Illustration by J.R.R. Tolkien /Letters from Father Christmas
Worried about what to get your favorite Tolkien fan for the holidays? Worry not! TheOneRing.net staff is here with suggestions for every fan of every age and every budget.
From all of us at TheOneRing.net, have a safe and peaceful holiday season.
Illustration by J.R.R. Tolkien
*Please note prices are listed in US dollars and may change after publication*
deej recommends: Shelob ring from Badali Jewelry; $71 (sign up for their mailing list and get 10% off; plus they have Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales going on right now!). Order here.
“I have several pieces from this company, and can’t wait to add this one to my collection! If you’re an arachnophobe, fear not – Badali Jewelry has a whole line of officially licensed, hand-crafted Middle-earth jewelry. Plus you’ll be supporting a great independent business.”
Funko Pop! Rides: Gandalf on Gwaihir; $30. Order here.
“I know not everyone is a fan of Funko Pops, but this one is pretty darn cute.”
TheLord of the Rings: Motion Picture Trilogy (Extended & Theatrical)(4K Ultra HD + Digital) and TheHobbit: Motion Picture Trilogy (Extended & Theatrical)(4K Ultra HD + Digital); $89.99 each. Order here and here.
“Who doesn’t need another set of these amazing films? And in 4k Ultra HD, they are going to look and sound better than ever! Now I just need to purchase a new 4K television so I can watch the Middle-earth saga the way it was meant to be seen.”
Tolkien 2021 Official Calendar; price tbd. Order here.
“To coincide with the new edition of ‘Unfinished Tales’, you can also have a beautiful 2021 wall calendar with illustrations by John Howe, Alan Lee, and Ted Nasmith.”
greendragon recommends: “I’m a huge fan of Scottish company Oscha. Their products are gorgeous – incredible woven art, and all ethically made. If you want to support a small business, and buy something really special for a loved one, look no further. Not just baby products – their scarves, throws, bags, etc are all stunning. Even mugs!”
Legend of Frodo Garnet Ceo Scarf – This gorgeous burgundy scarf features flowing ecru Sindarin script reading “Even the smallest person can change the course of history”, while the central band of text reads the name of this design “The Legend of Frodo.”; from $51.39. Order here.
Misty Mountains Coldfells Ring Sling– This beautiful midnight blue sling features the formidable Misty Mountains, which cut across Middle Earth, with a verse sung by Thorin Oakenshield & Co in The Hobbit running in runes along the borders; from $125.01. Order here.
Map of Middle Earth Messenger Bag -This organic cotton tote bag is designed with the length and breadth of Middle Earth, from Mordor to The Lonely Mountain and beyond, based on the classic illustrations by J. R. R Tolkien himself; from $17. Order here.
HMH publications: “What could be better for a Tolkien lover, than writings from the Professor himself? This Fall, a number of new editions were published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. There’s a gorgeous new collector’s edition of HoME, an illustrated Unfinished Tales, and a new paperback three-volume LotR set for any youngsters you might like to introduce to the wonders of Middle-earth! Plus, perfect for the holidays – there’s a Centenary edition of Tolkien’s ‘Letters from Father Christmas’. My personal favourite is the brand new ‘Hobbit Sketchbook’ from Alan Lee; full of wondrous art to inspire and delight. I’d love to find that under my tree!”
THE HOBBIT SKETCHBOOK by Alan Lee; $30. Order here.
THE HISTORY OF MIDDLE-EARTH Box Set (also available as individual volumes)by Christopher Tolkien and J.R.R. Tolkien; $225. Order here.
UNFINISHED TALES, ILLUSTRATED EDITION by J.R.R. Tolkien, illustrated by Alan Lee, John Howe, and Ted Nasmith; $30. Order here.
Volante DesignsLord of the Rings Collection; prices vary. “Wow these coats and jackets are amazing. Want to roam around like a ranger from Gondor? Or skulk in the shadows like a Wraith? TORn’s friends at Volante Design have made amazing outerwear which enables you to do just that! This independent business based in Massachusetts added two, officially licensed Middle-earth designs to their amazing collection; and they’ll ship at the end of November, so just in time for the holidays!”; order here.
Madeye Gamgeerecommends: “Another independent artisan worth supporting: Cave Geek Art. I met the CaveGeek, Kfir Mendel, at DragonCon 2016, where his original map of Middle-earth created a stir among the Tolkien fandom (and a dent in my wallet). The CaveGeek specializes in pyrography, burning his designs with 3-D effect into tanned buckskin, and then painting them with primitive pigments using a deer bone as his brush. He specializes in maps across a number of geekdoms. For Tolkien lovers, in addition to Middle-earth, his offerings include Thror’s map of the Lonely Mountain, and his most recent edition anticipating the new Amazon series: Númenor. You can find his prints and original leather pieces by clicking here. Plus he takes commissions!”
