I’m glad to se younall wel met  my dear narnia froends 

Littlgriz comes out of her hobbit hole what a lovley summers night

looks fore jo hobbit

Hey there, littlgriz, it is SO good to see you on the forum again! I hope your hobbit hole is as full of comfort as it should be.  

In recent Tolkien news, has anyone else seen this publishing announcement of a new upcoming book (2021), which will contain previously unpublished writings by J.R.R. Tolkien?! It is entitled The Nature of Middle-earth: https://www.theonering.net/torwp/2020/06/23/108207-the-nature-of-middle-earth-new-book-with-tolkiens-unpublished-writings/  

Posted by: @johobbit

In recent Tolkien news, has anyone else seen this publishing announcement of a new upcoming book (2021), which will contain previously unpublished writings by J.R.R. Tolkien?!

Ooooh! Sounds interesting!  

*adds to the long list of other Tolkien works that I haven't read*  

Oooh, I just saw this, and have bookmarked it for whichever family member has my name this Christmas. It is illustrated by Lee, Howe, and Nasmith, and based on Unfinished Tales, which was published in 1980—its 40th anniversary. 

Posted by: @johobbit

Heads up: Today Andy Serkis is reading The Hobbit, all in one sitting, I believe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/thehobbitath ... /gallery/0

It really is marvelous. He began at 5 a.m. EDT, and has not lost any of his grace and enthusiasm for the reading. The voices he portrays are wonderful, including Gollum/Sméagol's (of course!) and the spiders. Wish I could have heard him act Beorn. Can hardly wait for Bilbo's conversation with Smaug! I have not heard nearly all of the reading, but what I have watched, I am impressed. He is even dressed somewhat hobbitish, with a cozy vest.

And your wish is granted - if you can wait until September and then pay for it!

"We are delighted to announce the release of a brand-new audiobook of The Hobbit, read by award-winning actor, director and author Andy Serkis! This magical new recording arrives this September and is now available to pre-order: smarturl.it/TheHobbitAudio"

^ I need a re-read of Carpenter's Tolkien bio!

I just read this! The beard discussion mentioned near the end of the article is hilarious. I am glad to hear that Carl Hostetter, a JRRT expert and Elvish linguist, is the editor.

Last night Arthedain, the Norwegian Tolkien Society, had its annual Christmas dinner - only over Zoom this year.

The book edited by Hostetter was mentioned, and somebody was worried that any kind of Middle-earth texts might turn up now that Chrisopher Tolkien cannot check them any more.

But someone else knew more about the upcoming book, and reassured us that this was all approved by the right authorities, and Chistopher himself had chosen Hostetter as editor of the book.

It certainly looks like a good one - I'm tempted already  

Just heard about this — there's a fundraising campaign underway to buy Tolkien's home in Oxford and turn it into a centre dedicated to him! This needs to happen!!!  

Here's the article about it from the BBC — and here's the campaign website: Project Northmoor

Anyone else seen The Lord of the Rings in 4K yet? I just finished the trilogy and it is gorgeous. Definitely worth it if you have a 4K screen. Of course the cinematography is just a bonus to an already great story, but the sunrise during the Ride of the Rohirrim is unforgettable. Also a good excuse to re-watch the series. And then explain things to family members who have forgotten what happens in the book.

Mom: Why didn't Elrond sail before?

Me: Because he had one of the rings and was using it to protect Rivendell.

Mom: Wait, how many rings are there?

I'm having my annual viewing of LOTR on 29 Decenber, because it's somehow got missed, in spite of all the time I've spent at home this year!

Haven't seen it for over a year, and I'm noticing new things. One is how old Ian Holm looks as Bilbo. He was aged about 69/70 when he played this well-preserved 111-year-old, who to Gandalf's eyes still looked as he did at 51, when he was on the adventure with the dwarves. 

I look at him now and compare his face with my own (a few years younger).  Is it makeup, lights, or something else, that makes him look sometimes 50, and sometimes 70? 

I am eager to have this new book in my hands: Tolkien's Modern Reading by Holly Ordway, releasing on January. 25. Holly is of the same high caliber as Michael Ward. I follow them both on FB, and have found Holly's recent 1-2 minute videos as 'teases' for her book fascinating. She is an articulate speaker, and very relatable, as well. For more info, see http://www.hollyordway.com/tolkien/.

And here is the background of the book, written by the author, herself. Very interesting! This book is going to dispel the long-held belief that Tolkien pooh-poohed all modern literature.

I have ordered Tolkien's Modern Reading, and am excited to dive in.  

Gosh, that book sounds fantastic, @jo... I wasn't sure I was interested when you first mentioned it, but after reading the author's article that you just posted, I think I'll have to read the book too! I'm especially intrigued by her conclusion that Tolkien DIDN'T "despise" the Chronicles of Narnia... all that most of us know on the topic is that Tolkien famously objected to Lewis including Father Christmas in LWW and thought his world-building in general was terribly sloppy. I would love to see the evidence that Tolkien's view was more nuanced than that — and I'd love to know what he thought of modern authors as diverse as William Morris, Beatrix Potter, Agatha Christie and Isaac Asimov!!  

Hear-hear, @courtenay! My copy is on order, but as it is coming from the UK, it could take awhile arriving here.

I just read that Tolkien's Unfinished Tales (edited by his son, Christopher, now deceased) is coming out on audio CD in early May, and is being read by none other than *blows trumpet* Samuel West, aka BBC's Prince/King Caspian!! and his father, Timothy West. Apparently Samuel has been an avid Tolkien fan since childhood, which makes the reading all the more likeable.