The Fireside

  Sometimes, it's amazing how an alternate version of a film can affect its quality: The Hobbit extended editions made them somewhat tolerable, Kingdom of Heaven (Director's Cut) is vastly superior to what was released in theatres in every aspect, Ridley Scott with Blade Runner (The Final Cut) has also released his definitive version of that film, and the Zack Snyder version of Justice League looks to right some of the wrongs of the Joss Whedon-finished version. And so we come to the third Godfather film. As mentioned, there are two versions of it: the original release, which was released cinematically, called The Godfather: Part III , and this new re-edit of it called The Godfather Coda . As evident from the introduction given by Francis Coppola (segments of this were used to promote the film on social media) you can tell that this is the version - and title - that he initially intended to come out. He seems to be very firm on his stance that this is his preferred, definit...

  Near the end of the year, I often like to think of, and look forward to, what Tolkien books may be coming out during the following year. Here are some upcoming titles that we know are coming in 2021, at this point in time: - The Annotated Hobbit [Third Edition] - The Nature of Middle-earth - The Silmarillion , illustrated by Ted Nasmith (part of The Tolkien Illustrated Hardback Collection: Ver. 2). This will also get a collector's edition (which will match the illustrated collector's edition of Unfinished Tales ) - 2022 Tolkien Calendar (based on the illustrated edition of The Silmarillion would be my guess as to its theme. My second guess would be tied-in to A Middle-earth Traveller ) - Tales From the Perilous Realm (hardback re-issue). Should be pretty much identical to the 2008 one, except it'll have a new ISBN. Also expecting other smaller details: ribbon-marker, etc. - Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (new paperback edition). This has a new ISBN, new cover art,...

  15 years ago today, the first Narnia film, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe , (which was also the first of the seven novels to be written and published) came out in cinemas. Some state that this first Narnia film is on-par, in terms of quality, to The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. It has been integrated into my winter/Christmas movie watching. The soundtrack is great too,  and I typically listen to it every Christmas and throughout winter. To celebrate, I will be streaming the film on Disney+, followed by episode 6 of Prop Culture (also on Disney+), and then cap it all off with listening to the soundtrack later on.

  There's been lots of Tolkien posts on my blog lately! A few different editions here and there, and some other news. Now that we are now December, I only have two posts left about Tolkien for 2020: this one, and my 'look ahead' post near the end of the month. Expect the next post or two to follow after that when the new illustrated edition of The Silmarillion is published. For this post, however, I want to call attention to Tolkien.co.uk's 20% off sale. They usually have one around this time of year, and sometimes for Easter. As far as I'm aware, they ship worldwide. Now this 20% off sale is site-wide (at checkout, don't be alarmed if the price is listed the same), though I'd like to showcase certain editions, by category ,where applicable. There are a few different sections in this blog post to hopefully help you find an item, as well as lay out the various titles that exist within a certain format. DEFINITIVE PAPERBACKS These editions feature the defini...

  Here's yet another Tolkien-related post! This post, however, announces the publication of The Nature of Middle-earth . As you can see by the editor title, this is first Tolkien book since Chistopher Tolkien had passed away. It's unclear at this point (and will likely be covered in an introduction/forward/preface) if Christopher wanted to work on this title himself. It should be worth noting that Christopher Tolkien gave this book his blessing, much like he did for The History of The Hobbit .  The ISBN for it is 9780008387921, and there's no word yet on a collector's edition. It may not happen. After all, there's no collector's edition of The History of The Hobbit . The product description follows: First ever publication of J.R.R. Tolkien’s final writings on Middle-earth, covering a wide range of subjects and perfect for those who have read and enjoyed The Silmarillion, The Lord of the Rings, Unfinished Tales, and The History of Middle-earth, and want to le...