Elessarrecommends: Fisher-Price® Little People® Collector Lord Of The Rings set. For fans age 1-101; $29.99. Order here.
saystine recommends: Elven diadems, ear cuffs, and hair accessories by RomanticElfJewelry; prices vary. Order here.
garfeimaorecommends: Legolas and Gimli at Amon Hen 1:6 scale Limited Edition statue by Weta Workshop; $699. Pre-order here.
Our friends at Weta Workshop have their own Black Friday event starting November 24th and running through to December 1st. This event covers sales on their amazing 1:6th scale statues, mini statues, mini-epics, board games, props, and more. You can check out the page here to start checking out what is available and to also keep an eye out for their yearly auctions during this time. You never know when those might pop up.
One of the best artists on the planet, who just happens to have a license to do art from the world of Middle-earth, is having a sale right now. Our friend Jerry Vanderstelt’s Black Friday sale is happening right now through to November, 30th. You can get 20% off select items in his store via the code BFSALE2020. So if you’re looking for a great Middle-earth themed item to get the fan in your life this is a great place to go. Jerry’s work is amazing and I can assure you that the fan you know will love it.
As we told you a while back the folks at Diamond Select Toys are making action figures from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. We’ve previously shared details and images of the figures Legolas and Gimli. Now we get to share with you Frodo and the Ringwraith. Just like the previous releases, these two figures each come in their own box with a piece of Sauron himself. That’s right! If you had forgotten you get to build Sauron with each release. These figures come in at 7 inches tall for figures like the Ringwraith and 4 inches tall for figures like Frodo all of them with 16 points of articulation. Fans can get their order in now for $59.98 with these awesome figures shipping in the spring of 2021.
Exciting news this morning, from US Tolkien publishers Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: a previously unseen collection of Tolkien’s writings about Middle-earth will be published June 2021. Here’s the press release from HMH:
The Nature of Middle-earth Coming June 24th 2021
‘MIFFLIN HARCOURT TO PUBLISH J.R.R. TOLKIEN’S FINAL MIDDLE-EARTH WRITINGS IN 2021
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books & Media will publish The Nature of Middle-earth, a previously unseen collection of writings by J.R.R. Tolkien, in the U.S. on June 24, 2021. Presented for the first time in one volume and edited by Carl F. Hostetter, the writings will transport readers back to the world of The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, and The Lord of the Rings.
Deb Brody, HMH’s VP and Publisher, says: “It is well known that J.R.R. Tolkien published The Hobbit in 1937 and The Lord of the Rings in 1954–5. What may be less known is that he continued to write about Middle-earth in the decades that followed, right up until the years before his death in 1973.
“For him, Middle-earth was part of an entire world to be explored, and the writings in The Nature of Middle-earth reveal the journeys that he took as he sought to better understand his unique creation. From sweeping themes as profound as Elvish immortality and reincarnation, and the Powers of the Valar, to the more earth-bound subjects of the lands and beasts of Númenor, the geography of the Rivers and Beacon-hills of Gondor, and even who had beards!
“This new collection is a veritable treasure-trove offering readers a chance to peer over Professor Tolkien’s shoulder at the very moment of discovery: and on every page, Middle-earth is once again brought to extraordinary life.”
The Hobbit was first published in 1937 and The Lord of the Rings in 1954–5. Each has since gone on to become a beloved classic of literature, and an international bestseller in more than 70 languages, collectively selling more than 150,000,000 copies worldwide.
The Nature of Middle-earth will be published subsequently in several languages by numerous Tolkien publishers worldwide.
CARL F. HOSTETTER has for many years been one of the world’s leading Tolkien experts and respected head of the Elvish Linguistic Fellowship. He has worked as a Computer Engineer for NASA since 1985.’
Harper Collins, the UK based publisher for Tolkien, will also release this new work in June next year. You can read The Guardian newspaper’s article about this highly anticipated publication, here.
TheOneRing.net would like to congratulate the team at Minecraft Middle-earth for celebrating 10 years of meticulously recreating an immersive The Lord of the Rings based world for gamers and adventurers alike.
If you have been living under a block (😂), Minecraft is a 3D world where users can explore and create entire worlds one block at a time. To then build the whole of Middle-earth is a historic task, and the team at Minecraft Middle-earth continue to succeed in this momentous undertaking. Check out the video below, a gallery of the the amazing areas created, and an excerpt from the PCMag interview with the creator. And of course, you can get involved their official website MCMiddleearth.com.
Vermeersch was first introduced to Minecraft when the sandbox was still in beta back in 2009, and like many others who played early on in the game’s development, he got completely hooked. As a moderator on a Dutch Minecraft server, the idea of building Middle-earth was something that had begun to float around the server’s community.
“I grew up with Lord of the Rings, like most people around 30 years old I imagine,” Vermeersch says. “We had people who were interested from the Minecraft forums, so we had this solid player base to start with. We began building the basic locations, like Bree and Hobbiton, then after publishing screenshots, people got hooked on what we were doing and started joining the project.”
