Reading through rec.arts.books.tolkien, I stumbled upon this very interesting review of a new (apparently released just last week) revised edition of the Annotated Hobbit by Douglas Anderson. —
I just received a review copy of the new edition of the Annotated Hobbit (working in the industry has some benefits). I have only been able to skim over it.
Some changes from the first edition are that it includes some colour plates (from JRRT and other artists) more commentary on some of the black and white illustrations, the notes on the textual revisions of The Hobbit are now included in the body of the book instead of as an appendix. Some of the annotations are expanded (for example the ‘pointy ears’, the ‘scientific version revision’, the two Thrains controversy is addressed, Thranduil’s hair is mentioned). There is an expanded bibliogaphy.
All new to this edition is the inclusion of the ‘Quest of Erebor’ one version of which was included in UT. The UT version was the compressed ‘C’ text, with extracted passages from the longer ‘B’ text given at the end. The entire ‘B’ typescript is given as an appendix in this edition and does include previously unpublished information.
I’m sure everyone’s heard by now that America’s largest FAN-run sci-fi/fantasy convention, is once again descending upon Atlanta, GA this weekend (Fri Aug 29 – Mon Sept 2)! Here’s a brief line-up of the JRR Tolkien: Welcome to Middle-earth fan track to be held in the Greenbriar Room at the Atlanta Hyatt Regency:
TheOneRing.net once again journeys to the Deep South to tell the tale of that which is closest to anyone who is a regular of this site: previews and a behind the scenes look at The Lord Of the Rings: The Two Towers. TORN founders Calisuri, Tehanu, and Corvar will be attending and presenting this hugely popular program. (Note: Saturday?s TORN presentation will be in the Centennial Ballrooms. Sunday’s will be in the Greenbriar.) They’ll have a session about webmastering with Saulone of ThereandBackAgain.net. Saulone will also have a session about ThereandBackAgain.net, showing his incredible artwork and telling how he came to be influenced so deeply as an artist by Tolkien?s works.
Tom Shippey, renowned Tolkien scholar and author, joins Dragon*Con for several sessions, including two with the Tolkien Track. If you haven’t read JRR Tolkien: Author of the Century, you have 3 ½ days to do so. ; ) This book is a definitive study of Tolkien and his works. Tom will be discussing philology and Tolkien’s place in the modern world. If you have an interest in the created languages of Middle-earth, be sure to catch these sessions!
Master metalsmith and historical re-enactor Joe Piela joins us for the first time this year. Joe has studied Tolkien’s battle related passages and brought this knowledge into his work as a metalsmith. He’s bringing many items created in his Lonely Mountain Forge for display and discussion. Roleplayers and weapons collectors will find these sessions of great interest.
In the arts, The Butler Ballet has been working on a new dance composition based on Tolkien’s touching story about Beren and Luthien, entitled The Silmaril. The Butler Ballet is a pre-professional dance company of Butler University, world famous for the great artists and choreographers that begin there. Slated to be premiered in 2003, there’s already a buzz in the dance world about this new work. Please join us for a preview, brought to Dragon*Con, by Stephan Laurent of The Butler Ballet.
Returning for their third year, Jeff Sherrill & Paul Dunne bring back their popular Elvish 101: An Introduction into the basics of Tolkien’s created languages. Learn the history behind the words (and how to pronounce them!) Jeff and Paul will set you on the path to fluency in the Elvish languages!
In music, Steve Babb, of the band Glass Hammer pays us another visit, with premieres of new videos of two of the band’s Tolkien-inspired songs. Currently at work on their seventh release, Glass Hammer has a huge following.
This year, the gaming world is represented by Universal Interactive and Games Workshop. Universal Interactive brings previews of their new video game based on the Lord of the Rings, including never before seen screen shots and a behind the scenes look at the making of an interactive video game. Games Workshop, famous for Warhammer tabletop games, has created a game for the Tolkien enthusiast, and is now adding more scenarios as the game grows in popularity. They’ll be showing the latest additions to their LOTR game.
In celebration of JRR Tolkien, we will have a night of fun, in the tradition of the Prancing Pony. Drop in for an Evening in Bree to meet fellow Tolkien fans, maybe sing a song or two and enjoy live music by Emerald Rose. We’ll have trivia questions galore. Dress in Middle-earth inspired costume for our costume contest, for your chance at very cool prizes provided by Sideshow-Weta Collectibles, Decipher, and Houghton Mifflin, to name a few. (Please note: Fire marshal rules will limit number of guests attending this. Doors will be closed when capacity is reached.)