  At long last, the product images and description for the forth-coming collector's edition of the illustrated Silmarillion has been revealed! Here's it's ISBN, and description. Remember, this is a HarperCollins edition, and can be obtained the same way as any HarperCollins Tolkien book. Pre-order by Feb latest to ensure you get a copy. ISBN: 9780008433956 Limited to a worldwide first printing of just 4,000 copies, this deluxe edition is printed in two colours and is fully bound in cloth and stamped in gold foil. Housed in a matching custom-built slipcase decorated with stunning wraparound artwork, it also features two full-colour removable posters that are unique to this edition. The Silmarillion is the core of J.R.R. Tolkien’s imaginative writing, a collection of narratives ranging in time from the Elder Days of Middle-earth, through the Second Age and the rise of Sauron, to the end of the War of the Ring. They are set in an age when Morgoth, the firs...

This post will serve as a summary of what I like to call 'The Tolkien Illustrated Collection: Version 2.' Version 1, featured The Hobbit from 1997, The Lord of the Rings boxed set in 2002, and The Silmarillion from 2004. All of those matched one another, in terms of size dimensions and design aesthetics. I will list the following titles in the order that they were originally published. This post is done for convenience and reference purposes for those that are seeking out these editions. This collection is complete, and this post may serve well for any shoppers, due to the time of year.  THE HOBBIT ISBN: 9780008376116 "A great modern classic and the prelude to The Lord of the Rings. Smaug certainly looked fast asleep, almost dead and dark, with scarcely a snore more than a whiff of unseen steam, when Bilbo peeped once more from the entrance. He was just about to step out on to the floor when he caught a sudden thin and piercing ray of red from under the droopin...

  Now that I've provided the ISBN and the news that The Silmarillion illustrated edition will be joining - and completing - The Tolkien Illustrated Collection: Ver. 2, it's time for me to ponder some of the finer points about this edition in both standard hardback and collector's edition formats. - which illustrations will be included, and which new ones will there be? - which image would be used on the rear of the dustjacket for the standard edition? - what colour would be used for the book, ink, and ribbon marker? For Unfinished Tales , it was blue. Would blue be used again, or another colour? - For the collector's edition, which image would be used to wrap around the slipcase? - For the collector's edition, which image would be stamped onto the book itself? I've noticed that the image that appears on the rear of the Unfinished Tales standard edition's dustjacket was used as the front cover to the collector's edition. - For the collector's editio...

  Christmas is coming up, and it's a magical time of year - not even a virus can stop that. I have a strong association of fantasy with Christmas: it's the time of year that I first read The Hobbit (and The Lord of the Rings not long after), as well as it was when all three of the films had come out. As is my seemingly annual tradition, I'm going to suggest some great Tolkien editions for gifting - whether for someone on your list, or yourself. THE HOBBIT ('young edition') ISBN: 9780007458424 I recommend this edition as often as I can. It's great for a few reasons: - it goes with other Tolkien paperbacks quite well - it's a great way to get someone started on Tolkien that doesn't own any of his books yet and has expressed an interest - it's also the only edition to offer David Wyatt's chapter illustrations. I might be biased towards those, as the first edition of The Hobbit that I've read/owned featured his chapter illustrations. Also, ...

  The new illustrated edition (to match with this year's previous illustrated editions) has officially been announced! I'm going to copy+paste the announcement, and then the product description. At the end, I'll share some thoughts pertaining to artwork. From the official (UK) Tolkien facebook page: " We are delighted to unveil the cover of the new illustrated edition of The Silmarillion, featuring a dramatic painting by Ted Nasmith depicting the fall of Númenor. This new edition will be published in March 2021 in time for Tolkien Reading Day and will feature new paintings appearing here for the first time. Published originally in 1977, The Silmarillion represented, as Christopher Tolkien wrote on the dustjacket copy to the first edition, ‘the central stock of J.R.R. Tolkien’s imaginative writing, a work that he could not publish in his lifetime because it grew with him. Its origins stretch back sixty years…’ Incredible to consider now, but that sixty-year span le...