Message board member Beren sends this in: Hello!. I was contacted this weekend by Houghton Mifflin to do a chat session with Alan Lee on the 14th of October. As part of the celebration for the release of the Children of Hurin Paperback in the U.S., Alan will be doing three days of signing, and will come and chat with Tolkien fans on the 14th. Alan has agreed to make some sketches in copies of the paperback to give away. It would be great if people could send in some questions as well. For sure Alan knows stuff on the Hobbit movies that will be of interest to all Tolkien fans!
The chat will take place at Tolkienlibrary.com. Follow the “Discuss” link below to join the discussion on our message boards and get your question on the list, or email Beren at TolkienLibrary.com
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge has barred the estate of “Lord of the Rings” author J.R.R. Tolkien from seeking punitive damages against the studio that brought the trilogy to the big screen. Tolkien’s heirs claim New Line Cinema has failed to pay any royalties from the estimated $6 billion they say the movie has grossed worldwide. The lawsuit is seeking more than $150 million in compensatory damages based on breach of contract, fraud and other claims. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ann I. Jones also ruled this week that the estate and Tolkien heirs have established a legal basis for the fraud claim against New Line. As part of that allegation, the lawsuit claims New Line sent millions of dollars to Time Warner Inc.’s AOL, improperly claiming they were for advertising expenses. The lawsuit also claims the studio built production offices and facilities in New Zealand and listed them as expenses for the “Lord of the Rings” films, although the heirs claim they are now being used for other New Line projects. Continue reading “Court: No punitive damages in ‘LOTR’ suit”
New Hampshire Ringers interested in learning more about the sources of Tolkien’s inspiration should check out the Poetry Society of NH’s celebration of the Kalevala on October 11. There’ll be poetry, music from the Maine Kantele, and Runeberg’s tarts and other Finnish pastries. It’s at 6PM at Artstream, 56 North Main Street, Rochester, NH. The event is free and open to the public. For more information contact poetrysocietyofnh@gmail.com
The Children of Hurin The folks from Houghton Mifflin write: I saw your recent posting about Alan Lee attending FaerieCon in Philadelphia, and I wanted to spread the word that Alan will be visiting a few other U.S. cities to promote THE CHILDREN OF HURIN paperback (national release date: October 14) and the brand-new TALES FROM THE PERILOUS REALM, immediately following his FaerieCon appearance!
As TORn readers know, THE CHILDREN OF HURIN is the first complete book by J.R.R. Tolkien since the 1977 publication of The Silmarillion. It was a #1 New York Times bestseller in hardcover, and the Associated Press called it “the book for which [Tolkien] readers have been longing.” The paperback edition of THE CHILDREN OF HURIN includes eight color paintings by Alan Lee and a two-color fold-out map. Continue reading “Alan Lee Book Tour Announced!”
If you were looking for an excuse or motivation to read the bulk of Tolkien’s books about Middle Earth, this could be your chance. A group is planning on reading 22 of Tolkien’s works and blogging about the adventure over at The Tolkien Reading Quest. If you are interested in joining them, check out the blog.
Emory University in Atlanta will be offering a 5-week course this fall titled “J.R.R. Tolkien and the Spiritual Journey”:
This course will explore J.R.R. Tolkien’s insights for the spiritual journey. The class will briefly explore the sources of Tolkien’s vision of the quest that were influenced by his experiences of World War I, his Catholic faith, and his deep reading of ancient mythologies. Employing short readings from Lord of the Rings and clips from the movies of the same name, the class will then discuss key themes in the journey including the affirmation of creation, sacrifice and bliss, friendship, the temptations of power and pride, and the role of the key virtues of faith, hope, and charity. Come discover what Middle Earth can tell us about the possibilities for modern earth. This class is co-sponsored by the Aquinas Center of Theology at Emory University.
Class space is limited to 15 people; for more information click on the link below: