Tolkien: Maker of Middle-Earth is only a couple of months away now

And I can't wait! I only wish I was able to visit Oxford to see the actual exhibit.

Tolkien: Maker of Middle-Earth
Ed. Catherine McIlwane
Bodleian Library, University of Oxford
Release Date: July 15, 2018
978-1851244850

The amazon.com product description:

The range of J. R. R. Tolkien’s talents is remarkable. Not only was he an accomplished linguist and philologist, as well as a scholar of Anglo-Saxon and medieval literature and Norse folklore, but also a skillful illustrator and storyteller. Drawing on these talents, he created a universe which is for many readers as real as the physical world they inhabit daily.

Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth explores the huge creative endeavor behind Tolkien’s enduring popularity. Lavishly illustrated with three hundred images of his manuscripts, drawings, maps, and letters, the book traces the creative process behind his most famous literary works—The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion—and reproduces personal photographs and private papers, many of which have never been seen before in print.

Six essays introduce the reader to the person of J. R. R. Tolkien and to main themes in his life and work, including the influence of northern languages and legends on the creation of his own legendarium; his concept of “Faërie” as an enchanted literary realm; the central importance of his invented languages in his fantasy writing; his visual imagination and its emergence in his artwork; and the encouragement he derived from his close friend C. S. Lewis and their literary group the Inklings.

The book brings together the largest collection of original Tolkien material ever assembled in a single volume. Drawing on the extensive archives of the Tolkien collections at the Bodleian Libraries, Oxford, which stretch to more than five hundred boxes, and Marquette University, Milwaukee, as well as private collections, this hugely ambitious and exquisitely produced book draws together the worlds of J. R. R. Tolkien – scholarly, literary, creative, and domestic—offering a rich and detailed understanding and appreciation of this extraordinary author.

This landmark publication, produced on the occasion of a major exhibition at the Bodleian Libraries in Oxford in 2018 and at the Morgan Library in New York in 2019, is set to become a standard work in the literature on J. R. R. Tolkien. 

Over 400 pages of essays and Tolkien material from the Bodleian Library, Marquette University and private collections! I'm almost drooling just thinking about it! Of course, some of it may have been reproduced in other volumes (I'm thinking of the Letters from Father Christmas for example). I just wish I could see somewhere a list of who the essay-writers are. I can definitely think of some well-recognized Tolkien scholars who I'd love to read more from: Verlyn Flieger, Dimitra Fimi, Wayne Hammond and Christina Scull, John Garth, etc...

With the sentence in the description "...his concept of “Faërie” as an enchanted literary realm; the central importance of his invented languages in his fantasy writing; his visual imagination and its emergence in his artwork..." I wouldn't be surprised to see one or two of the above named scholars having contributed. I know that two of the more recent Hammond and Scull books were on Tolkien's artwork in the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Dimitra Fimi has written on Tolkien and language, and Flieger has written a fair bit on Tolkien and Faerie in the past. However, those are just my guesses. I guess I'll just have to wait until I order and receive a copy of Tolkien: Maker of Middle-Earth to see who's contributed.

New Tolkien Book: The Inklings and King Arthur

It's setting up to be a good year for Tolkien books so far.

The latest one I've discovered came out a couple of months ago:

The Inklings and King Arthur: J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, C. S. Lewis, and Owen Barfield on the Matter of Britain
Ed: Sørina Higgins
Apocryphile Press
Copyright Date: December 2017
978-1944769895

The amazon.com product description:

In the midst of war-torn Britain, King Arthur returned in the writings of the Oxford Inklings. Learn how J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Owen Barfield brought hope to their times and our own in their Arthurian literature.
Although studies of the “Oxford Inklings” abound, astonishingly enough, none has yet examined their great body of Arthurian work. Yet each of these major writers tackled serious and relevant questions about government, gender, violence, imperialism, secularism, and spirituality through their stories of the Quest for the Holy Grail. This rigorous and sophisticated volume studies does so for the first time.
This serious and substantial volume addresses a complex subject that scholars have for too long overlooked. The contributors show how, in the legends of King Arthur, the Inklings found material not only for escape and consolation, but also, and more importantly, for exploring moral and spiritual questions of pressing contemporary concern. —Michael Ward, Fellow of Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford, and co-editor of C.S. Lewis at Poets’ Corner
This volume follows Arthurian leylines in geographies of myth, history, gender, and culture, uncovering Inklings lodestones and way markers throughout. A must read for students of the Inklings. —Aren Roukema, Birkbeck, University of London

Definitely a book I'm adding to my "wish-list"!
None of the names are ones I recognize - but I admit that until recently I've focused more on the "big name" Tolkien scholars like Verlyn Flieger and Tom Shippey. At any rate, the Table of Contents I found on the Goodreads page for The Inklings and King Arthur looks intriguing:

Introduction—Present and Past: The Inklings and King Arthur.
—Sørina Higgins

Texts and Intertexts
1. The Matter of Logres: Arthuriana and the Inklings.
—Sørina Higgins
2. Medieval Arthurian Sources for the Inklings: An Overview.
—Holly Ordway
3. Mixed Metaphors and Hyperlinked Worlds:
A Study of Intertextuality in C. S. Lewis’ Ransom Cycle.
—Brenton D. G. Dickieson
4. Houses of Healing: The Idea of Avalon in Inklings Fiction and Poetry.
—Charles A. Huttar
5. Shape and Direction: Human Consciousness in the Inklings’ Mythological Geographies. —Christopher Gaertner

Histories Past
6. From Myth to History and Back Again:
Inklings Arthuriana in Historical Context.
—Yannick Imbert
7. “All Men Live by Tales”: Chesterton’s Arthurian Poems.
—J. Cameron Moore
8. The Elegiac Fantasy of Past Christendom in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Fall of Arthur.
—Cory Grewell

Histories Present
9. Spiritual Quest in a Scientific Age.
—Jason Jewell and Chris Butynskyi
10. The Stripped Banner:
Reading The Fall of Arthur as a Post-World War I Text.
—Taylor Driggers
11. “Lilacs Out of the Dead Land”:
Narnia, The Waste Land, and the World Wars.
—Jon Hooper
12. “What Does the Line along the Rivers Define?”:
Charles Williams’ Arthuriad and the Rhetoric of Empire.
—Benjamin D. Utter

Geographies of Gender
13. “Fair as Fay-woman and Fell-minded”: Tolkien’s Guinever.
—Alyssa House-Thomas
14. Beatrice and Byzantium: Sex and the City in the Arthurian Works of Charles Williams. —Andrew Rasmussen
15. Those Kings of Lewis’ Logres:
Arthurian Figures as Lewisian Genders in That Hideous Strength.
—Benjamin Shogren

Cartographies of the Spirit
16. “Servant of All”: Arthurian Peregrinations in George MacDonald.
—Kirstin Jeffrey Johnson
17. Camelot Incarnate: Arthurian Vision in the Early Plays of Charles Williams.
—Bradley Wells
18. “Any Chalice of Consecrated Wine”:
The Significance of the Holy Grail in Charles Williams’ War in Heaven.
—Suzanne Bray
19. The Acts of Unity: The Eucharistic Theology of Charles Williams’ Arthurian Poetry.
—Andrew C. Stout
Conclusion—Once and Future:
The Inklings, Arthur, and Prophetic Insight.
—Malcolm Guite

I'll also admit that my reading and book-buying habits have been directed more towards J.R.R. Tolkien and scholarship about his life and works. However, I'm working on expanding from there, and this definitely looks like a book to get. All I know about most of the other Inklings comes from the Humphrey Carpenter book of the same name, although recently I've bought another book or two on the topic.

New arrival to add to my Tolkien Collection - There Would Always Be A Fairy Tale by Verlyn Flieger

Guess what arrived in the mail today! I'd actually forgotten I'd ordered it, so it was a nice surprise:

There Would Always Be A Fairy Tale: More Essays On Tolkien
Verlyn Flieger
Kent State University Press
Copyright Date: December 2017
978-1606353080

The amazon.com product description:

Devoted to Tolkien, the teller of tales and co-creator of the myths they brush against, these essays focus on his lifelong interest in and engagement with fairy stories, the special world that he called faërie, a world they both create and inhabit, and with the elements that make that world the special place it is. They cover a range of subjects, from The Hobbit to The Lord of the Rings and their place within the legendarium he called the Silmarillion to shorter works like “The Story of Kullervo” and “Smith of Wootton Major.”
From the pen of eminent Tolkien scholar Verlyn Flieger, the individual essays in this collection were written over a span of twenty years, each written to fit the parameters of a conference, an anthology, or both. They are revised slightly from their original versions to eliminate repetition and bring them up to date. Grouped loosely by theme, they present an unpatterned mosaic, depicting topics from myth to truth, from social manners to moral behavior, from textual history to the micro particles of Middle-earth.
Together these essays present a complete picture of a man as complicated as the books that bear his name―an independent and unorthodox thinker who was both a believer and a doubter able to maintain conflicting ideas in tension, a teller of tales both romantic and bitter, hopeful and pessimistic, in equal parts tragic and comedic. A man whose work does not seek for right or wrong answers so much as a way to accommodate both; a man of antitheses.
Scholars of fantasy literature generally and of Tolkien particularly will find much of value in this insightful collection by a seasoned explorer of Tolkien’s world of faërie.

I'm looking forward to reading Verlyn Flieger's newest book on Tolkien, and yet I have to admit that even though I own most of her other Tolkien books, I have yet to actually read them! Anyway, this one is destined for both my Unread Tolkien books list, and my latest Tolkien collection post. Hopefully I'll be able to get around to reading it (and some of her other books) in the near future.

More new Tolkien books I've discovered!

Just what my poor budget needed - New Tolkien books (or at least new-to-me) to dream about buying. Yes, I've found a couple more books I'd love to add to my collection. First off is the newer of the two books:

I hadn't known that Verlyn Flieger was publishing another collection of her essays on Tolkien last month, but what a nice surprise!

There Would Always Be A Fairy Tale: More Essays On Tolkien
Verlyn Flieger
Kent State University Press
Copyright Date: December 2017
978-1606353080

The amazon.com product description:

Devoted to Tolkien, the teller of tales and co-creator of the myths they brush against, these essays focus on his lifelong interest in and engagement with fairy stories, the special world that he called faërie, a world they both create and inhabit, and with the elements that make that world the special place it is. They cover a range of subjects, from The Hobbit to The Lord of the Rings and their place within the legendarium he called the Silmarillion to shorter works like “The Story of Kullervo” and “Smith of Wootton Major.”
From the pen of eminent Tolkien scholar Verlyn Flieger, the individual essays in this collection were written over a span of twenty years, each written to fit the parameters of a conference, an anthology, or both. They are revised slightly from their original versions to eliminate repetition and bring them up to date. Grouped loosely by theme, they present an unpatterned mosaic, depicting topics from myth to truth, from social manners to moral behavior, from textual history to the micro particles of Middle-earth.
Together these essays present a complete picture of a man as complicated as the books that bear his name―an independent and unorthodox thinker who was both a believer and a doubter able to maintain conflicting ideas in tension, a teller of tales both romantic and bitter, hopeful and pessimistic, in equal parts tragic and comedic. A man whose work does not seek for right or wrong answers so much as a way to accommodate both; a man of antitheses.
Scholars of fantasy literature generally and of Tolkien particularly will find much of value in this insightful collection by a seasoned explorer of Tolkien’s world of faërie.

Verlyn Flieger has been a noted name in Tolkien scholarship for quite a few years now, having edited a number of editions of Tolkien's shorter works including On Fairy Stories, Smith of Wootton Major and The Story of Kullervo, as well as publishing quite a selection of books on Tolkien and his writings, including Splintered Light, Green Suns and Faerie, and Interrupted Music, most of which I have to admit I have yet to read (although all of the books listed here are in my collection).

The other book is the expensive one - but one I'd love to have nonetheless:

A Companion to J.R.R. Tolkien
Ed. Stuart D. Lee
Copyright: 2014
978-0470659823

The amazon.com product description:

This is a complete resource for scholars and students of Tolkien, as well as avid fans, with coverage of his life, work, dominant themes, influences, and the critical reaction to his writing.

• An in-depth examination of Tolkien’s entire work by a cadre of top scholars

• Provides up-to-date discussion and analysis of Tolkien’s scholarly and literary works, including his latest posthumous book, The Fall of Arthur, as well as addressing contemporary adaptations, including the new Hobbit films

• Investigates various themes across his body of work, such as mythmaking, medieval languages, nature, war, religion, and the defeat of evil

• Discusses the impact of his work on art, film, music, gaming, and subsequent generations of fantasy writers

Looking through the table of contents on this one is like going through a "who's who" of Tolkien scholarship. There are chapters by John Garth, Tom Shippey, John Rateliff, Verlyn Flieger, Mark Atherton, and Dimitra Fimi among many others.

I think I'm going to class this one as "expensive, but worth the cost - eventually".

Unread Tolkien Books - 2018

I'm a Tolkien collector - see the various Tolkien lists I have on my blog (here, here and here), but I've ended up buying the books faster than I can read them. There are unreviewed books on those lists that I have read, although they were read before I started All Booked Up.

 Unread Books 2018 - Tolkien List:

1. Hobbitus Ille - J.R.R. Tolkien - Fiction
2. The Annotated Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien - Fiction
3. J.R.R. Tolkien: A Reader's Guide - Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull - Non Fiction
4. The History Of The Hobbit: Mr. Baggins - John Rateliff - Non Fiction
5. The History Of The Hobbit: Return To Bag-End - John Rateliff - Non Fiction
6.  Tolkien: A Celebration - Joseph Pearce - Non Fiction
7. The Battle For Middle-Earth - Bonnie Rutledge - Non Fiction
8. The Ring Of Words - Jeremy H. Marshall - Non Fiction
9. The Children of Hurin - J.R.R. Tolkien - Fiction
10. On Faerie Stories - Ed. Verilyn Flieger - Non Fiction
11. The Tolkien Legendarium - Ed. Carl Hostetter - Non Fiction
12. Splintered Light: Logos And Language In Middle-Earth - Verilyn Flieger - Non Fiction
13. Green Suns and Faerie - Verilyn Flieger - Non Fiction
14. The Fall of Arthur - Ed. Christopher Tolkien - Poetry
15. Beowulf - Ed. Christopher Tolkien - Fiction
16. The Art of The Hobbit - Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull - Non Fiction
17. Interrupted Music: The Making Of Middle-Earth - Verilyn Flieger - Non Fiction
18. Master of Middle Earth - Paul Koch - Non Fiction
19. A Look Behind The Lord of the Rings - Lin Carter - Non Fiction
20. A Tolkien Compass - Jared Lobdel - Non Fiction
21. J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century - Tom Shippey - Non Fiction
22. The Gospel According To Tolkien - Ralph Woods - Non Fiction
23. There And Back Again: J.R.R. Tolkien And The Origins of The Hobbit - Mark Atherton - Non Fiction
24. Tolkien: A Celebration - Joseph Pearce - Non Fiction 
25. The Story of Kullervo - Ed. Christopher Tolkien
26. The Art of the Lord of the Rings - Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull - Non Fiction 
27. Tolkien - Raymond Edwards - Non Fiction
28. The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun - J.R.R. Tolkien - Ed. Verlyn Flieger - Fiction (Poetry) 
29. The Song of Middle-Earth: J.R.R. Tolkien's Themes, Symbols and Myths - David Harvey - Non Fiction 
30. J. R. R. Tolkien: A Secret Vice - Tolkien on Invented Languages - Eds. Dimitra Fimi and Andrew Higgins 
31. The Oxford Inklings: Lewis, Tolkien and Their Circle - Colin Duriez - Non Fiction, Biography
32. Tolkien, Race and Cultural History: From Fairies To Hobbits - Dimitra Fimi - Non Fiction 
33. There Would Always Be A Fairy Tale: More Essays on Tolkien - Verlyn Flieger - Non Fiction

New and new to me books.

