Posted by: @coracle

Do others notice this too?

Absolutely! I have been re-reading The Lord of the Rings every other year since I was in my teens and this amazing tale only grows more precious, meaningful, deeper with each re-read; partly because of the richness of the story, itself, and partly because I have had and been in different life experiences with each read.

Posted by: @coracle

How can I bear it to be finished? Each chapter is now precious. 

As I grow older, it rouses different emotions in me. Events and words mean different things from when I was younger.

I know, exactly! Each time, I put off reading the final chapter or two as long as I can, because I never want the story to end! We well know the emotions that bubble up to bursting in that last chapter ... it's almost too much to face, and yet I also treasure moving into those intense, beautiful, bittersweet feelings again.

2024 is my next read, probably beginning in the summer. I have far too many other books I want to read to take The LotR on every year, so every second year works really well for me.  

If you have ever wondered what the soundtrack of 1977 Rankin/Bass The Hobbit movie sounds like here it is from YouTube:

I have always liked it (especially the music) and have owned it on vinyl LP records for years.  It is very dated and old fashioned, but if you like things from the 1970’s you might enjoy it. 🙂

Gretings well met. I love all things Tolkien 

I have heard wildly different opinions on if The Lord of the Rings Musical is even a good play, let alone a good adaptation. However, I have been a fan of the music for years and I am very intrigued by the revival at The Watermill Theatre. Apparently it's a semi-immersive production with some of the play being performed outside in the gardens and the rest inside with more elaborate set dressing, projections, etc.

Neither of the previous Toronto or London productions have a pro-shot, and it sounds like Watermill's staging wouldn't lend itself to being filmed, but at the very least we have a lovely music video of one of my favorite songs (which is probably all I'm going to get since I live on the other side of the Atlantic )

For future reference, is this a good place to post Tolkien-related art one makes? I have started a Frodo-drawing you see.

Thanks for checking, @silverlily! We've discussed it and agree that the Non-Narnian Art Thread is a good place for this. I'm looking forward to seeing your work.

I have just ordered a new hardcover edition of The Hobbit. My old paperback has the pages turning yellow, and I finally decided to replace it. I also have another edition of the book with pictures from the Rankin/Bass film, and it is a good quality paperback, which of course I will keep. I think this new book has a much more attractive cover than the cheaper paperback and a better binding.  I haven’t spent a fortune on Tolkien (not more than twenty dollars on each one of his books). I spent much more on C. S. Lewis and have many more of them. Do others here own a lot of Tolkien’s books?

Nice, Narnian78!

Posted by: @narnian78

Do others here own a lot of Tolkien’s books?

Yes! Along with CSL's, of course. When we were raising our kids in a different house, there was no space to have a separate room dedicated to Tolkien and Lewis; their books were in our general home library. But now, we are empty-nesters, so there is an entire room devoted to their written works and works about them (many biographies!). The room has large Middle-earth maps and posters around the walls, postcards from friends who have been to Oxford, a M-e calendar (or two), various items related to Oxford, wonderful paintings and sketches by artists—both Middle-earth and Narnia. This is quite a dream come true for me.

And best of all, my husband puts up with it. Actually, he truly appreciates both the writings of CSL and JRRT. Years ago, I introduced him to both and now he reads The Lord of the Rings every second year, and has just finished The Silmarillion for the first time, and loved it!  

My parents instilled my love of Narnia when I was yet a pre-schooler, and I still have the copies of those books from which they read to us kiddos. A good family friend introduced me to Tolkien in my mid-teens, and, well, the rest is history.

Also, I try and have doubles of some of the books, so I can freely loan out and even give some away.  

@Dot, I love The Lord of the Rings musical pieces, particularly "Now and For Always". We saw the musical three times when it came to Toronto, with other Tolkien fans (the Silver Leaves journal team). Very well done, indeed!

I really liked these ambient music videos which have the soundtrack from The Lord of the Rings movies. This one with the waterfalls is especially beautiful:

 There are number of other videos of ambient music from the Lord of the Rings and the Narnia films on YouTube. The music is so beautiful!  I like to watch these videos when I cannot fall asleep at night.  🙂

I finally ordered The Lord of the Rings in a one volume hardcover edition after owning only paperback copies for many years. I think anyone who loves the book should consider getting it in a hardcover edition.  I prefer the three parts of the story in one book. This edition that I ordered doesn’t have pictures, but it does have a very nice binding and it wasn’t very expensive (around $25). I am glad that I purchased it. 🙂

I finally started rereading The Hobbit and will also reread The Lord of the Rings. It has been many years since I read these books the first time, and I think I read both of them only twice before. I have heard of people who have read them numerous times. Of course since The Hobbit is a prelude it should be read first before the three parts of The Lord of the Rings. I surprised me a little when some people thought Tolkien was boring (Bored of the Rings was a satire written many years ago) although he remains one of today’s most popular authors.  He was a slow paced author, but that hasn’t stopped people from liking him. They evidently like him enough to reread his books many times, which is unusual for an author who was old fashioned and medieval in his lifestyle. 🙂

@stargazer Alright, have it uploaded finally. I'm pleased with this one and have thought through the meaning a good deal, if anyone would like to hear.

It's International Hobbit Day today, and I managed to dress in hobbity colours, with my cloak for warmth. Then I discovered this shop selling records (old vinyl). The proprietor kindly took a photo.

Edit: It was not preplanned. I just looked for warm clothes for a cooler day. Then I remembered it was Hobbit Day, and did a bit more. [NZ is many hours ahead of other countries]

Love it, @coracle! It was obviously too cold for you to take your boots off and show off your hairy hobbit feet, though...  

Do you like Tolkien’s translation of Beowulf?  I think it is a very fine translation having read it just recently.  In the introduction by Christopher Tolkien he says that it was unpublished for many years (the date on the paperback is 2014) , and I am not sure why.  It is a prose translation of the poem. I think that prose translations often work better because the lines of poetry are not forced from one language into another (e.g., old to modern English). This is especially true if the poem is actually a story. I read another translation many years ago in college by E. Talbot Donaldson. It was also a prose translation, which I would recommend if you like to reread the poem in modern English. 🙂

Do you have any issues about recommending The Lord of the Rings movies to children?  We have the movies in our church library, but I am not sure about recommending them to young children because there is a considerable amount of war and violence in them.  The stories clearly show the difference between good and evil, which is certainly a good thing.  But I think children of eleven or older should watch the movies with their parents since there are some disturbing scenes. With The Hobbit the animated version from 1977 may be better for children. There is much less violence in it, and it is shorter and easier for children to comprehend.  The Hobbit is a much easier book to understand, and it is more child friendly than The Lord of the Rings. But I think older children and young adults would find both of them quite understandable, and it is generally the same with the films.