The One-hundred and fourth Roving Ranger
Have a look at all Roving Rangers published so far. (Opens in a new window) And if you know someone who you believe to be interested in such a newsletter - here is the sign-up link (Opens in a new window).
On my own account
The Roving Ranger gives you the best on all things Tolkienian and beyond, curated, every two weeks. However, given the fact that from this year on “Tolkien news” will explode I will be offering an additional, more up-to-date service called The Roving Ranger Plus.
Do subscribe on Instagram (Opens in a new window) & Facebook (Opens in a new window) (additional channels may follow.)
Events & Shows
The major Tolkien art exhibition - probably for many years to come - is happening in beautiful Aubusson (Opens in a new window) right now in the southwest of France. Tolkiendil have been at the final unveiling (Opens in a new window), visited by Baillie Tolkien [Twitter]. If you do not know this project read: The day I was happy meeting three trolls: The Tolkien Tapestries at Aubusson (Opens in a new window). [thetolkienist.com]
Digital Tolkien is offering its June 2024 update (Opens in a new window) live via Youtube on June 28, 7pm CET.
For all events (Opens in a new window) check out the International Tolkien Fellowship (Opens in a new window) [FB] and the Tolkien Guide Calendar (Opens in a new window).
Scholarship and Fandom
Tolkien 50, the Oxford University project with a wide array of events and talks commemorating Tolkien’s passing in 1973 for one and half years now, has been publishing many videos recently, among them from Michael G. Tolkien, Eleanor Parker, and John Garth. Do subscribe! (Opens in a new window) And look up their website (Opens in a new window) as well as my post on Oxford University podcasts on J.R.R. Tolkien. (Opens in a new window)
A lovely piece by Verlyn Flieger: The Literary Power of Hobbits: How JRR Tolkien Shaped Modern Fantasy (Opens in a new window) [Literary Hub]
Tom Hillman has some thoughts on ‘The Politeness of Théoden and the Healing of Gandalf (Opens in a new window).’
Stephen C. Winter has: ‘“Your Heart is Shrewd As Well As Faithful, and Saw Clearer Than Your Eyes.” Sam Gamgee Shows Us How To Make a Mess of Things and Yet To Get The Biggest Things Right (Opens in a new window).’
Thoughts on Tolkien has: Tolkien’s Encouragement: “Lift up your hearts!” (Opens in a new window)
Franchise and Merchandise
Now, that press and publicity work for season 2 of Rings of Power is in full swing, Empire offers (again) lenticular covers and exclusive material on the show (Opens in a new window), and articles on the roles of Galadriel (Opens in a new window), Sauron (Opens in a new window), and the Undead Barrow-Wights (Opens in a new window) (?). See also the trailer (Opens in a new window) and the first behind-the-scenes (Opens in a new window) clip. [Youtube]
Also note: Inside Amazon Games Chief’s Strategy to Build Up a Triple-A Threat With ‘Tomb Raider,’ ‘Lord of the Rings’ and Leaving Space for New IP (Opens in a new window) [Variety]
The article may be in German but Gameswirtschaft has a rather decent infographic on the split the Embracer Groupis going through right now (Opens in a new window). And Deadline has some basic facts on the conglomerate’s financial well-being (Opens in a new window):
“The solid earnings development was primarily driven by a notable growth for Middle-earth Enterprises within the Entertainment & Services segment (…)”
If you had any doubts left that Middle-earth as a brand has become mainstream then hop on over to UK based tile company Tile Giant and have a look how Bilbo’s foyer of Bag End would look like (Opens in a new window)… with their tiles. [Instagram]
What you may not have known - there was a bookshop in Frankfurt, Germany, called Middle-earth (Opens in a new window). Was - as it will be closed this August after more than 50 years of existence. And yes, it was specialised on all things ‘esoteric and spiritual.’
Inter alia & Back in the day
It is iconic, the cover art for ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’: “He Illustrated the ‘Harry Potter’ Cover for $650. It Just Sold for $1.92 Million (Opens in a new window).” [New York Times; paywall (unlocked)]
And yes, global corporations are happy to wipe out any art if it suits the capitalist needs: MTV News Writers Lament Site Archives Being Pulled Down: ‘Infuriating,’ ‘Beyond Depressing’. (Opens in a new window) [The Wrap]
An ‘AI’-powered search based on reliable, that is, library data? Try Talpa (Opens in a new window).
The winners of the Nebula Awards have been announced (Opens in a new window).
The Annnecy Festival Winners have been announced (Opens in a new window).
Donald Sutherland has passed away - an obituary (Opens in a new window) with Wertzone.
Another odd online thing - the shitstorm following the change of the birth date of a truly minor Star Wars character with Wookieepedia (Opens in a new window). [Screenrant]
According to German law I have to infom you all links to enterprises, artists, products etc. are [unpaid advertisements.] Some purchase links may earn me a small commission from Blackwell's (Opens in a new window) or Bookshop.org (Opens in a new window), the bookshops of my personal trust.
If you are interested in my other Tolkien-related work please have a look:
The Tolkienist Blog (Opens in a new window) : Facebook (Opens in a new window) : Bluesky (Opens in a new window) : Instagram (Opens in a new window) : Mastodon (Opens in a new window) : Xitter (Opens in a new window)
You can support me by becoming a member with my Steady page (Opens in a new window).
If you happen to use Feedly (Opens in a new window) - why not subscribe to one of their most popular Tolkien blogs: thetolkienist.com ☺️
As this is 2024 I would like to note that this newsletter is 100% human-made, curated by me, Marcel R. Bülles. This also holds true for everything I write with my blog and here at Steady. Also, the average time of curating this newsletter ranges from 12-16 hours.
