Re: The General Tolkien News Thread

[Elthir]

Yeah about Kullervo! Just in time for... something.

But Tolkien's Kullervo, and two versions of an essay on the Kalevala, edited by Flieger, are already in Tolkien Studies, which I guess, however, is more difficult to get, especially this volume.

So yeah still! Although I wonder if there will be more in this book (more than in Tolkien Studies), and if so what the more will be. I guess I will ask/wonder first and investigate later, a nice lazy approach.

[malickfan]

Yeah about Kullervo! Just in time for... something.

But Tolkien's Kullervo, and two versions of an essay on the Kalevala, edited by Flieger, are already in Tolkien Studies, which I guess, however, is more difficult to get, especially this volume.

So yeah still! Although I wonder if there will be more in this book (more than in Tolkien Studies), and if so what the more will be. I guess I will ask/wonder first and investigate later, a nice lazy approach.

I wondered that myself (I posted about this a few months ago) the page count seems to be longer than T.S (judging by wiki, haven't read T.S) but it could just be a longer introduction, or a different font size as its a book for the general public, not a academic journal.

At a guess, having previously written the T.S entry maybe Flieger was approached to extend her commentary by the Tolkien Estate directly? I've read the extended versions of On Fairy Stories and Smith Of Wooton Major Flieger edited previously, and her commentary was very interesting. Regardless I'm intrigued by this release, the book will tie in very well with Children Of Hurin (which IIRC was Tolkien's best selling book since The Silmarillion) and I found Tolkien's early wiritings in the BOLT as evocative, as they were, at times, perplexing...

I wouldn't like to say for certain (obviously) but beyond a few dozen poems, and a sizable amount of academic/linguistic writing I would assume there isn't much left of Tolkien's archived writing left to be published (or perhaps, more accurately writing substantial enough to merit release on the public market, Kullervo was probably published in academic journal first for obvious reasons), so perhaps reprints, or 'extended edtions' of older works is the way forward...in that is the case I hold out hope for 'extended editions' of Letters and Artist and Illustrator (I remember reading there are known to be upwards of 1,500 unpublished Letters...)

[malickfan]

This is rather neat, Harpercollins are releasing a box set of the annotated pocket editions of Roverandom, Smith Of Wooton Major, The Adventures Of Tom Bombadil and Farmer Giles Of Ham.

http://www.harpercollins.co.uk/9780008116644/the-tolkien-treasury

[Pettytyrant101]

Very nice. I wonder are those original illustrations? The style looks familiar.

[malickfan]

Very nice. I wonder are those original illustrations? The style looks familiar.

I think they are the original cover illustrations by Pauline Baynes.

[Pettytyrant101]

That will be why they look familiar then!

[Pettytyrant101]

http://lotrproject.com/

[Elthir]

Yes P. Baynes, although the Roverandom illustration looks like Tolkien himself.

A nice enough genealogy chart, lots of work, but as with other "things Tolkien" currently stuck on the strands of the world wide web, it contains some fairly silent decisions with respect to canon (not that anyone said otherwise, of course).

Wait canon... isn't that subjective?

ack

:cough:

tumbleweeds

:minor behorsement:

I like boxed sets in any case. I might need these.

[Pettytyrant101]

Cheers Elthir- and good to see there is still a light on in the Tower of Lore.

[Elthir]

Hello again Petty! Hmm, I assume elections are over by now, and thus there is a new resident in the Tower?

After all I've barely been here, and when I have been here, I've chosen my own subjects to lore on about, which makes things easier. Don't tell me the good hosts of Forumshire have again elected an absentee cheater like Elthir. Granted I listen to my inner horse and post accordingly, but I warned you all before, my lore basically ended with the three Gs: Glorfindel, Galadriel, Grey Horses.

I mean look at this latest laziness: one of the covers "looks like" Tolkien... looks like Tolkien? The old Elthir not only would have told you it is Tolkien, if it is, but told you all about the art, it anything was known about it, that is.

