The One-hundred and fourth Roving Ranger
Have a look at all Roving Rangers published so far. (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) And if you know someone who you believe to be interested in such a newsletter - here is the sign-up link (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).
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 (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) & Facebook (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) (additional channels may follow.)
Events & Shows
The major Tolkien art exhibition - probably for many years to come - is happening in beautiful Aubusson (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) right now in the southwest of France. Tolkiendil have been at the final unveiling (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), 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 (Öffnet in neuem Fenster). [thetolkienist.com]
Digital Tolkien is offering its June 2024 update (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) live via Youtube on June 28, 7pm CET.
For all events (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) check out the International Tolkien Fellowship (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [FB] and the Tolkien Guide Calendar (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).
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! (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) And look up their website (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) as well as my post on Oxford University podcasts on J.R.R. Tolkien. (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)
A lovely piece by Verlyn Flieger: The Literary Power of Hobbits: How JRR Tolkien Shaped Modern Fantasy (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [Literary Hub]
Tom Hillman has some thoughts on ‘The Politeness of Théoden and the Healing of Gandalf (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).’
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 (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).’
Thoughts on Tolkien has: Tolkien’s Encouragement: “Lift up your hearts!” (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)
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 (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), and articles on the roles of Galadriel (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), Sauron (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), and the Undead Barrow-Wights (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) (?). See also the trailer (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) and the first behind-the-scenes (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) 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 (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [Variety]
The article may be in German but Gameswirtschaft has a rather decent infographic on the split the Embracer Groupis going through right now (Öffnet in neuem Fenster). And Deadline has some basic facts on the conglomerate’s financial well-being (Öffnet in neuem Fenster):
“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 (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)… with their tiles. [Instagram]
What you may not have known - there was a bookshop in Frankfurt, Germany, called Middle-earth (Öffnet in neuem Fenster). 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 (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).” [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’. (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [The Wrap]
An ‘AI’-powered search based on reliable, that is, library data? Try Talpa (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).
The winners of the Nebula Awards have been announced (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).
The Annnecy Festival Winners have been announced (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).
Donald Sutherland has passed away - an obituary (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) with Wertzone.
Another odd online thing - the shitstorm following the change of the birth date of a truly minor Star Wars character with Wookieepedia (Öffnet in neuem Fenster). [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 (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) or Bookshop.org (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), the bookshops of my personal trust.
If you are interested in my other Tolkien-related work please have a look:
The Tolkienist Blog (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) : Facebook (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) : Bluesky (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) : Instagram (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) : Mastodon (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) : Xitter (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)
You can support me by becoming a member with my Steady page (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).
If you happen to use Feedly (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) - 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.
