated performance about a complicated man, who is both far from flawless and far from guilty. Viggo Mortensen Drops Hobbit Hints

From Pieter Collier at GTC Roadshow AG: GTC AG, a Swiss based company, announces the acquisition of the second most expensive Tolkien book ever sold; a signed Hobbit bought from Peter Harrington¹s for £53,000 setting a new benchmark for a signed book.

The book was inscribed by Tolkien while staying with Jack Bennett, a friend and former colleague from Oxford. J.A.W. “Jack” Bennett (1911-81) succeeded C.S. Lewis as Professor of Medieval & Renaissance English at Cambridge. Continue reading “Signed Hobbit Goes for £53,000”

Frandalf writes: I would like to let everyone that in December the library in Oss (the Netherlands, near Den Bosch) will host a Tolkien-exhibit together with Unquendor. There will be an exposition of rare books, film merchandise, banners made by Unquendor and more. On several occasions there will be activities, such as a lecture, workshops and a reading day. All this will be in Dutch. Continue reading “Tolkien Exhibit in the Netherlands”

World War I aerial history is being brought to life with the display of rare aircraft and a dramatic short film at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. A 12 minute film by Oscar winning director Peter Jackson then captures the warbirds and pilots in action over the Western Front. Curator Peter Burness says the exhibition tells the story of military flight and aerial combat during the Great War. “Clearly there was a story to tell about aviation in the First War from its very simple forms – almost kite-like machines – at the beginning of the war to the technology they’d introduced by 1918,” he said. WWI aerial action brought to life

If you live in the U.S. or Canada, the TNT TV movie channel will be showing all three Lord of the Rings movies this weekend. The movie marathon will include a showing of The Fellowship of the Ring on Friday, November 28 at 7:00 p.m. EST, The Two Towers at the same time on Saturday, and all three movies staring with Fellowship on Sunday morning at 11:00 a.m. EST and ending with The Return of the King, starting at 7:00 p.m. Sunday. Thanks to message board member Woodyend for the tip. Read More