Shame on the new me. Plus, the old Elthir was younger, odd as that may be to say.

[Pettytyrant101]

Im not talking about the elections right now

[Eldorion]

Ooh, you went there, Elthir.

[Pettytyrant101]

I said we weren' t talking about them right now!!!!

[azriel]

Are we talking about Forumshire Awards Night ? you know........ the night that didnt happen ?........... ..........where people got suited & booted & then the moths flew in ?.............

[Pettytyrant101]

This is talking! This is definitely talking about it!!!!

[azriel]

[Pettytyrant101]

Scifi and fantasy author Michael Moorcock on Tolkien-

'Moorcock liked Tolkien in person; he visited the old professor in Oxford and found him ­polite and personable. But it’s not hard to see Tolkien as a complacent, hierarchical force of Law ....“I think he’s a crypto-fascist,” says Moorcock, laughing. “In Tolkien, everyone’s in their place and happy to be there. We go there and back, to where we started. There’s no escape, nothing will ever change and nobody will ever break out of this well-­ordered world.”- The New Statesman

Thoughts?

[halfwise]

Tolkien wasn't exactly a new-age hippy liberal.

"the old Elthir was younger, odd as that may be to say."

[malickfan]

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/realise-minas-tirith#/story

Good luck to them...they are going to need it...

[Eldorion]

lol

Fake edit: wait, the fifth tier is the highest?  And no Mount Mindolluin?  What is this bullshit?

[halfwise]

The only difference to Tolkien's version of the city is that, for structural and legal reasons, it won't back onto a mountainside.

Yep, killed it right there.

[malickfan]

lol

Fake edit: wait, the fifth tier is the highest?  And no Mount Mindolluin?  What is this bullshit?

The endearingly sad thing is, I can actually picture some fans doing that 'As impressive as this gigantic City may be, the gates are half a foot shorter than Tolkien may have intended, sadly I can only give this project a C-, but I'll be sure to be a dozen T-Shirts and a diorama in the gift shop and reccomend it to all my online friends'

It's wonderful to know people are that enthusiastic about Tolkiens world, but presuming this isn't a joke, if people are willing to raise millions to throw away on a project like this, they need to reasses their priorities (yes, as a regular to a Tolkien forum, I'm aware of the irony, but I spend most of my time here starting arguments on the Doctor Who thread anyway) i.m.o.

Maybe we could sponsor part of the build? A tree or half a brick...

[Eldorion]

The project is so absurd on its face that them claiming there are practical reasons why they can't make a closer replica kinda cracks me up.  As if raising almost $3 billion through crowdfunding and convincing people to live in a replica of a fictional city (and businesses to set up shop there) isn't impractical in and of itself...

I mean, if you seriously wanted to start a Tolkien-based community, then pick something within the realm of possibility.  Buy some farmland and build a replica Hobbiton.  Then if you actually get people to show up, maybe try and expand and do the rest of the Shire.  Or if you really have your heart set on Minas Tirith, start by just building a replica of part of it (the Citadel, or better yet just a couple streets somewhere) to demonstrate that it can be done and people will come there to make it financially viable to do more.  Try and build a community and attract corporate backers (not to mention approval from the owners of the relevant intellectual property) before setting a crowdfunding goal that's like 2000 times the previous record.

[malickfan]

Once again you've put a suspiciously large amount of thought into this Eldo  

Still, at least its actually in England, I was half expecting the New Zealand Tourist board to announce something like this by now (smaller scale obviously) like a hotel in 'Laketown' or converting the hobbtion set into an actual village etc (the Skywalker home from Star Wars being a famous example where this actually worked), I suppose their viewpoint (again, assuming this isn't a joke...) was 'go big or go home'.

Good luck with the planning permission though...

[Mrs Figg]

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/realise-minas-tirith#/story

Good luck to them...they are going to need it...

OMG WHERE DO I SIGN UP?