I've had the pleasure over recent weeks to get back into book-buying, and as a result I've discovered an interesting selection of upcoming books, newly released books and books that are just plain new to me. Some of these I have in my hands, some are books I've seen but not yet bought, and some are books that have yet to be released. All of them look interesting.

I'm going to start with one I now own and am looking forward to reading (once I finish my current non-fiction read - Material Culture of the Anglo Saxon World):

Women, Crusading and the Holy Land in Historical Narrative
Natasha R. Hodgson
Boydell Press
Release date: 2007
978-1783272709

The amazon.com blurb:

Narratives of crusading have often been overlooked as a source for the history of women because of their focus on martial events, and perceptions about women inhibiting the recruitment and progress of crusading armies. Yet women consistently appeared in the histories of crusade and settlement, performing a variety of roles. While some were vilified as "useless mouths" or prostitutes, others undertook menial tasks for the army, went on crusade with retinues of their own knights, and rose to political prominence in the Levant and and the West. This book compares perceptions of women from a wide range of historical narratives including those eyewitness accounts, lay histories and monastic chronicles that pertained to major crusade expeditions and the settler society in the Holy Land. It addresses how authors used events involving women and stereotypes based on gender, family role, and social status in writing their histories: how they blended historia and fabula, speculated on women's motivations, and occasionally granted them a literary voice in order to connect with their audience, impart moral advice, and justify the crusade ideal.

I have a fascination with medieval history, but a particular interest in women's and everyday people's roles in that world - how everyday life is shaped and in daily living. I'm sincerely hoping that this book will cover some of those interests. Based on the description, it should. As I said earlier, I'm really looking forward to this read - but I refuse to abandon the book I'm currently reading to start this one.

The next book on my list is another one that I haven't started reading yet: the newest Mercedes Lackey anthology that came out last week. To be honest, I have yet to finish last year's offering (Tempest: All New Tales of Valdemar).

Pathways: All New Tales of Valdemar
Ed. Mercedes Lackey
DAW Books
Copyright: December 5, 2017
978-0756409043

The amazon.com product description:

The eleventh anthology of short stories set in Mercedes Lackey's beloved Valdemar universe features stories by debut and established authors and a brand-new story from Lackey herself

The Heralds of Valdemar are the kingdom’s ancient order of protectors. They are drawn from all across the land, from all walks of life, and at all ages—and all are Gifted with abilities beyond those of normal men and women. They are Mindspeakers, FarSeers, Empaths, ForeSeers, Firestarters, FarSpeakers, and more. These inborn talents—combined with training as emissaries, spies, judges, diplomats, scouts, counselors, warriors, and more—make them indispensable to their monarch and realm. Sought and Chosen by mysterious horse-like Companions, they are bonded for life to these telepathic, enigmatic creatures. The Heralds of Valdemar and their Companions ride circuit throughout the kingdom, protecting the peace and, when necessary, defending their land and monarch.

Now, twenty-three authors ride with Mercedes Lackey to her magical land of Valdemar, adding their own unique voices to the Heralds, Bards, Healers, and other heroes of this beloved fantasy realm.

Join Janny Wurts, Elisabeth Waters, Michele Lang, Fiona Patton, and others in twenty-four original stories, including a brand-new novella by Mercedes Lackey, all set in Valdemar, where:

A young woman without any of the Heralds’ Gifts must see a Companion safely delivered to Haven....

A Herald must revisit the mysteries of his childhood to save his own young family and combat a threat at the very heart of Valdemar....

A Hawkbrother flees for his life, trailed by a mysterious bird that prophesizes a dire future....

A mage must choose whether to steal a priceless artifact and be branded a thief and traitor, or let his country fall to magic that could prove far more deadly....

It's hard to believe that this is the eleventh book in this series! It is, though, and from what I've seen online, the book does contain some of the recurring characters that have become a staple of previous anthologies. I have to admit though that I'm not sure which ones they are at this point. I need to finish reading the previous anthology first.

The new season of The Crown came out last week, and I've discovered that there is a companion book to go with the first season now - and possibly the second as well. This is a book that I'd like to get my hands on sooner or later.

The Crown: The Official Companion, Volume 1: Elizabeth II, Winston Churchill, and the Making of a Young Queen (1947-1955)
Robert Lacey
Crown Archetype
Copyright Date: October 2017
978-1524762285

The amazon.com product description:

The official companion to the Emmy-winning Netflix drama chronicling the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, and starring Claire Foy and John Lithgow, The Crown by Peter Morgan, featuring additional historical background and beautifully reproduced archival photos and show stills

Elizabeth Mountbatten never expected her father to die so suddenly, so young, leaving her with a throne to fill and a global institution to govern. Crowned at twenty-five, she was already a wife and mother as she began her journey towards becoming a queen.

As Britain lifted itself out of the shadow of war, the new monarch faced her own challenges. Her mother doubted her marriage; her uncle-in-exile derided her abilities; her husband resented the sacrifice of his career and family name; and her rebellious sister embarked on a love affair that threatened the centuries-old links between the Church and the Crown. This is the story of how Elizabeth II drew on every ounce of resolve to ensure that the Crown always came out on top.

Written by the show’s historical consultant, royal biographer Robert Lacey, and filled with beautifully reproduced archival photos and show stills, The Crown: The Official Companion: Volume 1 adds expert and in-depth detail to the events of the series, painting an intimate portrait of life inside Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street. Here is Elizabeth II as we’ve never seen her before.

The description certainly makes this look like an intriguing book - with a mix of archival materials and materials from the show/sets.

And now back to medieval history, with another book on the Crusades to add to my collection. Christopher Tyerman has a good reputation as a historian and I own other books of his - though to my shame, I've only read one of them to date, even though I've owned the other for at least a decade now. This one I've ordered, but it has yet to arrive - expected in January.

How to Plan a Crusade: Religious War in the High Middle Ages
Christopher Tyerman
Pegasus Books
Copyright: October 2017
978-1681775241

The amazon.com product description:

A spirited and sweeping account of how the crusades really worked―and a revolutionary attempt to rethink how we understand the Middle Ages.
The story of the wars and conquests initiated by the First Crusade and its successors is itself so compelling that most accounts move quickly from describing the Pope's calls to arms to the battlefield. In this highly original and enjoyable new book, Christopher Tyerman focuses on something obvious but overlooked: the massive, all-encompassing and hugely costly business of actually preparing a crusade. The efforts of many thousands of men and women, who left their lands and families in Western Europe, and marched off to a highly uncertain future in the Holy Land and elsewhere have never been sufficiently understood. Their actions raise a host of compelling questions about the nature of medieval society.

How to Plan a Crusade is remarkably illuminating on the diplomacy, communications, propaganda, use of mass media, medical care, equipment, voyages, money, weapons, wills, ransoms, animals, and the power of prayer during this dynamic era. It brings to life an extraordinary period of history in a new and surprising way. 16 pages of color illustrations.

Another one I'm looking forward to reading. I think though, that I've been acquiring books faster than I can read them - and I've been doing this for years now.

