The Ninety-eighth Roving Ranger
Life and Works
February 4, 1937. Tolkien's poem "The Dragon's Visit (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)" is published in The Oxford Magazine.
February 5, 1968. The first day of filming for the documentary Tolkien in Oxford (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).
February 6, 1972. Tolkien writes a letter to Vera Chapman and the Tolkien Society (Öffnet in neuem Fenster); for the birthday gift see this (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).
February 8, 1964. Tolkien writes Letter 294 (Öffnet in neuem Fenster); if you ever wanted to get an idea how bad interviews can turn out, this one is for you.
February 10, 1966. Tolkien writes a letter to Donald A. Wollheim (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) (of the Ace Books (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) controversy.)
February 11, 1945. Tolkien writes Letter 97 (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)(one my all-time favourite entries with Tolkien Gateway: Etymological exasperation). ☺️
February 13, 1923. Tolkien writes Letter 6 (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) to Elizabeth Mary Wright (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), thanking her for the article by her husband (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) she had sent to him.
February 14, 1896. Tolkien (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) dictates a letter to his father (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), aged three.
“"I am so glad I am coming back to see you it is such a long time since we came away from you I hope the ship will bring us all back to you Mamie and Baby and me…”
February 15, 1896. Arthur Tolkien (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), Tolkien's father, dies.
If you ever need a really short biography of Tolkien have a look at this (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).
HarperCollins have released the covers for the UK History of Middle-earth paperbacks coming out - see all of them and the discussion (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) with TolkienGuide.com.
Events & Shows (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)
Now, this is a little difficult to describe but this year’s Gulf Wars (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)The Known World Party’s theme will be Gondor. Master Kat the Strange (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) published this with the Kingdom of Gleann Abhann (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) Facebook group, a a part of the Society for Creative Anachronism (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) (March 9-17). [Facebook]
Registration for MythCon 53 is open now (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) (August 2024).
Lure of Middle-earth (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) has anncounced its schedule for the February festivities at Castle Stahleck (fan organised con for Middle-earth CCG and LotR LCG).
The Canadian Children’s Opera Company in Toronto will be doing The Hobbit (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)from May to June.
The Lord of the Rings musical version with the Watermill Theatre (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) seems to have been not only a smash hit for the theatre but has also won nine awards recently (Öffnet in neuem Fenster). Even theBBC (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) noted:
A venue that staged a Lord of the Rings musical after losing its arts funding has won theatre of the year at a national awards ceremony.
Norwegian composer and long-time Tolkien enthusiast Martin Romberg has his Elven Songs nominated at the Norwegian Music Publishers Award (Öffnet in neuem Fenster). (Listen to his rendition of A Elbereth Gilthoniel (Öffnet in neuem Fenster). [Youtube]
There are two slots this year to see some of the Tolkien manuscripts (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) at Marquette University (March and September).
The upcoming New York Tolkien Conference is looking for volunteers (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).
The French convention Sur les Terres de l’Unique (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) is moving to Plestin les Grèves (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), Brittany. [Facebook; September 28-29]
The eighth Convegno Internazionale di «Poetica & Cristianesimo» at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) in Rome has Tolkien as a topic (Öffnet in neuem Fenster). [April 18-19]
The Department of English and American Studies at Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), Slovakia, invites you to Emotions in Middle-earth (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [Call for Papers; event happens March 22, in person & online]
For all events check out the International Tolkien Fellowship (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [FB] and the Tolkien Guide Calendar (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).
Scholarship and Fandom
John Garth has this: Queen of the Rings: Did Tolkien help Margrethe of Denmark abdicate? (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), with David Bratman commenting (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).
Douglas A. Anderson has Fairy-tale Versions of Beowulf (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).
My short review of the LPBD edition of Tolkien is listed with Tolkien Gleanings (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) - so here is a shoutout to David Haden for his excellent Tolkien-related listings you can subscribe to as well.
The Wonder of the Wade series has Laura Schmidt Stanifer (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), the Wade (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) archivist, talk about its Hobbit first edition. Really, anything Laura has to say on Tolkien should catch your attention. [Youtube]
Have a look at the Tolkien sessions (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) at the International Medieval Congress (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) (h/t Andrew Higgins (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)).
Anna Smol has some thoughts on John Howe, J.R.R. Tolkien and art: Drawing your way into a fantasy landscape (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).
Richard Gray has some thoughts (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) on the new Letters edition.
