Middle-earth Journeys

Probably so, Beren. I'm just a little bored and looking for something to study!

It sounds like an interesting project for when the Rateliff book comes out. There can't be many authors who have had to substantially change the favourite chapter of a well-loved and best selling children's book in order to weave it into a larger tale. It still amazes me that it was done at all, although I'm very glad it was!

I happened upon a real gem in our local used book store -- a lovely hardback copy of The Hobbit Companion by none other than David Day, author of the excellent Tolkien's Ring I have so often praised. At first, I thought this was going to be a guide to the book The Hobbit, but it is actually so much more. It is a discourse on all things related to hobbits, including delightful insights into the numerous philological puns and ingenious circular references the Professor built into this "children's" tale, either consciously or unconsciously.

Day builds an extraordinary case for how the entire story literally grew out of the word "hobbit" and all of the many philological associations that can be made with this word. It is engagingly written and full of the most marvelous hobbity illustrations by Lidia Postma. Iolanthe, here's another Tolkien folk artist to look into! She has a very unique interpretation of hobbits and hobbit life. A major painting in the book is her interpretation of Bilbo's eleventy-first birthday party that includes renderings of 60 different hobbits that are named in LOTR and its appendices. Just delightful! And her Gollum is especially creepy and pathetic.

I highly recommend this book, both for the extraordinary illustrations and the incredible journey into the words that shaped both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

That's an interesting find, Lindariel! Amazon UK has the book for just £3.99 . I might add it in to my next order - it sounds fascinating.

I like Lidia Postma's illustration on the cover, not that I can make it out very well - every version I've found by googling it is very small, frustrating for such a detailed painting! She seems to have done a Hobbit Calendar in 2004. I'll have to did into her some more...

Thanks for the link, Iolanthe - it's gone straight onto my wishlist. So much stuff on there I'm going to have to treat myself soon . . . !!

Jonick has now found me a second-hand copy of The Hobbit, hardback, with colour and black-and-white illustrations by Tolkien himself (to go with the 3-vol hardback set of LOTR he found for me a few weeks ago!). It has the original green/blue dustjacket and red/black map on the front endpaper!

Wow ! How wonderful . You must be thrilled. There were lots of wonderful old copies of The Hobbit and LotR in the Dealers room at the Oxonmoot. I had terrible trouble tearing myself away as I could have spent hours looking at the different editions.

Of course the prices varied hugely according to impression and condition. My 5th impression (1971), very battered copy of The Adventures of Tom Bombadil was only a fiver but all the illustrations are perfect and it's got a lot more character than my modern paperback. It's clearly been loved. And the Donald Swann 'The Road goes ever On' has a dustjacket covered with beautiful elvish script. You'll have to come over and see them all .

I've never been in to second hand books until now. But you're right - in reasonable condition, and if they've been loved, they do acquire a character of their own! I envy you the Bombadil and will certainly come and take a look!

I feel I must post a warning here--2nd hand books are so marvelously addictive, so insinuating, so . . . .congrats on all the acquisitions and welcome to the select group of those who probably need a 12- step program. . . .my friend is holding a used book sale at our church next week--an exercise in which large piles of books from his house transfer themselves magically to my house. I't's just hopeless.

librislove wrote: large piles of books from his house transfer themselves magically to my house.

This strikes a chord. Jonick is heavily into books! I wonder what the solution is? a 12-step program? or a larger house???

How about a nice hobbit hole with many little bookrooms with shelves? Or Elrond's large open air library? Or just pile them up, like Bilbo? That works for me. ....

I'll take Elrond's Library - though I've oftened wondered how he keeps the damp out .

You're right about the 12 step programme. I went through a phase of buying 2nd hand books and then ended up giving most of them away again. I still have a couple of very battered 18th century books - bought for about £5 because the subjects are so unpopular no one in their right mind would want them . But I love the feel of them and the old script.

Iolanthe wrote:I still have a couple of very battered 18th century books - bought for about £5 because the subjects are so unpopular no one in their right mind would want them

I'm sure Jonick would like to see those! Amongst the non-Tolkien books he's found for me at his parents' is a 1920's cloth-bound guide to watercolour painting with a Rowney catalogue in the back priced in £sd . . . !!

It's still September 21 in my part of North America, which means The Hobbit was published 70 years ago today!

And now it's September 22--Happy Birthday, Bilbo dear!