A few weeks back, Stephen Malton of Prodem Demolition contacted TORn to inform us he was in the process of demolishing ‘Woodridings,’ a bungalow owned by J.R.R. Tolkien and his wife Edith. His company is planning on selling pieces of this historic location to Tolkien fans. During the demolition, Mr. Malton found three postcards, with one addressed to J.R.R. Tolkien himself from 1968. Obviously an amazing find! We were waiting to hear more about his discovery, but it looks like the news has hit internationally! Thanks to all the Ringers who sent in the links to the story. For the complete details please click on one of the link, and stay tuned to TORn for news on the auction and sale of items from ‘Woodridings.’ [Read More with Pics]
Category: J.R.R. Tolkien
1900
June – Mabel Suffield Tolkien converts to Catholicism, which shocks both the Unitarian Suffields and the Baptist Tolkiens. Despite being familially estranged and financially cut off due to this decision, she remains undeterred and begins her sons’ instruction in the Catholic faith, one that becomes especially deep-rooted in Ronald for his entire life.
1915
June 29 – At his army physical, Tolkien declares that he has never suffered from any serious illness or injury. Continue reading “June 29th-July 1st Flashback!”
The L.A. Times weighed in today on the Tolkien vs. New Line lawsuit both in the article: Tolkien’s children fight for ‘Lord of the Rings’ gold and in the “Opinion L.A.” blog. Both the article and blog entry explore the nuances of infamous Hollywood “fuzzy” accounting and play off of each other with respect to how much, and for how long, the heirs of a copyright owner should benefit from their forebear’s rights. Definitely worth a read. Thanks to diedye for the tip.
Can’t quite visualize that? Believe it or not, that’s one of the many casting rumors that was sent to TORn in June of 1999, reported in the Sunday Star Times no less. Now that the casting rumor mill has started anew for The Hobbit and ‘F2,’ message board member diedye thought it would be fun to re-visit some of the old news reported on TORn in times past. Do you remember the first photos of Sam and Frodo on Mt. Doom from June of 2000? Did you know Bruce Willis was rumored to have petitioned PJ for a part in LOTR? With a few items sprinkled in from Tolkien’s letters and other sources, this makes for a fun trip down memory lane. Stay tuned for regular installments!
Continue reading “TORn Flashback June 9-14: Keanu Reeves or Danny DiVito as Gandalf?”
Yvonne T let us in on a new book about Tolkien by our good pal Douglas A. Anderson, ‘On Tolkien: Interviews, Reminiscences, and Other Essays is described as an extraordinary glimpse into the world of J.R.R. Tolkien through his own words and those of family, friends, and colleagues. [Amazon.com] Continue reading “New Book: On Tolkien: Interviews, Reminiscences, and Other Essays”
With the many rumors circulating about the Tolkien vs. New Line lawsuit and what impact it might have on The Hobbit, it’s easy to get confused about the facts. Lucky for TORn, Douglas C. Kane, a.k.a. Voronwe the Faithful from our message boards, an attorney who has been closely following the case, has crafted an outstanding primer of all things “Tolkien Lawsuit.”
“There has been a lot of misconception and misinformation swirling around regarding the lawsuit that has been filed by the Tolkien family against New Line. Media reports have claimed that it was a “last crusade” by Tolkien’s son Christopher to stop the upcoming Hobbit films. Some have gone so far as to report that the famously reclusive Christopher (who lives in France) was scheduled to appear in court this past week and that a judgment was going to be issued. These reports are untrue.”
Continue reading “Clearing up Misconceptions Regarding the Tolkien vs. New Line Lawsuit”