Re: The General Tolkien News Thread

[azriel]

Julia Ormond ?

[Elthir]

That is to say, Lily was in a film about Snow White with Julia Roberts in it, called Mirror Mirror.

The prostitute film being the one with Richard Gere in it, being Lancelot in the King Arthur film with Sean Connery in it.

Forest got it.


Colonel Nathan R. Jessup: "Are we clear?"

Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee: "Crystal"

[Elthir]

By the way, will this film be able to inject a dream-sequence where young Tolkien (in Hoult form) imagines himself as Beren meeting Luthien...

... played also by Lily Collins?

[malickfan]

Might have posted about these books already, but they sound interesting:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tolkien-Treasures-Catherine-Mcilwaine/dp/1851244964/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tolkien-Maker-Middle-earth-Catherine-McIlwaine/dp/1851244859/

[malickfan]

Ah, damn it, noticed the revised edition of Hammond and Scull's The JRR Tolkien Companion And Guide is gone back to full price again on amazon, knew I should have pre-ordered it when it was still discounted...

Will probably wait for a reduced second hand copy like I did with the first edition...

[Forest Shepherd]

Yeah, no need to splurge. The book will keep!

[Eldorion]

Those illustrated books look really promising! Works where the author dug through Tolkien's archived papers are always fun. Never heard of Catherine McIlwain before; I wonder if she's had anything previously published in e.g. Mythlore.

[malickfan]

Those illustrated books look really promising! Works where the author dug through Tolkien's archived papers are always fun. Never heard of Catherine McIlwain before; I wonder if she's had anything previously published in e.g. Mythlore.

The Bodleian library is listed as the publisher, so I'd assume she has some connection to the libraries archives or works there as a researcher or something.

[malickfan]

I wonder if Christopher Tolkien's retirement from the estate (which will eventually be followed by his retirement as literary executor) will signal a change in future Tolkien publications?, as I understand it there isn't much in the way of Middle Earth related fiction left to be published, though substantial writings relating to Tolkien's academic career, his invented languages, private correspondence and poetry remain unpublished, as the two books listed above show they are still published 'new' material all these years later, perhaps with a new man/woman in charge the Tolkien family might fel more comfortable opening up previously restricted areas to Tolkien research.

I'd still love to read an expanded edition of The Letters Of JRR Tolkien

[halfwise]

What do you mean by an expanded edition? I feel Humphrey Carpenter did all the grunt work of picking and choosing for a reason - things left out are probably mundane or personal in a way that wouldn't add much to understanding the author. Or would you like extra annotation? I like very much what was done with the Art of JRR Tolkien, which was largely a biography with his drawings and paintings fit into it.

[Eldorion]

There are a lot of relevant and interesting letters that weren't included, but in some cases they belong to private collectors and so aren't available for publication (the famous Munby letter, which is one of the main sources of information about Orc women, is in that category). Quotations from various unpublished letters have been quoted in HoMe, the Companion and Guide and other works of Tolkien scholarship but few if any in their entirety AFAIK.

[malickfan]

There are a lot of relevant and interesting letters that weren't included, but in some cases they belong to private collectors and so aren't available for publication (the famous Munby letter, which is one of the main sources of information about Orc women, is in that category). Quotations from various unpublished letters have been quoted in HoMe, the Companion and Guide and other works of Tolkien scholarship but few if any in their entirety AFAIK.

There's a page on tolkien gateway listing some of them:

http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Letters_not_published_in_%22The_Letters_of_J.R.R._Tolkien%22

Hammond and Scull noted in their first edition of the Companion and Guide that they had recorded or traced around 1,500 Letters by Tolkien up to 2006, with more coming to light every year or residing in private collections, they said in an interview a few years ago that they had suggested an expanded edition of the Letters to the publishers but were turned down at the time (The Letters probably weren't a big seller originally, but I think given the vast number of posthumous releases since then, and all the impact from the films-not least the huge increase in Tolkien scholarly/biographical works, their might now be a bigger market for such a book) and continue to suggest the idea from time to time, if it ever does happen they would probably be the best candidates to edit such a book, given their vast experience in the field of Tolkien research.

[malickfan]

Ha ha, Eldo...we had this conversation 3 years ago on a different thread :

http://www.hobbitmovieforum.com/t166-unseen-letters-from-tolkien

[Eldorion]

Heh, well, hope springs eternal.

I think they should release them, so long as they don't mess with the numbering from the original edition of the Letters.  I'm not gonna try to re-learn the numbers of the more famous letters now.

Re-reading that thread though I agree with three-years-ago-me.

