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The One hundred and thirteenth Roving Ranger

Have a look at all Roving Rangers published so far. (Opens in a new window)

Life and Works

Nov 1, 1979. Pictures by Tolkie (Opens in a new window)n first published.
Nov 3, 2016. The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun (Opens in a new window) published.
Nov 4, 1954. Tolkien writes Letter 156 (Opens in a new window) to R. Murray.
Nov 4, 1968. Tolkien writes to Mary Fairburn (Opens in a new window), noting that her Galadriel “very nearly corresponds to my own mental vision of the scene.”
Nov 7, 1966. Tolkien writes Letter 290a, (Opens in a new window) explaining origins to ‘orc’ and ‘warg.’
Nov 9, 1933. Tolkien’s poem Errantry (Opens in a new window) is published in The Oxford Magazine.
Nov 11, 1954. The Two Towers (Opens in a new window) is published.
Nov 12, 1952. Tolkien writes Letter 135a (Opens in a new window), thanking Allen & Unwin for publishing LotR “under a profit-sharing scheme.”
Nov 14, 1904. Tolkien’s mother Mabel dies (Opens in a new window).

Tolkien Four Volume Signed Set Sold For $61,599 at RR Auction (Opens in a new window) [h/t TCG (Opens in a new window)]

Susie Dent has a column titled I’m an incurable catastrophiser – here’s how I found comfort (Opens in a new window), mentioning favourably the word “eucatastrophe.”

One of the latest translations of The Hobbit - into Romansh - will have an event at the University of Zurich, Nov 5th, with both translator and editor present (Opens in a new window) [Linkedin]

I would like to note an upcoming French book for the Centenary of Christopher Tolkien (digital publication only so far) which looks incredibly promising: Les Mondes de Christopher Tolkien (Opens in a new window) [Tolkiendil; TCG (Opens in a new window)]

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Events & Shows

The Bodleian Libraries have an exciting event for Christopher Tolkien’s at 100 (Opens in a new window).

The Wade Center has From Myth to Manuscript: Exploring Inklings Archival Collections (Opens in a new window) [Nov 13]

Drinking with the Inklings (Opens in a new window) [Lamb & Flag, Oxford; Nov 28]

Fellowship, the Musical! (Opens in a new window) is happening Nov-Dec (Opens in a new window).

A must see in Birmingham is the Musem & Art Gallery which has just reopened (Opens in a new window).

Glasgow has another amazing CFP – Publishing Fantasy for Younger Readers: A Symposium (Opens in a new window).

The Hobbit (Opens in a new window) is happening with the Hillcrest Centre of the Arts [Feb 25; Thousand Oaks, CA]

Why stage The Hobbit during election season? (Opens in a new window) [Pittsburgh Public Theatre]; listen also to podcasts detailing the production [ep. 1 (Opens in a new window)/ ep. 2 (Opens in a new window)]; trailer (Opens in a new window) [Youtube]; [CBS News report (Opens in a new window)]; [photos with Broadway World (Opens in a new window)]

Pacific Theatre’s “The Hobbit” gives the classic tale a cheeky two-person twist (Opens in a new window) [Georgia Straight; tickets & info (Opens in a new window)]

Two reviews on the Lewis and Tolkien play - one (Opens in a new window) & two (Opens in a new window) [h/t Wayne Hammond & Christina Scull]

For all events check out the International Tolkien Fellowship (Opens in a new window) [FB] and the Tolkien Guide Calendar (Opens in a new window).

Scholarship & Fandom

Tolkien Notes 21 (Opens in a new window) have been published [Too Many Books and Never Enough]

Issue #145 of Mythlore (Opens in a new window) has been published [h/t Troels Forchhammer]

Call for Papers: New essays on women and gender in Tolkien (Opens in a new window) [Anna Smol]

A talk with Ted Nasmith, the illustrator who shaped Tolkien’s fantasy universe (Opens in a new window) [El País]

The new documentary The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee (Opens in a new window) is available with Sky and other sites; you can still order copies (Opens in a new window) of the Blu-Ray from the successful Kickstarter (Opens in a new window); watch the trailer (Opens in a new window) [Youtube]

Reading Lord of the Rings aloud: Yes, I sang all the songs (Opens in a new window) [Ars Technica]

Robin Reid has a Call for Papers for Mereth Aderthad 2025 (Opens in a new window).

Anna Smol has Two new articles on Tolkien’s ‘The Homecoming’ (Opens in a new window).

The Bedlam Book Club has a podcast with Janet Brennan Croft on Madness in the World of J.R.R. Tolkien (Opens in a new window).

Stentor Danielson has Cami D. Agan in a podcast episode on Cities and Strongholds of Middle-earth (Opens in a new window).

The incredibly entertaining International Tolkien Mailing Competition (Opens in a new window) by the Hungarian Tolkien Society has extended its deadline for participants to Nov 10.

Merchandise & Franchise

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Ideas … is a standalone Gandalf movie on its way? (Opens in a new window)[Guardian; see Empire (Opens in a new window) for more info]

The officially licensed stained glass Kickstarter finished successfully (Opens in a new window).

Why One Lord Of The Rings Trilogy Screenwriter Won't Watch The Rings Of Power (Opens in a new window) [Slash Film; orig. Empire]

Brian Cox admits he 'didn't really know Tolkien' before starring in Lord of the Rings anime film (Opens in a new window) [EW]

“Jon Anderson taught me some things about songwriting – I’d love to work with him again”: Glass Hammer mainman Steve Babb’s prog world orbits Yes, Rush, Genesis… and the Human League (Opens in a new window) [Louder]

Lord of the Rings fans praise decision to bring back deceased star without using AI (Opens in a new window) [Independent]

Inter alia & Back in the Day

Oxford: American owners update plans for Eagle and Child pub (Opens in a new window) [Oxford Mail]

The 2024 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fictio (Opens in a new window)n has been announced.

The World Fantasy Awards (Opens in a new window) have been announced [File770]

Godzilla: 70 Years Strong (Opens in a new window) [INDAC]

A beautiful catalogue, free for download as a PDF: “I wisely started with a map…” A celebration of fictional cartography (Opens in a new window) [Crouch Rare Books]

Dune: Prophecy | Official Series Trailer (Opens in a new window) [Youtube]

‘Good Omens’ Season 3 to Consist of One 90-Minute Episode (Opens in a new window), Neil Gaiman Not Involved in Production [Variety]

Why Disney Is Still Paying For 2016 Star Wars Movie ‘Rogue One’ (Opens in a new window)[Forbes; excellent explanation how ‘creatively’ accounting is done on films]

GRRM has written a love letter to Amsterdam (Opens in a new window).

Amy H. Sturgis has a presentation on Why You Should Read Frankenstein (Opens in a new window) [Youtube]

The BBC has a lovely video collection - More than monsters: Icons of horror films on the definition of the genre (Opens in a new window).

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General info

According to German law I have to inform 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), Bookshop.org (Opens in a new window), or Genialokal (Opens in a new window), the (independent) bookshops of my personal trust (one with a Tolkien connection!)

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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. Also, the average time of curating this newsletter ranges from 12-16 hours.

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