And, another book on order that I'm waiting for. It's supposed to arrive any day now though. Dimitra Fimi's Tolkien, Race and Cultural History: From Fairies to Hobbits. Dimitra Fimi is the author/editor of the hardcover edition of A Secret Vice, and also wrote two chapters in the Routledge Companion to Imaginary Worlds (which is where I was first exposed to her works).

Tolkien, Race and Cultural History: From Fairies to Hobbits
Dimitra Fimi
Palgrave Macmillan
Copyright date: 2008
978-0230272842

The amazon.com product description:

Fimi explores the evolution of Tolkien's mythology throughout his lifetime by examining how it changed as a result of his life story and contemporary cultural and intellectual history. This new approach and scope brings to light neglected aspects of Tolkien's imaginative vision and contextualises his fiction.

I'm looking forward to this read too - but when I'll get to it... I've got quite a few unread books on Tolkien in my collection already.

Here's a Tolkien book I really want to get my hands on:

Tolkien: Maker of Middle-Earth
Catherine McIlwaine
Bodleian Library
Release Date: July 2018
978-1851244850

The amazon.com product description:

He was an expert in medieval literature and Norse folklore, with a deep reverence for the power of myth. An accomplished translator, linguist, and philologist, who invented multiple languages of his own. A whimsical illustrator and a skillful storyteller. The father of modern fantasy literature, J. R. R. Tolkien was a master of world-building and a complex and brilliant figure.
            Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth explores the huge creative endeavor behind Tolkien’s enduring popularity. Lavishly illustrated with more than 300 images of his manuscripts, drawings, maps, and letters, the book traces the creative process behind his most famous literary works—The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion—and reproduces personal photographs and private papers, many of which have never been seen before in print.
            Six essays cover the main themes in Tolkien’s life and work, including the influence of northern languages and legends on the creation of his own legendarium; his concept of “Faërie” as an enchanted literary realm; the central importance of his invented languages in his fantasy writing; his visual imagination and its emergence in his artwork; and the encouragement he derived from his close friend C. S. Lewis and their literary group the Inklings.
            This volume assembles a wealth of original Tolkien material, shedding light on the extraordinary genius and imagination that brought us Middle-earth with all its Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, Ringwraiths, Wizards, and, of course, Hobbits. Drawing on the archives of the Tolkien collections at the Bodleian Library and Marquette University, as well as private collections, this exquisitely produced catalog draws together the worlds of J. R .R. Tolkien—scholarly, literary, creative, and domestic—offering a rich and detailed history of this legendary author.

The author/editor of this book is the Tolkien archivist at the Bodleian Library in Oxford. What's of more interest - especially if you live in the United Kingdom - is that the Bodleian Library is holding an exhibition next year on Tolkien which this book is intended to showcase. I only wish I could attend.

The latest book to join my collection - The Oxford Inklings

The newest book arrival to join my Tolkien collection turned up yesterday.

The Oxford Inklings
Colin Duriez
Lion Hudson
Copyright date: 2015
978-0745956343

The amazon.com product description:

A unique account of one of history's most intriguing literary groups, which will find itself on the reading list of every serious Tolkien, Lewis, or Inkling fan
The Inklings were an influential group, along the lines of the Lake Poets or the Bloomsbury Group. Acclaimed author Colin Duriez explores their lives, their writings, their ideas, and, crucially, the influence they had on each other. Examining the clear purpose behind the group while celebrating its diversity and lack of formality, Duriez explains how this eclectic group of friends, without formal membership, agenda, and minutes, could have a program that shaped the publication and ideas of the leading participants. The Inklings met weekly for many years in Oxford, to discuss and read their writings—conversation was as important to them as writing—and so the city of Oxford, and its pubs where conversations were borne out, feature, as does the Christian faith of the defining members, which influenced them greatly. C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien were at the group's center, but who else was involved, and why do Owen Barfield and Charles Williams matter so much? The Oxford Inklings explores the complex and fascinating interactions of the group, including the women on the fringes, such as Dorothy L. Sayers and Lewis's wife, Joy Davidman.

I have to admit, I'm curious about this book. Mostly though, I want to see how it compares with Humphrey Carpenter's The Inklings. I've long considered his Tolkien biography to be the gold standard as it were - though I do own other biographies, I just haven't gotten around to reading them yet.

New Book - Essays on the Lord of the Rings

One of my former co-workers recently published a book through Amazon titled Essays on the Lord of the Rings. Having read a couple of them, I have to say that he has quite the interesting perspective.

Essays on the Lord of the Rings
Patrick McEvoy-Halston
Independently Published
Copyright Date: April 10, 2017
978-1521032213

The amazon.com product description:

Series of essays on The Lord of the Rings, including two "reader's guides," as well as a foray into the fictitious possibility -- What if Saruman was right? The lead essay focuses on how LOTR is best understood as actually more anti-adventure than adventure; on how it never really lets you get too far outside your door, even as you find yourself amongst things as wondrous as Oliphants, wizards, Orcs and Elves. Think of this book as an attempt at good counsel so you don't go adrift to the unexpected wiles of J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece.

As I said, he has quite the interesting perspective.

Unread Books 2017 - Tolkien Books

I'm a Tolkien collector - see the various Tolkien lists I have on my blog (here, here and here), but I've ended up buying the books faster than I can read them. There are unreviewed books on those lists that I have read, although they were read before I started All Booked Up.

 Unread Books 2017 - Tolkien List:

1. Hobbitus Ille - J.R.R. Tolkien - Fiction
2. The Annotated Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien - Fiction
3. J.R.R. Tolkien: A Reader's Guide - Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull - Non Fiction
4. The History Of The Hobbit: Mr. Baggins - John Rateliff - Non Fiction
5. The History Of The Hobbit: Return To Bag-End - John Rateliff - Non Fiction
6.  Tolkien: A Celebration - Joseph Pearce - Non Fiction
7. The Battle For Middle-Earth - Bonnie Rutledge - Non Fiction
8. The Ring Of Words - Jeremy H. Marshall - Non Fiction
9. The Children of Hurin - J.R.R. Tolkien - Fiction
10. On Faerie Stories - Ed. Verilyn Flieger - Non Fiction
11. The Tolkien Legendarium - Ed. Carl Hostetter - Non Fiction
12. Splintered Light: Logos And Language In Middle-Earth - Verilyn Flieger - Non Fiction
13. Green Suns and Faerie - Verilyn Flieger - Non Fiction
14. The Fall of Arthur - Ed. Christopher Tolkien - Poetry
15. Beowulf - Ed. Christopher Tolkien - Fiction
16. The Art of The Hobbit - Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull - Non Fiction
17. Interrupted Music: The Making Of Middle-Earth - Verilyn Flieger - Non Fiction
18. Master of Middle Earth - Paul Koch - Non Fiction
19. A Look Behind The Lord of the Rings - Lin Carter - Non Fiction
20. A Tolkien Compass - Jared Lobdel - Non Fiction
21. J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century - Tom Shippey - Non Fiction
22. The Gospel According To Tolkien - Ralph Woods - Non Fiction
23. There And Back Again: J.R.R. Tolkien And The Origins of The Hobbit - Mark Atherton - Non Fiction
24. Tolkien: A Celebration - Joseph Pearce - Non Fiction 
25. The Story of Kullervo - Ed. Christopher Tolkien
26. The Art of the Lord of the Rings - Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull - Non Fiction 
27. Tolkien - Raymond Edwards - Non Fiction
28. The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun - J.R.R. Tolkien - Ed. Verlyn Flieger - Fiction (Poetry) 
29. The Song of Middle-Earth: J.R.R. Tolkien's Themes, Symbols and Myths - David Harvey - Non Fiction 
30. J. R. R. Tolkien: A Secret Vice - Tolkien on Invented Languages - Eds. Dimitra Fimi and Andrew Higgins 
31. The Oxford Inklings: Lewis, Tolkien and Their Circle - Colin Duriez - Non Fiction, Biography

