inzilbeth | Entries tagged with tolkien

I've been chasing my tail for weeks but finally have some time off from the day job. And my top priority is the small matter of the book launch which is only next Saturday!!! Panic, me? No goodness no! I wonder though if I could ask for some help. If those on my flist who subscribe to any online Tolkien forums or fan fic writer groups would be prepared to pass on the word about both the book and the launch, that would be terrific. And if anyone feels able to do a post on their own LJ that would also be wonderful. Any help would be so appreciated. Thank you very much in advance. I wish I could send you all a free copy but I don't think the publisher, who is after all footing the bill, would be very pleased!

The book is currently available for pre order at Amazon.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hobbit-Hero-Making-Tolkiens-King/dp/095519007X/ref=gfix-submit-correction-product-detail

I have asked Amazon to amend this page because the title is currently incorrect, there's no image and, with Ted's painting on longer on the front cover, it seems a bit deceptive to have him listed as illustrator. These things are annoying but don't affect the availability of the book through this site.

Alternatively it can be purchased directly from www.adcbooks.co.uk

There is even the odd copy up for grabs on ebay!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330769657649&ssPageName=ADME:B:FSEL:GB:1123

Don't forget, the launch is Saturday 11th August at the Redesdale Hall, Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire for 10am to 5pm. Hope to see some of you there!

So all the info is easily to hand - and please feel free to use - the cover photos and the blurb is all here under the cut.

Many thanks again.

( Read more... )

After several, at times frustrating, weeks dealing with the text editor, the final text of 'Hobbit to Hero' is at last set and heading to the printer on Monday. There have however been concerns all along that Ted's wonderful 'Thus Came Aragorn' made the book look too much like a children's story so there has been a last minute change of design.

The photo of Tolkien has never before been published which is rather cool. It was taken in his study at Merton College in July 1958 by Leslie Stanley [incorrectly named 'Lionel' by Scull and Hammond - p530 Chronology], a 'devoted fan and amateur photographer'. It is one of several taken at that time and the original negatives were later given to Tolkien himself. Importantly, they are the only non-copyright photos of Tolkien known to exist. Tolkien sent them to Rayner Unwin who declared on 10th February 1960 that they were 'excellent'. Tolkien believed they were still being in the possession of Allen and Unwin in July 1966 when he wrote to Joy Hill. However, according to S and H [p669] on the 26th of that month Joy Hill wrote back stating that they have no photos by Leslie Stanley although, on 15th August, she again wrote to Tolkien to say that she had received a list of the photos, including the Merton ones, from Leslie Stanley.

Then the trail goes cold until they turned up recently inside a book purchased by Andy Compton, my publisher at ADC Publications Ltd. [Estelcontar was present when this part of the story was told so perhaps she can remember the title of the book!]

I must admit that even though the fan girl in me would love to have Aragorn on the cover, I do prefer this version.
.
H2H-Book-Cover-130712[1]

So GDT is on longer the director of The Hobbit. It all sounds very amicable so perhaps these long delayed movies will still go ahead.

But who will take over? In spite of his many sins against Tolkien's world in directing LOTR, my first choice would still be PJ. At least we would know what to expect - few of the characters would bear much relation to their book counterparts but the overall effect would at least be stunning!

I know I've mentioned this before, but I was chatting to the organiser of this event early today and he asked if I could spread the word among my online contacts, such as they are. Being in the UK, this obviously not going to interest many of my flist, although people do travel from all over the world for this wonderful gathering of the fellowship.

For anyone within striking distance though, I really can't stress enough how worth while a visit to this event is. This will be the sixth of these exhibitions I've attended and I wouldn't miss it for the world, something I'm going to have to remind my ewes of nearer the time as I'll still have a few stragglers lambing and I can do without any dramas throwing my plans!

There is a facebook page, which I have yet to sign up to myself as I'm still not on there, but all the details can be found in this acticle.

The opening party is only two months tomorrow!

http://www.literaryfestivals.co.uk/tolkien.html

This is the great new picture of Bilbo and the eagles by Ted Nasmith which is being used for promotion.