Please note: Whenever you need to know anything about Tolkien’s letters visit the TCG Guide to Tolkien’s Letters (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).
A lovely story that happened recently: When the Peruvian Tolkien Society (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) did a Zoom call (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) talking about the History of the Hobbit they had a surprise guest - none other than author John D. Rateliff, thanks to the intervention of Erik Mueller-Harder (Öffnet in neuem Fenster). [Facebook; Sacnoth’s Scriptorium]
Bruce Charlton has some thoughts on Tolkien’s poetry and particularly The Adventures of Tom Bombadil (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).
I am happy to present another amazing artist in my “Tolkien Travel Poster” series, Danielle Sylvan (Öffnet in neuem Fenster). [thetolkienist.com (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)]
Stephen C. Winter has another interesting piece: “There Are Dead Things, Dead Faces in The Water.” Frodo and Sam Cross The Dead Marshes.” (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)
Seldom have I read a poem with more pleasure than Dear Tolkien Estate (Öffnet in neuem Fenster). [Tales after Tolkien Society]
Would you have expected these keywords when talking about Gimli - “Neotropical, Zalmoxoidea, relict, sexual dimorphism, cave-dwellers”? Well, then you probably are a scientist finding spiders in the dark (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) and naming them.
Check out Myla Malinalda’s rainbow series with Instagram (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).
Franchise and Merchandise
The Hobbit Hole (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), a game shop opened in September 2014 in Catteris, Cambridgeshire, is closing in March (Öffnet in neuem Fenster); if you feel like taking it over, do talk to the owner (Öffnet in neuem Fenster). [Cambridgeshire Live, Facebook]
Some background information on the casting for (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power from Emmy winner Theo Park (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [Casting Network]
Games Workshop has published information (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) on what lies in store for the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game community in 2024. My favourite? The ME Hobby Bingo (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [PDF download].
An interesting with the Bookseller explains marketing in modern terms, using the recent example of Sarah J Maas: Understanding fandom (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).
I know, I do have to share it: Margot Robbie’s greatest film crush (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) was Viggo Mortensen’s Aragorn (Öffnet in neuem Fenster). [W Magazine; Youtube] My favourite: Ryan Gosling asking first: “Wait, from the book?”
Available now and until #RovingRanger100 on March 1st: trial memberships with the Tolkienist at Steady
Alan Sisto of the Prancing Pony Podcast, John Garth, members of the Tolkien Guide team and one of the world's leading Tolkien linguists have already joined my in my Steady adventure 🤩
Inter alia & Back in the day
Ah, a different Leia would have made for a different film - Jodie Foster (Öffnet in neuem Fenster). [Guardian]
An insightful essay on C.S. Lewis as a poet: Dennis Wilson Wise, "The New Poets of Rum-Ram-Ruf: C. S. Lewis, The Nameless Isle" (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).
The WorldCon (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) in Chengdu has been criticised ever since the vote decided on China. Now, according to reports, some writers were excluded for no apparent reason from the Hugo awards (Öffnet in neuem Fenster); File770 has more (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) on this. [Guardian]
I know, there really isn’t that much to connect them (yet) to Tolkien but twin brothers that share a birthday with Frodo and Bilbo (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) and are planning on turning “a meadow higher up on their property into the Flathead Shire with some Hobbiton-style in-ground homes”, well, that’s worth a mention. [Flathead Beacon, Montana]
The new edition of Letters is already being put to use: Tolkien on Loyalty to the Church (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [Where Peter is].
The Star Trek franchise might change owners (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), again. [TrekMovie]
Fandom finds many ways to express itself - like a Choc’lit Throne (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) for GRRM.
You will find a lot of material right now on the anniversary for D&D - do have a look at: Happy 50th Birthday to DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, and the tabletop roleplaying genre (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [Wertzone]
It is not much of a surprise that music super stars like Ed Sheeran pay quite a bit of tax (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) but some fantasy authors really are up there in the UK. [Independent]
And yes, Harry Potter (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) will get a “decade-long” series - and more (Öffnet in neuem Fenster). [Variety; Inside the Magic]
That certainly was not the headline I thought I would add to this newsletter: YouTube, Discord, and Lord of the Rings Led Police to a Teen Accused of a US Swatting Spree (Öffnet in neuem Fenster). [Wired; limited free reading]
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, the bookshop of my personal trust.
If you are interested in my other Tolkien-related work please have a look:
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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.
