Completing my Tolkien Library

[N.E. Brigand]

You know that there are also three books of Tolkien's art edited by Christina Scull and Wayne Hammond, J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator, The Art of The Hobbit and The Art of the Lord of the Rings, yes?

Those are three wonderful books. And between them, I think they include much more than 90% of what's contained in Pictures (which I was fortunate to have been gifted shortly after its publication). But not quite. And even if you have all four of those books, there are a few oddments of known Tolkien illustration that aren't found there. To take a minor example of no particular importance that I mentioned several years ago: there's a little sketch in John Rateliff's one-volume version of The History of 'The Hobbit' that's not in The Art of 'The Hobbit'.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

To take a minor example of no particular importance that I mentioned several years ago: there's a little sketch in John Rateliff's one-volume version of The History of 'The Hobbit' that's not in The Art of 'The Hobbit'.

Nor in the original two-volume HoTH, correct?

[N.E. Brigand]

To take a minor example of no particular importance that I mentioned several years ago: there's a little sketch in John Rateliff's one-volume version of The History of 'The Hobbit' that's not in The Art of 'The Hobbit'.

Nor in the original two-volume HoTH, correct?

As I recall, you are correct.

And on the subject of Tolkien libraries, I finally got around to ordering Hammond and Scull's edition of The Adventures of Tom Bombadil. And also the five collected volumes of Vinyar Tengwar.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Cool; I have neither, though I should get the TAoTB if it is at all comparable to Flieger's extended edition of Smith and her and Doug Anderson's wonderful Tolkien on Fairy-stories.

[N.E. Brigand]

Cool; I have neither, though I should get the TAoTB if it is at all comparable to Flieger's extended edition of Smith and her and Doug Anderson's wonderful Tolkien on Fairy-stories.

I know that with that book, Hammond & Scull solved one a longstanding minor mystery of Tolkien scholarship: what was the "Abingdon Chronicle"? It was long known that a version of "Shadow-Bride" in ATB was originally published in something that Tolkien referred to by that title, but no one knew what he meant. I'm sure there are a number of people who like myself who spent some hours on fruitless internet searches trying to figure it out. H&S suspected that it might be something to do with Our Lady's School in Abingdon, and at their request, the headmaster there searched back through the school's 1930s publications, finding not only that piece but another poem, "Noel," that had been completely unknown.

Another mystery I tried and failed to solve was one Flieger mentions in her 2005 edition of Smith. That book included Tolkien's essay on his own story, in which he puts this phrase in quotes: "O minutes great as years!" Flieger notes that she couldn't identify the source. In 2007 or so, I tried to crowd-source the solution on another website, to no avail. (Something amusing: a few years later, someone who had been participating on that site at that time but never saw my query offhandedly quoted the source on the site without any reference to Smith -- but then I didn't see his reference until long after.) In 2013, a blogger made the connection quite casually but apparently without realizing that there was any mystery surrounding it. I stumbled across that site early in 2014, but I was in the middle of something else, and by the time I had a chance to tell Flieger, she'd already learned it from Anderson. She then had lately published a second version of her Smith edition, but I gather the changes were relatively minor and didn't include this particular point.

I've just now noticed that there's a 180-page thesis from 2019 online that takes the connection for granted. It also quotes from some of Tolkien's undergraduate papers that I've never seen before (and briefly from a 1930s lecture), showing that Tolkien at least took notes on a lecture by David Nicol Smith that mentions a number of writers whom I believe are otherwise unmentioned in Tolkien's published writings to date.

But this particular poet had been mentioned a handful of times in Tolkien's works published to date, including one occasion that the author of that thesis doesn't mention: as I pointed out a few years ago, Tolkien writes in an essay on the Kalevala (first published by Flieger in Tolkien Studies) that "the real glory of Latmos was made by Keats."

Because, as anyone who's clicked on either of those links noticed, the source of that Smith reference is Keats, misquoted by Tolkien. In Hyperion, Keats writes, "O moments big as years!"

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Very cool.

That thesis looks like an impressive bit of scholarship!

[N.E. Brigand]

I had finally ordered the second edition of Scull and Hammond's J.R.R. Tolkien Companion & Guide, which was released in 2017, and the veritable brick of a package came in today's mail: The original in 2006 was two volumes; this one has three.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

As good as the original was, the revised edition is that much better.

[Perhael]

Just a belated update. My sister-in-law needed me to come back a week later after the previously mentioned tree-cutting and cut down some more of the Cousin It tree as well as the obvious clean up. Soooooo, another generous payoff. And with that, another huge Tolkien order. This time, the coffee-table picture books that @Voronwë mentioned about as well as the two Alan Lee Sketchbooks, and biographies of him (the 'authorized' bio by Humphrey Carpenter, plus a couple by Tom Shippey.)

I know I said I wasn't going to buy more, given the costs, but this opportunity wasn't going to come again. I have never spent so much all at once on new books. Used book sales, yes. But new? I discussed this with my wife and she was cool with it. Over a certain dollar amount we check with each other.

For some reason, I just felt very compelled to grab these now. I really do find that delving into Tolkien's works (Middle Earth and others) to be a marvelous antidote to the times we're in (and a nice complement to my Catholic Faith, also an 'antidote' to the times.) It's like that in addition to my religious faith, I also needed something secular to just dive in and lose myself.

I think that makes around 3 dozen books by/on/about him this year. I'll be occupied for this decade. See you all in 2030!

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Awesome! If you get a chance to take a "shelfie" I'd love to see it. I'll even share mine.

[Inanna]

HoF version of “I’ll Show you mine, if you’ll
Show me yours”

[Perhael]

I will! Probably not tonight. I did need a new bookshelf. My creative stocking of books here and there wasn't working anymore.

[Perhael]

Incidentally, I'm about halfway through “The Book of Lost Tales, Part 1.“ I'm really loving it. Although not as 'polished,' per se than the finished Silmarillion, I do like the approach he originally took in having the story told through the adventure of Eriol. I want to be Eriol; Tol Erresea sounds just like a place you would visit and never want to leave.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

[Perhael]

I haven't forgotten the shelfie (not that anyone has been holding their breath ;-). ) It's just that on the one hand I forgot, and on the other I snagged a few more gift cards from someone and ordered a few more books. A hardcover edition of the Hobbit, as well as “The Annotated Hobbit“ and 'Tolkien and the Great War“ by John Garth. When they come in next week....

[Voronwë the Faithful]

No hurry. Your are creating a wonderful collection! Both The Annotated Hobbit and Tolkien and the Great War are wonderful books, as I am sure you will agree.