Middle-Earth: Visions Of A Modern Myth - Donato Giancola

Middle-Earth: Visions Of A Modern Myth
Donato Giancola
Underwood Books
Copyright: 2010
978-1599290478

The amazon.com product description:

From the brush of Donato Giancola, one of the world's most recognized and lauded fantasy artists, comes a book filled with new illustrations that apply his legendary Renaissance craftsmanship to J. R. R. Tolkien's fantastic Middle-Earth. Dramatic lighting and deft draftsmanship reminiscent of master painters like Caravaggio, Rembrandt, and Vermeer explain Donato's popularity with millions of fans, as well as the numerous Hugo and Chesley Awards he has received. This long-awaited, moving, and beautiful voyage through Middle-Earth — a must-have for eager genre readers everywhere — offers a refreshingly new exploration of literature's most beloved fantasy realm. From Helm's Deep to Mount Doom, Donato takes readers on a colorful tour filled with warriors, wizards, dragons, and dwarfs. Throughout he exhibits his astonishing technical virtuosity with every scene he brings to life, while also demonstrating the delight and wonder familiar to all true devotees of Middle-Earth.

I've had this book since 2010/2011 and I hadn't read it yet? I don't know what I was thinking! Middle-Earth: Visions Of A Modern Myth didn't deserve to languish on my TBR pile anywhere near this long.

Alan Lee and John Howe have been two of my favorite Tolkien illustrators for the longest time. As of today, they've been joined by a third artist: Donato Giancola. His book of Tolkien artwork is spectacular! There are scenes from The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings, but also a scattering of pieces from the older myths that make up The Silmarillion.

Donato Giancola has an extensive gallery of his artwork on his website, and that's where I found these examples:

• Gandalf The White Rider At Helms Deep
• Gandalf In Moria
• The Lord of the Rings

Interestingly, I found on going through his book that my favorite style of image are the pencil crayon and chalk illustrations on toned paper. They remind me of both the Degas sketches I've seen and also of an exhibit I once saw of Leonardo Da Vinci's sketches. Ever since then, I've been rather partial to that style of art.

Middle-Earth: Visions Of A Modern Myth is a very quick book to go through on a cover-to-cover read, however you can spend quite a bit more time admiring each of the gorgeous plates - or at least I can. I certainly found the book to be money well spent, and I'm going to be returning to it to admire the pictures over and over I'm sure.

Another New Tolkien Book!

November is going to be a good month for Tolkien fans (Based on Canadian release dates. It looks as though the USA ones are earlier.)! First of all, there's the new Facsimile first edition of The Hobbit - released for the 80th anniversary that I mentioned back in September, and today I found out about this one. Not to forget about the Beren and Luthien book which is coming out in 2017 - and for which I currently cannot find a non-e-book listing!

The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun
J.R.R. Tolkien
Ed. Verlyn Flieger
HarperCollins
Release Date: November 3, 2016
978-0008202132

The amazon.com product description:

Unavailable for more than 70 years, this early but important work is published for the first time with Tolkien's 'Corrigan' poems and other supporting material, including a prefatory note by Christopher Tolkien. Set 'In Britain's land beyond the seas' during the Age of Chivalry, The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun tells of a childless Breton Lord and Lady (the 'Aotrou' and 'Itroun' of the title) and the tragedy that befalls them when Aotrou seeks to remedy their situation with the aid of a magic potion obtained from a corrigan, or malevolent fairy. When the potion succeeds and Itroun bears twins, the corrigan returns seeking her fee, and Aotrou is forced to choose between betraying his marriage and losing his life.

Coming from the darker side of J.R.R. Tolkien's imagination, The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun, together with the two shorter 'Corrigan' poems that lead up to it and which are also included, was the outcome of a comparatively short but intense period in Tolkien's life when he was deeply engaged with Celtic, and particularly Breton, myth and legend. Originally written in 1930 and long out of print, this early but seminal work is an important addition to the non-Middle-earth portion of his canon and should be set alongside Tolkien's other retellings of myth and legend, The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun, The Fall of Arthur and The Story of Kullervo. Like these works, it belongs to a small but important corpus of his ventures into 'real-world' mythologies, each of which in its own way would be a formative influence on his own legendarium.

Verlyn Flieger has a reputation as one of the great Tolkien scholars, having written several highly recommended books on the subject as well as more recently editing a number of new editions of Tolkien's books. This is sure to be an interesting one that I'm looking forward to reading.

New Tolkien Book

The Hobbit Facsimile First Edition
J.R.R. Tolkien
HarperCollins
Release Date: September 22, 2016
978-0007440832

The amazon.com blurb:

This sumptuous gift set includes a replica of the very rare first edition of The Hobbit, the only edition where one can now read the original version of the story before Tolkien re-edited it to become the one enjoyed by readers since 1951. The Hobbit was published on 21 September 1937, with a print run of 1,500 copies. With a beautiful cover design, nearly a dozen black & white illustrations and two black & red maps by the author himself, the book proved to be popular and was reprinted shortly afterwards. History was already being made. The scarcity of the first edition has resulted in copies commanding huge prices, way beyond the reach of most Tolkien fans. In addition, subsequent changes to the text - particularly those to chapter 5, when Tolkien decided in 1947 to revise the text to bring it better into accord with events as they were developing in its 'sequel', The Lord of the Rings - mean that the opportunity to read the book in its original form and format has become quite difficult. This special printing reprints the first edition, so that readers of all ages - not just 'children between the ages of 5 and 9', as Rayner Unwin famously declared in his report on the original submission - can finally enjoy Tolkien's story as it originally appeared.

I first saw rumors of this book back in 2010/2011 for the 75th anniversary of The Hobbit. However, it seems that nothing came of it back then - it was certainly never available for order. I'm glad to see it available now for the 80th anniversary. I've loved the previous facsimile edition of one of Tolkien's books - Mr. Bliss.

All I know is that I really want to get a copy of this one. Most of the information on the differing editions and rewrites of The Hobbit is already available, most notably through the Annotated Hobbit - another very spectacular book, which I am sad to admit, I have not actually read all the way through.

Maybe I'm also simply a sucker for slipcased books, especially when it comes to Tolkien. I know I'm something of a collector of Tolkien's books - see the somewhat scary list and photos posts for proof if you wish, but I've also fallen quite behind when it comes to actually reading the books. Not that that's going to stop me from continuing to add to my collection.

Unread Books - Tolkien 2016

After the past several years of running a mixed Unread Books list on my blog, last year I broke it down into categories. I'm doing the same thing this year, albeit a bit later in the year. Maybe it'll make it easier to keep the lists updated - and to find the books once I've read them. The plan is to have a fiction list, a primary sources list, a Tolkien list and a non-fiction list. Who knows, breaking the list up might even make it less intimidating!

I'm a Tolkien collector - see the various Tolkien lists I have on my blog (here, here and here), but I've ended up buying the books faster than I can read them. There are unreviewed books on those lists that I have read, although they were read before I started All Booked Up.

