One of most popular and beloved trilogies in film history, Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies –- based…
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One of most popular and beloved trilogies in film history, Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies –- based on the three Tolkien titles that came after The Hobbit — have inspired a quasi-religious fervor in fans.
But perhaps you don’t keep a cardboard Legolas in your bedroom. Maybe you read The Hobbit as a child and recall a little dude with furry feet and some fat dwarves. Here are 10 reasons we’re still hooked on The Hobbit as it celebrates its 75th anniversary.
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A letter from JRR Tolkien to Swallows and Amazons writer Arthur Ransome has revealed the author’s concerns about sales of The Hobbit.
Tolkien said he would send a revised edition to Ransome “if there is a reprint”, adding “sales are not very great”. The letter forms part of a collection of Tolkien’s writing held at the University of Leeds — where he taught.
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Emil Johansson is the brains behind LOTR Project. His site, you may recall, brought us the Middle-earth family tree.
Now he’s unveiled an extension to the project that collates population statistics from extant Middle-earth resources, and explores various age and life-expectancy trends. Johansson describes it as an exploration of the world of Tolkien through numbers.
EDIT: It seems as though the site is experiencing heavy demand. So please be patient, and maybe try again later?
Our good friends at publishers Houghton Mifflin Harcourt wanted to be sure that fans in the Boston area know about a Hobbit panel, which will be part of the Boston Book Festival. The panel features folks such as Wayne Hammond, Christina Scull, Corey Olsen (The Tolkien Professor) and another friend of TORn, writer and lifelong geek Ethan Gilsdorf. The fun happens at 11am on Saturday 27th October – all details here. (NB We have it on good authority that the ‘sneak preview’ of the film will not include anything not already seen in trailers – so whilst it may be new to some in attendance, we know that everyone here will have seen it already!) What better way to spend a Saturday morning than in the company of fellow Tolkien fans?
Today marks the day the New Zealand Post, in an exclusive arrangement with Warner Bros. Consumer Products, Warner Bros. Pictures, and the filmmakers, releases commemorative stamps and coins for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
New Zealand Post’s spokesman for stamps and coins Simon Allison says:
We’re the only country in the world with the rights to produce these highly collectable coins, featuring iconic characters from what is sure to become a classic series of films.
The items announced today are appropriate mementoes of the film, and fit in with the mythology of Middle-earth – New Zealand. We’re committed to honouring the legacy of Sir Peter’s films, by creating stamps and coins of the highest quality.
Hit the break for hi-res pictures of the stamps and coins, and the world exclusive press release for the same, courtesy of our friend Emma over at New Zealand Post.
Thanks to ringer Krusten for alerting us to the fact that the Snow & Ice Scuplture Festival in Bruges, Belgium, will feature ice sculptures inspired by The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and the Harry Potter books. Imagine a life-size sculpture of Smaug, the Balrog, Gandalf or “he who must not be named!” If you’re lucky enough to be in the vicinity of Bruges between November 23, 2012 and January 6, 2013, be sure to pay the festival a visit. Read more…