I'm absolutely thrilled that 'Aspects of Aragorn' won its category in the MEFA's. I am really surprised and grateful so I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who was kind enough to read and review, not only at MEFA but elsewhere too. Many thanks also to Larner for the nomination. I did rather put all my eggs in one basket with this one, since, as anyone who has read it knows, it is actually 42 individual stories which could possibly have been nominated separately. But, by lumping them together as one long work, I knew I was potentially disadvantaging it since it seems long stories often don't get as many reviews as shorter ones. And when the categories were announced, my fears were confirmed. It was placed in a category with just ficlets which ranged in length from only 700 to 3,500 words. I was, therefore, quite resigned to seeing my 170,000 word 'epic' which had taken me four years to write, soundly beaten! My delight, and yes, relief, that it not only won, but by, what they call in racing, 'a distance,' reflects, I think, that I actually cared far more about this than I was prepared to admit, even to myself. This really was my one big work and I'm not sure I'll ever write another. So I really can't express my thanks enough. And, at the risk of sounding like one of those long winded Oscar winners, my special thanks, as always, goes to the wonderful Cairistiona without whose friendship this story would still be sitting, unread, on my hard drive.

Thank you again to everyone, from the very bottom of my heart.

And on the subject of 'thank you' there is, of course, one person above all who deserves our thanks. Don't forget that today is the Professor's birthday and fans around the world will be raising their glasses for the Birthday Toast.

To the Professor! Thank you for creating such a wonderful world for us all to play in!

When I posted the answers to that quiz the other week, I mentioned that Sangahyando and Angamaitë were my two favourite Tolkien names but I had no idea what they actually meant.

Well just now I was looking something up in ‘Letters’ and became distracted and started reading more than I intended, as you do, when I quite unexpectedly came across both these names, complete with their meanings! Yay!

Angamaitë apparently means ‘iron-handed’ [should have guessed the ‘Ang’ part of that really] and Sangahyando means ‘throng-cleaver’ a throng being, and I quote, ‘a closely formed body of soldiers’.

So now we know! And the good thing about ‘Letters’, of course, is that there really is nothing like getting it straight from the horse’s mouth.

Thank you for creating your wonderful world, without which our own would be so much the poorer.

Theonering.net today had a piece about the latest Junior Oxford Dictionary having removed many traditional, religious and rural words, replacing them with supposedly contemporary, urban ones. Among those no longer considered of interest to kids are dwarf, elf and goblin.

As Tolkien's first civilian job was working on the Oxford Dictionary, I can't help but wonder what he would have thought of this.

Words taken out:

Carol, cracker, holly, ivy, mistletoe

Dwarf, elf, goblin

Abbey, aisle, altar, bishop, chapel, christen, disciple, minister, monastery, monk, nun, nunnery, parish, pew, psalm, pulpit, saint, sin, devil, vicar

Coronation, duchess, duke, emperor, empire, monarch, decade

adder, ass, beaver, boar, budgerigar, bullock, cheetah, colt, corgi, cygnet, doe, drake, ferret, gerbil, goldfish, guinea pig, hamster, heron, herring, kingfisher, lark, leopard, lobster, magpie, minnow, mussel, newt, otter, ox, oyster, panther, pelican, piglet, plaice, poodle, porcupine, porpoise, raven, spaniel, starling, stoat, stork, terrapin, thrush, weasel, wren.

Acorn, allotment, almond, apricot, ash, bacon, beech, beetroot, blackberry, blacksmith, bloom, bluebell, bramble, bran, bray, bridle, brook, buttercup, canary, canter, carnation, catkin, cauliflower, chestnut, clover, conker, county, cowslip, crocus, dandelion, diesel, fern, fungus, gooseberry, gorse, hazel, hazelnut, heather, holly, horse chestnut, ivy, lavender, leek, liquorice, manger, marzipan, melon, minnow, mint, nectar, nectarine, oats, pansy, parsnip, pasture, poppy, porridge, poultry, primrose, prune, radish, rhubarb, sheaf, spinach, sycamore, tulip, turnip, vine, violet, walnut, willow

Words put in:

Blog, broadband, MP3 player, voicemail, attachment, database, export, chatroom, bullet point, cut and paste, analogue

Celebrity, tolerant, vandalism, negotiate, interdependent, creep, citizenship, childhood, conflict, common sense, debate, EU, drought, brainy, boisterous, cautionary tale, bilingual, bungee jumping, committee, compulsory, cope, democratic, allergic, biodegradable, emotion, dyslexic, donate, endangered, Euro

Apparatus, food chain, incisor, square number, trapezium, alliteration, colloquial, idiom, curriculum, classify, chronological, block graph

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
						1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30

Inzilbêth of the Dúnedain

Please spread the word!

A change of cover for 'Hobbit to Hero'!

So what now?

'Edge of the Wild', Tolkien art exhibition

MEFA Thank you!

Sangahyando and Angamaitë

Happy Birthday to the Professor

What would Tolkien have thought of this?

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September 2012

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