The Fireside

  In the 'new blue' illustrated deluxe editions (of which The Hobbit  and The Lord of the Rings  belong to) William Morrow and HarperCollins will both be offering a deluxe illustrated edition of The Great Tales Trilogy ( The Children of Hurin, Beren and Luthien and The Fall of Gondolin ).  This appears to be a deluxe version of the boxed set that came out last year. I'm also really glad that they were grouping this books together, rather than individually. Perhaps they'll do a Signature Paperback Collection boxed set some day....?  The HarperCollins version arrives in June and the William Morrow one in July. For anyone wondering, The Silmarillion  turns 50 next year. I think this year (2026) will be 'quiet' for Middle-earth books, so the publishers likely issued this one out now, saving The Silmarillion for next year. After that, I can see Unfinished Tales  in 2028, The Fall of Numenor  in 2029, and then Tales From the Perilous Realm  in 2030...

  Typically, these come out the same day as the standard edition. Here's the info!  ISBN   9780008815134 "Deluxe slipcased edition of this previously unknown short satirical fantasy by J.R.R. Tolkien edited by his son, Christopher Tolkien, accompanied by illustrations from the author together with an essay, 'The Origin of Bovadium', by Richard Ovenden OBE, and featuring an exclusive foldout colour frontispiece. As Christopher Tolkien notes in his Introduction,  The Bovadium Fragments  was a ‘satirical fantasy’ written by his father, which grew out of a planning controversy that erupted in Oxford in the late 1940s, when J.R.R. Tolkien was the Merton Professor of English Language and Literature. Written initially for his own amusement, Tolkien’s tale was a private academic jest that poked gentle fun at such things as 'the pomposities of archaeologists' and 'the hideousness of college crockery'. However, it was at the same time expressing a barbed  cri de...

  This boxed set was announced over the Holidays (or just  before) so I didn't have time to break the news here. So I apologize for being late to the party, but here's the details for Myths & Legends: Boxed Set II! It is arriving in May from HarperCollins (and close to around the same time by William Morrow), and here are the details. "A stunning hardcover boxed set celebrating J.R.R. Tolkien’s work inspired by the myths and legends of Europe, featuring double-sided dustjackets. This unique set contains Finn and Hengest, The Story of Kullervo, The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun, and The Battle of Maldon along with The Old English Exodus, reprinted for the first time in 50 years. For the first time since it was published in the 1980s, this boxed set includes The Old English Exodus, a translation of the Old English poem telling the story of the Israelites fleeing Egypt. Tolkien’s aim with this translation was to interpret the poem, reconstruct what the original may have looked...

  We go to the movies to be entertained. Indeed, movies/films/cinema...whatever term you wish to use, is ultimately a form of entertainment. Indeed, it can be - and is also - a form of art .  We all know that the story of Avatar  (the first film) has been done, and is one we're familiar with over time: Pocahontas, Dances With Wolves, Fern Gully .... The story and plot of a movie is quite important and the very soul of a film; though with the Avatar films.....that's not the main focus. The main focus of the Avatar films is to be fully immersed in a fictional setting. Indeed, the story of the first film is one we're familiar with. However, it is the details that truly make the movie. An entire language and culture was created. As was the ecosystem, with flora and fauna - everything you see, has a name. Such lengths and details weren't requited to create such a dazzling spectacle....but they were. Anyone familiar with James Cameron as a filmmaker knows that he is meticulou...

  I've always found 'Christmas' (or 'winter' in general) and 'fantasy' go hand-in-hand for a few reasons I could write an entire post (perhaps someday I'll do that....), so that means it's about time for my annual Christmas ideas for you  - for yourself, for shopping for others....this isn't neccessarily stuff I  want....but stuff I recommend .  It's not just Tolkien, however, Tolkien is on this list, and I'll start there.  TOLKIEN Paperbacks: The Hobbit  (paperback edition) ISBN  9780007458424 Description: " The Hobbit is the unforgettable story of Bilbo, a peace-loving hobbit, who embarks on a strange and magical adventure. A timeless classic. Bilbo Baggins enjoys a quiet and contented life, with no desire to travel far from the comforts of home; then one day the wizard Gandalf and a band of dwarves arrive unexpectedly and enlist his services - as a burglar - on a dangerous expedition to raid the treasure-hoard of Smaug the dragon....

  I have a bone to pick with the the Tolkien community: TCG (Tolkien Collector's Guide).  It is a fantastic resource, filled with tons of info, along with news of upcoming books, and some great photos.  But there's one issue: the moderators are hypocritical assholes.  I admit, I've had my fair share of rough history with some of the moderators (one in particular....) so there might be some bias here. However, each time I've done something they didn't like, it was addressed in a condescending manner: sorry, I don't read the rules every time I log on. Oops, I forgot to use 'search'....However, the gist of it, is this: If something happens on a topic that they  don't like or they  don't agree with (even if you're correct and they're wrong) your comment will be removed, and your account could vanish. That, and they don't seem to grasp that the way that their site is set up is in message board style....which encourages and engages discussi...