When Weta announced the Orthanc Pre-Ruin environment during Comic-Con 2011 they together with TORn it had a very special contest attached tothis announcement. Weta would be allowing the fans to submit suggestions with one of them becoming the official name to this truly amazing environment. Well, after many submissions Weta and TORn are pleased to announce the name and the Winners of the Orthanc Contest. The grand prize winner is Christopher Turner whose entry was Orthanc – Black Tower of Isengard. Mr. Turner’s prize is the awesome Bag End Collectors Edition while the two runners up Tom Barber and Chris Endicott both will receive a really cool Sauron T-Shirt. You can check out the full release of information from Weta here.
We are premiering a brand new t-shirt this year at DragonCon 2011! It is a Dwarven family reunion shirt that features a certain infamous dragon at a certain famous mountain location. The design was created by longtime staffer Asfaloth and truly captures what a dwarf family reunion shirt would look like. TheOneRing.net logo is centered on the front and it comes in two colors – Sport Grey and Serene Green! And best yet – they are only $15 a pop! For those of you going to DragonCon, we’ll be selling these shirts at our fan table. For those of you not going, we are selling them online right now. They will ship once we get back from the road trip – so give us a week or so. We’ve also got TheOneRing.net window stickers to share your Tolkien passion with other drivers. Check out the shirts and the stickers through the following link. [Support our Road-trip with T-Shirts and Stickers]
This month, J.W. reports from Gen Con and reviews The Brazen Serpent Chronicles by R. Dennis Baird. To find out more about these books, visit brazenserpentchronicles.com. Be sure to check out J.W. and The Lord of the Films at www.facebook.com/lordofthefilms
Today, in Sideshow Collectibles Production blog we finally get the full preview of the previously announced Arwen maquette fromThe Lord of the Rings maquette line. Arwen will come in with a price tag of $250 along with an Non-Refundable Deposit of $25 which will be charged 24-48 hours after the order has been placed for the exclusive and only after orders of 2 or more on the regular. The exclusive on this particular maquette will be a switch out portrait of Arwen wearing the Evenstar Pendant along with a slight scratch on her cheek. Arwen has an announced edition size of 500 pieces on the exclusive version so you will want to make sure to get your orders in quickly on this piece.
Pieter Collier from the Tolkienlibrary.com writes: Exactly 50 years ago the artist Cor Blok created about 140 illustrations to accompany The Lord of the Rings, he visited Tolkien who liked his art and bought 3 pieces – the only artist who ever sold his art to Tolkien. In his letters Tolkien once said that if ever an illustrated The Lord of the Rings could be created it would have been Cor Blok who would receive the job. No such thing ever happened. However Cor Blok’s art was featured on the Dutch translation of The Lord of the Rings for 27 years, without even mentioning the name Cor Blok. Some five years ago I talked to Cor Blok and embarked on a mission to track down his art, since many were sold and lost. They were all over the world, no one knew how much there were and how they looked like. Continue reading “New Book: A Tolkien Tapestry: Pictures to accompany The Lord of the Rings”
Our friend Jason Fisher (better known here at TORN as message board member Visualweasel) has published his first book, Tolkien and the Study of His Sources: Critical Essays. Source criticism — the analysis of a writer’s source material — has long been one of the most popular approaches in exploring the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien, but there has never been a comprehensive book on the subject until now. Since Tolkien drew from many disparate sources, an understanding of these sources, as well as how and why he incorporated them, can enhance readers’ appreciation of his work. This collection of new essays by leading Tolkien scholars — including Tom Shippey, John Rateliff, Diana Pavlac Glyer, Jason Fisher, and others — describes the theory and methodology for proper source criticism and provides practical demonstrations of the approach. A must have for serious fans! Here’s what the Tolkien community is saying:
“The most exhaustive examination yet published of demonstrable, probable, and conjectural sources for Tolkien’s legendarium ransacks myth, history, astronomy, literature and popular culture for clues to Tolkien’s raw material. This collection will stimulate readers and scholars alike.”
—Verlyn Flieger, author of Splintered Light: Logos and Language in Tolkien’s World
“This critical collection provides a solid defense of the sometimes-maligned literary discipline of ‘source-hunting’ along with outstanding examples of the value of this approach in understanding the depths of Tolkien’s literary creation.”
—Douglas A. Anderson, author of The Annotated Hobbit
“A valuable book for anyone serious about Tolkien. It not only adds new, confirming material to what is known about Tolkien’s sources but covers areas of influence previously denied or underplayed.”
—Marjorie J. Burns, author of Perilous Realms: Celtic and Norse in Tolkien’s Middle-earth
Follow this link to learn more on Amazon, and good luck with the book, Jason!