TheOneRing.net will have a fan table set up at the Marriott Marquis. Stop by and meet the founders and staff of TORN (including Tehanu, our Kiwi Founder, who?s attending Dragon*Con for the first time!) We’ll have drawings and giveaways throughout the convention and would love to meet you : )
For complete schedule listings and news, visit TORN’s Dragon*Con [Schedule]. For more information about the enormous event that IS Dragon*Con, visit [Dragon*Con].
Tinidril sends in this blurb from the latest NY Times
“A case in point is the sequential release on DVD and VHS cassette of three versions of “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.” A release earlier this month will be followed in November by an expanded version, with 30 minutes of extra scenes woven in and interviews with the filmmakers, and then by a deluxe four-disc set with more features. New Line Cinema, which released film, is counting on some DVD aficionados to buy two and perhaps all three versions, leaving it to future scholars to ponder which is the definitive version of the movie”
TOLKIEN’S RING CYCLE FAREWELL HAS BILBO BOUND FOR A BOOK
It is the poem that signals the end of JRR Tolkien’s association with his greatest creation, the mythical land of Middle Earth.
Now Bilbo’s Last Song, a short poem marking the end of the famous Hobbit’s adventures, is to be published to cash in on the new wave of interest in Lord of the Rings.
The poem, illustrated by Pauline Baynes -who is also known for illustrating the Narnia Chronicles of CS Lewis – is best known for having adorned the walls of Tolkien fans in the form of a poster in the 1970’s.
Now, following the commercial and critical success of Peter Jackson’s Oscar winning film of the Fellowship of the Ring, the first book in Tolkien’s trilogy, it is being republished in book form.
Baynes, 80, was the only illustrator that Tolkien approved of, and it was she who adorned the poster version in 1974, which was published a year after he died.
The poem was given as a gift to Joy Hill, one of Tolkien’s assistants.
Baynes, who became a close friend of JRR Tolkien, spoke yesterday of her delight at the poem’s re-emergence accompanoied by pictures she created in 1990.
She said Tolkien had not only written it as a valediction for Middle Earth, but also his own life. “With this poem, I think he was sighing with relief: that’s done. He was getting pretty old when he wrote it in the late 1960’s, and so it is climactic in two ways. The poem is like a full stop, siganlling the end of it all,” she said.
Bilbo’s Last Song is onlt three verses long, and represents the last song Bilbo Baggins, the hero of The Hobbit and uncle to Frodo in Lord of the Rings, sings before he sails west and leaves Middle Earth. In Tolkien’s world, at the end of Lord of the Rings, the remaining elves and other friends sail west and leave the realms of the mortal world forever, and pass into myth. It ends: “Farewell to Middle Earth at last: I see the star above your mast.”
Bilbo’s Last Song was a gift from Tolkien to Ms Hill, who was seconded from Allen and Unwin, the author’s publisher, to help him with correspondence.
He used to joke that if ever a diamond bracelet fell out of an envelope it would be hers. When she was helping him pack up before he moved house, Bilbo’s Last Song fell out of a book and she loved it so much he said it could be her ‘diamond bracelet’.
To get more information, use the sites I use like the ones below. Simply find a movie or actor you want to see, go to one of the sites below and see if the film is playing in your area. mydigiguide.com, tv-now.com and IMDB.com
Decipher brings us the next phase in Roleplaying Games from their Roleplaying and Miniature Studio here in Culver City, CA. The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying game is bound in a brilliant Core Book featuring brilliantly designed pages full of character details, orders, races, weapons and enemies. The game, which will be released on August 28th, allows players to take up residence in Middle Earth and play out the role of one of the many races of Middle Earth, anything from an Elven Loremaster to a Hobbit Burglar.
Overall the Corebook’s design gives players the blunt of the game, with upcoming releases to detail other aspects of Middle Earth. We here at Gaming Havens at TheOneRing.net will soon be delving deeper into the game and bring a pictoral of just what goes into making a character, and playing out a chapter. Check back here on the 4th of September for the first part in our Roleplaying Guide with myself, Lao of Gondor, and the rest of the crew from our Gaming League!