 Unread Books 2016 - Tolkien List:

1. Hobbitus Ille - J.R.R. Tolkien - Fiction
2. The Annotated Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien - Fiction
3. J.R.R. Tolkien: A Reader's Guide - Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull - Non Fiction
4. The History Of The Hobbit: Mr. Baggins - John Rateliff - Non Fiction
5. The History Of The Hobbit: Return To Bag-End - John Rateliff - Non Fiction
6.  Tolkien: A Celebration - Joseph Pearce - Non Fiction
7. The Battle For Middle-Earth - Bonnie Rutledge - Non Fiction
8. The Ring Of Words - Jeremy H. Marshall - Non Fiction
9. The Children of Hurin - J.R.R. Tolkien - Fiction
10. On Faerie Stories - Ed. Verilyn Flieger - Non Fiction
11. The Tolkien Legendarium - Ed. Carl Hostetter - Non Fiction
12. Splintered Light: Logos And Language In Middle-Earth - Verilyn Flieger - Non Fiction
13. Green Suns and Faerie - Verilyn Flieger - Non Fiction
14. The Fall of Arthur - Ed. Christopher Tolkien - Poetry
15. Beowulf - Ed. Christopher Tolkien - Fiction
16. The Art of The Hobbit - Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull - Non Fiction
17. Interrupted Music: The Making Of Middle-Earth - Verilyn Flieger - Non Fiction
18. Master of Middle Earth - Paul Koch - Non Fiction
19. A Look Behind The Lord of the Rings - Lin Carter - Non Fiction
20. A Tolkien Compass - Jared Lobdel - Non Fiction
21. J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century - Tom Shippey - Non Fiction
22. The Gospel According To Tolkien - Ralph Woods - Non Fiction
23. There And Back Again: J.R.R. Tolkien And The Origins of The Hobbit - Mark Atherton - Non Fiction
24. Tolkien: A Celebration - Joseph Pearce - Non Fiction 
25. The Story of Kullervo - Ed. Christopher Tolkien
26. The Art of the Lord of the Rings - Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull - Non Fiction 
27. Tolkien - Raymond Edwards - Non Fiction
28. Middle-Earth: Visions of a Modern Myth - Donato Giancola - Art 
29. J.R.R. Tolkien: A Secret Vice - Tolkien on Invented Languages - Ed. Dimitra Fimi and Andrew Higgins

The Importance of Food and Drink in Fiction (A Very Pretentious Title)

This whole piece got started by an idle discussion between my husband and I about food in the Lord of the Rings. After that, I just started noticing all of the references to food, food preparation and meals in the books I was reading. It's not an exhaustive survey, just what I've noticed recently and some examples I remember reading in the past.

The Importance of Food and Drink in Fiction

Food and drink. The two are integral to every society I can think of or have read about in real life or in fiction. From a meeting in a coffee shop to a lavish feast being served up in front of the main characters, it can range from an elaborate background setting to something far more integral to the plot, or the characters.

The familiarity or strangeness of the foods being served or made by the characters can act as a barometer to the intended familiarity or strangeness of the worlds that the books are set in. A few examples might be the foods that the hobbits eat in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (apples, beer, bacon and mushrooms for example), meant to represent our own Europe in a distant past, or perhaps the foods from Pern (Klah, wherry, packtail, redfruit, tubers), the world created by Anne McCaffrey, an alien planet. Some authors have taken a middle ground, where some of the foods are our own, but perhaps some of the seasonings or drinks are unfamiliar – the direction taken by Elizabeth Moon in the Paksenarrion's World books (cheese, onions, stews, but also sib and asar).

Done well, the use of food in a novel can be a way of involving the reader's senses into the story through their own experiences and memories. To use one of Mercedes Lackey's books as an example, in Magic's Price there is a scene where the main character is enjoying a piece of bread fresh out of the oven with butter melting into it. Who doesn't know the taste and smell of that? Or the smell of a large pot of soup on the stove?

Some books use food and drink to illustrate elements of the characters personalities, as Mercedes Lackey did in The Fire Rose. Rosalind Hawkins' preference for unladylike sandwiches went along with her other unladylike interests in reading, history and languages, as well as her desire for a university education. Another Mercedes Lackey novel, By The Sword opens with the main character, Kerowyn, supervising the preparations for her brother's marriage feast. Really, her place should have been out participating in the feast itself though. However, for various reasons she's in the kitchen, which suggests in hind-sight that she's something of an outsider at the Keep – which is proven throughout the book. Then, going back to Tolkien and The Hobbit for another example, you have Beorn, the skin-changer, who could also take on the form of a great bear. He lived, according to Gandalf, mostly on cream and honey, which you might say reflected his other form as a bear.

Outside of restaurant scenes, how meal and food preparation is presented to us as the audience can also say a lot about the worlds the characters are inhabiting. If we only see perfectly done, finished meals presented to the characters, it suggests to me one of two things. Either they are upper-class with servants to do all the work, or else the world is a high-tech one a la Star Trek with its replicators to do most of the day-to-day cooking. It's not only how the foods are presented, but also the ingredients used, however – venison, hare, rabbit, onions etc all say to me “good, solid, homey food”. On the other hand, eels and other exotic dishes are more likely to suggest that the meals are designed to be impressive, and often expensive.

Eating and drinking is also very much a social thing to do. Especially when it comes to historical fiction and fantasy, though it's still very prevalent in more modern settings. How often do you see the characters agreeing to meet up for a drink? These days it would be a coffee and a muffin. In historical fiction it's more likely to be wine or scotch (for men) and tea and biscuits for women. One of the biggest set-pieces as well is the great feast, with all of it's attendant preparations and rituals. This is one that you see most often in the historical fiction and fantasy realms – either from the preparation side as in By The Sword, or from the perspective of one of the diners – think of some of the feasts in Diana Gabaldon's books for example.

Continuing with a further look into the third book of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, nearly every time characters are meeting socially there is food involved: Ginger biscuits in one of the 1960's scenes. Sherry or port for the men in the 18^th century scenes – or, hare pie or a savory in the same time period in Scotland. Diana Gabaldon is an author who isn't going to shy away from the kitchen and food preparations in her books, and it adds so much richness to her writings.

Broadening out, food, or the lack of may well be a plot-point in and of itself. In J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, the prevalence or scarcity of food is one of the keys to the characters' emotional states. The less food they have, the more irritable and angry they get – and several times, they run out of food entirely, or believe they are about to, adding more tension to the story. Similarly in the early books of the Change series by S. M. Stirling (Dies The Fire and The Protector's War) we see the lengths that the characters will or will not go to to get food due to the sudden scarcity thanks to the Change, and the meals are certainly more than a background setting. Another example of the lengths that characters will go to in order to get food is in Suzanne Collins Hunger Games trilogy where teenagers are willing to increase their chances at being drawn for Tribute in order to get food for themselves and their families. Not to mention what they're willing to consider food!

Similarly, we see the cycle of the year shown through the foods and quantities of foods available as the seasons change in S. M. Stirling's books, and more subtly in the Outlander books. From seasonal feasts to scarcity, it's all there and it has an effect on the characters lives and actions. I know that after reading the early Change books, I have a greater appreciation for the humble backyard vegetable garden and it's potential.

And now, there's an interesting twist on the food in novels/TV-series that's growing: the novel-themed cookbook. I only know of a few so far, but they're definitely interesting. The first one I saw came out around 2012, for the Game of Thrones TV series, called A Feast Of Ice And Fire: The Official Game Of Thrones Companion Cookbook. It has it's own unique twist, in that the authors took known medieval recipes and modernized them. The Hunger Games has also inspired a few cookbooks, although I'm not sure just how inspiring some of what the characters are known to have been eating was.

The one that I want to read and test the most though is the Outlander Kitchen cookbook. Due out this summer, it looks like a good one, based on the blog of the same name. Diana Gabaldon has included many a dish both humble and extravagant, old and modern through her series of books, and the author of the Outlander Kitchen started a blog inspired by the recipes, which has since turned into a book. However, as far as I can tell, the blog is still being updated as well, and what's more, all of the recipes I've seen there look absolutely delicious!