The fact that HarperCollins was willing to release a second edition of the Companion and Guide, which probably sold even less than the Letters (if for no other reason than the limited print run) is an encouraging sign though.

[malickfan]

Heh, well, hope springs eternal.

I think they should release them, so long as they don't mess with the numbering from the original edition of the Letters.  I'm not gonna try to re-learn the numbers of the more famous letters now.

Re-reading that thread though I agree with three-years-ago-me.

The fact that HarperCollins was willing to release a second edition of the Companion and Guide, which probably sold even less than the Letters (if for no other reason than the limited print run) is an encouraging sign though.

Interestingly the 2nd Edition of the Companion and Guide has already gone back to press:

https://wayneandchristina.wordpress.com/2017/11/07/quality-control/

So you never know (infact I seem to recall reading the Companion And Guide was actually originally suggested in place of a hypothetical 2nd edition of the Letters...)...

[Eldorion]

That's excellent news! Glad it's been a success so far. Maybe that'll convince Houghton Mifflin to get on board now and publish it Stateside...

[malickfan]

That's excellent news! Glad it's been a success so far. Maybe that'll convince Houghton Mifflin to get on board now and publish it Stateside...

Hopefully...which means I can then eventually pick up a second hand copy cheaper on Amazon Market place , I so wanted to get this 2nd edition but I can't really justify spending £120 on a revised edition of a book I've already got, I'm a huge nerd, but not a nerd with a huge bank balance...

[malickfan]

That's excellent news! Glad it's been a success so far. Maybe that'll convince Houghton Mifflin to get on board now and publish it Stateside...

Just bought the 2nd edition off Amazon UK   , it's now reduced to around £65 (nearly half the initial £120) which was cheap enough for me to give in   (very reasonable price actually, considering the size, cost of research/publication and the niche audience of such books), I don't know if it will get published by Houghton Mifflin stateside so if you are interested perhaps consider buying a UK edition whilst's it's going cheap...I have no idea if AmazonUK import to the US nor how much it would cost (though I have bought a few books from the American Amazon in the past) but judging by how flimsy their packaging can be sometimes, I'm not sure that would be a good idea anyway...perhaps consider the e-book?


(oddly enough I actually have the HM version of the 1st Edition-picked it up cheaply on Amazon marketplace, but the description didn't say it was a American edition, the content other than the copyright descriptions is exactly the same)

Very much looking forward to reading all the new/revised material in this 2nd edition, the first set was an absolutely incredible resource (my only major issues being A) the lack of a contents page meaning it was a little frustrating/confusing to navigate at times (a problem which I understand has been solved in this new edition), and that B) The books more or less glossed over the Jackson films and the impact they have had, despite a lengthy entry on adaptations) and I'm sure a decade of further research and publications (and a 400+ longer page count) has brought a whole new wealth of information to light.

[Eldorion]

Congrats, Malick! I hope you enjoy it. Be sure to share your thoughts on it here, especially regarding the new material!

I believe that Amazon UK does indeed ship to the US, but I can't really justify the purchase (and shipping cost) right now. Maybe if I immerse myself more deeply in Tolkien studies again in the future and have a legitimate research need for it. Hopefully the second print run will make the second edition easier to find down the road.

[malickfan]

Congrats, Malick! I hope you enjoy it. Be sure to share your thoughts on it here, especially regarding the new material!

I believe that Amazon UK does indeed ship to the US, but I can't really justify the purchase (and shipping cost) right now. Maybe if I immerse myself more deeply in Tolkien studies again in the future and have a legitimate research need for it. Hopefully the second print run will make the second edition easier to find down the road.

It arrived earlier today, I know what I will be reading this weekend...

I will probably keep the first edition for the time being, in case I want to cross reference or check any changes.

[malickfan]

http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/909537-the-tolkien-movie-starring-hoult-and-collins-wraps-filming

[azriel]

It sounds as it should be, a true version of a time in a great person's life. I'm not feeling any "Tauriels" suddenly turning up. I hope this director treads softly, we don't need a bullshit fest to gain brownie points.

[malickfan]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03hxjrl

[Eldorion]

I don't necessarily have any expectations here but it'd certainly be cool if it turns out decent.

Did anything ever come of the other biopic(s) that were reportedly in development?

[malickfan]

Did anything ever come of the other biopic(s) that were reportedly in development?

Not as far as I know, I vaguely recall reading the mooted Tolkien and Lewis movie morphed into a documentary somewhere along the line, but I'd assume the others have been cancelled or stuck in development hell, maybe if this one is successful we could see more cash ins