Tolkien's Annotated Map of Middle-Earth

I've seen a couple of articles this morning about the map of Middle-Earth that J.R.R. Tolkien annotated, including this one over at IO9. It's definitely neat, but I really hope that someday soon there will be a large-scale print version (preferably with notes) made available to those of us who can't go to see the original.

The largest size image I've found so far online is this one. It's good, but I can't read any of the annotations in the image. Part of that, I will admit is because the writing is a challenge in itself. However, many of the notations are quite faint and small - even when zoomed in on the image.

The Tolkien Society article on the topic.
The Bodleian Library article on their acquisition of the map.

The Tolkien Collection, 2016 Version

Back in 2011, Anassa gave me the idea to take out my Tolkien books and stack them up on the table. Made for a rather impressive pile too. The table then seated four. Now, it takes one side of a snooker table to display the collection. The last few years have been good ones for the Tolkien collector, with new books (not to mention new editions of his books) being released every year.

I did another list in 2013, which was the first time I used the snooker table to hold it, and now it's time for a new one.

To get the whole thing in one frame, I had to back away so far that none of the titles can be read easily in the photo. In general though, there's the entirety of the History of Middle-Earth series stacked to the far left of the photo followed by the newer books of Tolkien's poetry. Above those we have the audio books, two Hobbit Blu-rays, Mr. Bliss, the Art of The Hobbit and The Art of the Lord of the Rings (two absolutely gorgeous books). Next to that is most of the mass-market sized Tolkien books and then the Black boxed set and the white set (still in it's shrink-wrap). Just to one side of the middle of the stack are my Verlyn Flieger books on Tolkien, the Lord of the Rings movies, some art books, and the final item in the display is the J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide two book set.

The books:

1. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
   One volume edition, illustrated by Alan Lee. (Middle of the bottom row)
2. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
   One volume, movie cover edition. (Horizontally in the middle of the stack beside the Alan Lee illustrated Lord of the Rings)
3. The Lord of the Rings 50th Anniversary Box Set by J.R.R. Tolkien
   The white box set including the Lord of the Rings Readers Companion by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull. Still in the shrink wrap.
   
4. The Lord of the Rings box set by J.R.R. Tolkien
   The black box set. (above the white set)
5. The Lord of the Rings
   The BBC Radio Play edition adapted by Brian Sibley. Each of the major characters is done by a different actor, including Ian Holm (Frodo), Peter Woodthorpe (Gollum) and Michael Horden (Gandalf). (About the only thing not pictured. I realized too late that it's upstairs)
6. The Lord of the Rings
   The BBC Radio Play edition adapted by Brian Sibley. Each of the major characters is done by a different actor, including Ian Holm (Frodo), Peter Woodthorpe (Gollum) and Michael Horden (Gandalf). Duplicate edition with some new narration. Not pictured.
7. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
8. The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien
9. The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
10. The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
11. The Annotated Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Annotated by Douglas A. Anderson
    Lovely design with two columns: one for the text and the other for notes, including excerpts from letters, possible inspirations etc. I'm a bit ashamed to admit I have yet to fully read this edition, but it's so full of information that it really is a must have.
12. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Illustrated by Alan Lee
13. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Mass market edition.
14. The Hobbit Graphic Novel
15. Roverandom by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Black edition.
16. Roverandom by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Illustrated Hardcover edition, with the illustrations being by J.R.R. Tolkien too. Library discard.
17. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Hardcover, with illustrations from the Rankin-Bass animated movie. The first edition of The Hobbit that I ever read. A bit awkwardly sized, but has a lot of sentimental value.
18. The Hobbit
    BBC Radio Play edition
19. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
    80th Anniversary Hardcover Facsimile edition. Not pictured.
20. The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Hardcover, illustrated by Ted Naismith
21. The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
22. The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Library discard hardcover
23. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, Sir Orfeo translated by J.R.R. Tolkien
    My favourite translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - Tolkien seems to have kept the meter and rhyme scheme very well.
24. Tales from The Perilous Realm b J.R.R. Tolkien
    Made up of Leaf by Niggle, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, Farmer Giles of Ham and Smith of Wootton Major. Illustrated by Alan Lee
25. On Fairy Stories by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Edited by Verlyn Flieger and Douglas A. Anderson. Included commentary and notes
26. The Adventures of Tom Bombadil edited by Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes
27. Tree and Leaf by J.R.R. Tolkien
28. Farmer Giles of Ham by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Edited by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull.
29. The Tolkien Reader by J.R.R. Tolkien
30. The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Edited by Christopher Tolkien
31. The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Audiobook read by Christopher Lee.
32. Sigurd and Gudrun by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Edited by Christopher Tolkien
33.  The Fall of Arthur by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Edited by Christopher Tolkien 
34. Beowulf by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Edited by Christopher Tolkien.
35. The Story of Kullervo by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Edited by Christopher Tolkien
36. The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Edited by Verlyn Flieger
37. Beren and Luthien by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Edited by Christopher Tolkien. Not pictured.
38. Tales from the Perilous Realm
    BBC Radio Play edition.
39. Mr. Bliss by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Lovely slip-cased facsimile edition.
40. The Father Christmas Letters by J.R.R. Tolkien
41. Smith of Wootton Major by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Edited by Verlyn Flieger
42. Finn and Hengist by J.R.R. Tolkien
43. The Ancrene Wisse edited by J.R.R. Tolkien
    One expensive book! In some form of Middle English, I think with some latin mixed in. I can't read it at all. Early English Text Society edition.
44. Bilbo's Last Song by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Illustrated by Pauline Baynes
45. The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays by J.R.R. Tolkien
46. The Unfinished Tales by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
    Same cover style as the Black box set of the Lord of the Rings.
47. The Unfinished Tales by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
48. The Unfinished Tales by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
    The deluxe slipcased edition. Not pictured.
49. The Book of Lost Tales One by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
50. The Book of Lost Tales Two by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
51. The Lays of Beleriand by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
52. The Shaping of Middle Earth by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
53. The Lost Road by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
54. The Return of the Shadow by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
    The first book covering the draft versions of The Lord of the Rings. Also, the first book in the History Of Middle Earth series that I ever read.
55. The Treason of Isengard by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
    The second book about the Lord of the Rings
56. The War of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
    The third book in the set about the Lord of the Rings.
57. Sauron Defeated by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
    Only part of the book covers the end of the documents about the Lord of the Rings. The rest holds one of my other favourite unfinished stories by Tolkien though: The Notion Club Papers. I think this copy also has some holes punched in the pages  (from the metal bookmark I stopped using as soon as I discovered it was doing that).
58. Morgoth's Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
59. The War of the Jewels by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
60. Peoples of Middle Earth by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
    Only one of the History of Middle-Earth books I have in hardcover.
61. A Middle English Reader and Vocabulary by Kenneth Sisam and J.R.R. Tolkien
    IIRC, Kenneth Sisam was one of Tolkien's tutors.
62. The Tolkien Family Album by John and Priscilla Tolkien
63. The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien edited by Humphrey Carpenter
    Hardcover edition
64. The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien edited by Humphrey Carpenter
    With the improved index.
65. J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography by Humphrey Carpenter
    This is the gold standard biography I believe.
66. The Inklings by Humphrey Carpenter
67. Tolkien by Raymond Edwards
68. The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull
    Slip-cased set of two volumes: the Chronology and the Reader's Guide. Another jaw-dropper of a set, and one I consider to be a must-have.
69. The Lord of the Rings Reader's Companion by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull
70. The Art Of The Hobbit by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull.
    The artwork that J.R.R. Tolkien did for The Hobbit, both during the drafts and for publication gathered together in one place. Beautifully done in a lovely slipcase.
71. The Art of the Lord of the Rings by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull. 
    Follows the same format as the Art of the Hobbit. Absolutely spectacular!
72. J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist And Illustrator by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull
    About Tolkien's own artwork over the years from his childhood on. Stunning, and has insights into Tolkien and his writings as well.
73. The Complete Guide to Middle-Earth by Robert Foster
74. The Complete Guide To Middle Earth by Robert Foster
    Dates from university where I was keeping a copy handy for between class editing of my website.
75. Tolkien and the Great War by John Garth
76. A Question of Time: Tolkien's Road To Faerie by Verlyn Flieger
77. Interrupted Music: The Making of Middle-Earth by Verlyn Flieger
78. Splintered Light: Langage and Logos by Verlyn Flieger
79. Green Suns And Faerie by Verlyn Flieger.  
80. There Would Always Be A Fairy Tale: More Essays on Tolkien by Verlyn Flieger
    Not pictured.
81. Meditations on Middle-Earth edited by Karen Haber
    Illustrated by John Howe. A number of authors writing on how Middle-Earth and J.R.R. Tolkien influenced them.
82. Master of Middle Earth by Paul Koch
83. A Look Behind The Lord of the Rings by Lin Carter
84. A Tolkien Compass by Jared Lobdel
85. Tolkien's Legendarium Essays on The History of Middle-earth (Contributions to the Study of Science Fiction and Fantasy) edited by Verlyn Flieger and Carl F. Hostetter
    Essays that focus on the History of Middle Earth series. Another expensive book (especially for its size).
86. The History of The Hobbit: Mr. Baggins by John D. Ratelliff
87. The History of The Hobbit: Return to Bag-End by John D. Rateliff
88. The Journeys of Frodo by Barbara Stratchey
    Maps and distances focused on the descriptions given in The Lord of the Rings. Rather a neat book to have, if an awkward size.
89. Atlas of Middle-Earth by Karen Wynn Fonstaad
90. Understanding The Lord of the Rings by William Ready
91. Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary by Peter Gilliver, Jeremy Marshall and Edmun Weiner
92. The Road Goes Ever On: A Song Cycle: Music By Donald Swann and Poems by J.R.R. Tolkien
    This is one that I`d really like to hear some day. I can`t read music, so I don`t fully appreciate the book at all.
93. J.R.R. Tolkien: The Man Who Created The Lord of the Rings by Michael Coren
94. Understanding The Lord Of The Rings: The Best Of Tolkien Criticism Edited by Rose A. Zimbardo and Neil D. Isaacs
95. J.R.R. Tolkien by Robley Evans
    To be honest I cringe at this book - the errors are glaring.
96. Tolkien: A Celebration edited by Joseph Pearce
97. The Battle For Middle-Earth: Tolkien`s Divine Design in The Lord of the Rings by Fleming Rutledge
98. Middle-Earth: Visions of A Modern Myth by Donato Giancola
    A book of art about Middle-Earth.
99. The Road To Middle Earth by Tom Shippey
100. J.R.R. Tolkien: Author Of The Century by Tom Shippey
101. The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition DVD
102. The Two Towers Extended Edition DVD
103. The Return of the King Extended Edition DVD
104. The Lord of the Rings Extended Editions set. Blu-Ray
     Not pictured. Purchased after the photo was taken.
105. The Lord of the Rings DVD
106. The Fellowship of the Ring Soundtrack
     Not pictured
107. The Two Towers Soundtrack
     Not pictured
108. The Return of the King Soundtrack
     Not pictured
     The animated Bashki edition. Interestingly, Peter Woodthorpe does Gollum here too.
109. J.E.A. Tyler`s Tolkien book
     Not pictured, in storage
110. Tolkien`s Ring by David Day
     Illustrated by Alan Lee - the most redeeming feature of the book
111. The Tolkien Encyclopedia by David Day
     
112. A-Z of Tolkien by David Day
     
113. The Gospel According To Tolkien by Ralph Woods.
114. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
     Peter Jackson's first movie in his Hobbit trilogy. Blu-Ray format.
115. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
     Peter Jackson's second movie in the Hobbit Trilogy. Also in Blu-Ray. 
116. The Battle of the Five Armies
     Number three in Peter Jackson's version of The Hobbit. Blu-Ray.
     Not pictured - purchased after the photo was taken.
117. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey soundtrack
     Not pictured.
118. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug soundtrack
     Not pictured.
119. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies soundtrack
     Not pictured.
120. J.R.R. Tolkien: The Origin of the Rings
     DVD. A waste of a hour it's that bad. Not pictured as I can't find it. I might have sold it on. Unfortunately I have to report since that that is not true. I still own this one.
121. Tolkien Treasury
     A little gift-book of quotes. Not pictured. 
122. The Song of Middle-Earth: J.R.R. Tolkien's Themes, Symbols and Myths - David Harvey
     Not pictured
123. J.R.R. Tolkien: A Secret Vice - Tolkien on Invented Languages - eds. Dimitra Fimi and Andrew Higgins
     An expanded edition of A Secret Vice originally published in The Monsters and the Critics. Not pictured - purchased after these photos were taken.
124. The Oxford Inklings - Colin Duriez
     Not pictured - purchased after these photos were taken.

Close-ups of the collection:

The left-most portion of my Tolkien collection

The center portion of the collection

The right end of the collection

Unread Books 2015 - Tolkien

After the past several years of running a mixed Unread Books list on my blog, I've decided to break it up a bit this year. Maybe it'll make it easier to keep the lists updated - and to find the books once I've read them. The plan is to have a fiction list, a primary sources list, a Tolkien list and a non-fiction list. Who knows, breaking the list up might even make it less intimidating!

I'm a Tolkien collector - see the various Tolkien lists I have on my blog (here and here), but I've ended up buying the books faster than I can read them. There are unreviewed books on those lists that I have read, although they were read before I started All Booked Up.

 Unread Books 2015 - Tolkien List:

1. Hobbitus Ille - J.R.R. Tolkien - Fiction
2. The Annotated Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien - Fiction
3. J.R.R. Tolkien: A Reader's Guide - Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull - Non Fiction
4. The History Of The Hobbit: Mr. Baggins - John Rateliff - Non Fiction
5. The History Of The Hobbit: Return To Bag-End - John Rateliff - Non Fiction
6.  Tolkien: A Celebration - Joseph Pearce - Non Fiction
7. The Battle For Middle-Earth - Bonnie Rutledge - Non Fiction
8. The Ring Of Words - Jeremy H. Marshall - Non Fiction
9. The Children of Hurin - J.R.R. Tolkien - Fiction
10. On Faerie Stories - Ed. Verilyn Flieger - Non Fiction
11. The Tolkien Legendarium - Ed. Carl Hostetter - Non Fiction
12. Splintered Light: Logos And Language In Middle-Earth - Verilyn Flieger - Non Fiction
13. Green Suns and Faerie - Verilyn Flieger - Non Fiction
14. The Fall of Arthur - Ed. Christopher Tolkien - Poetry
15. Beowulf - Ed. Christopher Tolkien - Fiction
16. The Art of The Hobbit - Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull - Non Fiction
17. Interrupted Music: The Making Of Middle-Earth - Verilyn Flieger - Non Fiction
18. Master of Middle Earth - Paul Koch - Non Fiction
19. A Look Behind The Lord of the Rings - Lin Carter - Non Fiction
20. A Tolkien Compass - Jared Lobdel - Non Fiction
21. J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century - Tom Shippey - Non Fiction
22. The Gospel According To Tolkien - Ralph Woods - Non Fiction
23. There And Back Again: J.R.R. Tolkien And The Origins of The Hobbit - Mark Atherton - Non Fiction
24. Tolkien: A Celebration - Joseph Pearce - Non Fiction