The Fireside

The House Editions of Order of the Phoenix , 5 out of 7 in the Harry Potter series, will be published on June 11 . As was tradition before, the houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. The hardbacks will have a block dustjacket, while the paperbacks will be coloured according to house. I got officially sorted into Slytherin, so my post is in regards to the hardback Slytherin edition. Here is the official synopsis: "Let the magic of J.K. Rowling's classic Harry Potter series transport you to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This Slytherin House Edition of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix celebrates the noble character of the Hogwarts house famed for its pride, ambition and cunning. Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts is packed with more great Slytherin moments and characters, including Harry's eventful Occlumency lessons with Severus Snape and the inauspicious arrival of Professor Dolores Umbridge . Each Slytherin House Editi...

Very recently, it was announced that there would be a forthcoming illustrated edition of Unfinished Tales , as well who the artists would be for the 2021 Tolkien Calendar. It was assumed - and it turned out to be true - that the calendar will be based on the forthcoming edition. Here in one spot are ordering links for the upcoming releases, as this information has come out over time. I will update with cover art, etc, once revealed. I'd be willing to bet that the image I've used for this post ("The Blue Wizards Journeying East" by Ted Nasmith) will be the cover of the standard edition, and possibly appear as a frontispiece in the deluxe edition. - Unfinished Tales illustrated edition (standard hardback) : https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0008387958/?coliid=I2XHCI1JCKVYK5&colid=2H2WN2XWM72NV&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it - Unfinished Tales illustrated edition (deluxe edition) : https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/9780008387969 - 2021 Tolkien Calenda...

The details of the 2021 Tolkien Calendar have been revealed! I had a feeling it would be centered around the upcoming illustrated edition of Unfinished Tales . The cover, 'The Blue Wizards Journeying East' by Ted Nasmith, was previously seen as the cover for a paperback in 2010. Slight speculation: I believe that the image used as the calendar's cover will also be the image used for the cover of the illustrated edition of Unfinished Tales . Oh and for the deluxe, it would appear as the frontispiece. "The official Tolkien calendar, this year containing twelve stunning paintings inspired by the stories collected in UNFINISHED TALES by J.R.R. Tolkien. Three of the world’s finest Tolkien artists present the Three Ages of Middle-earth in breathtaking glory. The official Tolkien calendar has become an established publishing event, eagerly anticipated by Tolkien fans the world over. Previous Tolkien calendars have become much sought after collector’s items, and this...

It has been revealed that there will be a new, illustrated, edition of Unfinished Tales . It will feature artwork by Ted Nasmith, Alan Lee and John Howe. As of this post, I am unsure if they will be new illustrations, or a compilation of their existing material. I'm guessing the size dimensions will be the 'standard' size; and not over-sized like The Lord of the Rings 60th anniversary illustrated edition or Jemima Catlin's illustrated Hobbit (reg or deluxe). The info below follows. Also, remember that these are UK editions, and as such, should be ordered off Amazon UK, Blackwell's or Waterstones for example: Illustrated Hardback (Standard Edition) Published: Oct. 1 ISBN: 9780008387952 Illustrated Hardback (Special Slipcased Deluxe Edition) Published: Oct. 1 ISBN: 9780008387969 Once more info is revealed (cover art, synopsis reflecting these editions, and possibly size dimensions) I'll relay the info here. Two parting thoughts: 1) it can be assumed that the 20...

The details of the forthcoming deluxe edition of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (which also includes Pearl and Sir Orfeo ) have been revealed. Publication date: April 20 ISBN: 9780008393625 " This elegant deluxe slipcased edition of three medieval English poems, translated by Tolkien for the modern-day reader and containing romance, tragedy, love, sex and honour, features a beautifully decorated text and includes as a bonus the complete text of Tolkien’s acclaimed lecture on Sir Gawain. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Pearl are two poems by an unknown author written in about 1400. Sir Gawain is a romance, a fairy-tale for adults, full of life and colour; but it is also much more than this, being at the same time a powerful moral tale which examines religious and social values. Pearl is apparently an elegy on the death of a child, a poem pervaded with a sense of great personal loss: but, like Gawain it is also a sophisticated and moving debate on much less t...

I had previously reported that HarperCollins will be (re)publishing Alan Lee's illustrated editions of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. In this post, I'll provide the cover art, ISBN info (key to ordering those exact copies) and the official product description. Remember that these are UK editions - the US won't be getting them. Buy from Amazon UK, Blackwell's, Waterstones, etc using the ISBN's to ensure you get them.  THE HOBBIT ISBN: 9780008376116 Publication date: May 14 "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 drooping lid of Smaug’s left eye. He was only pretending to sleep! He was watching the tunnel entrance! Whisked away from his co...

This year, my Tolkien book buying will likely come to an end. Of what's coming out that we know of at this point, I feel like I'm finally finished; and in a sense, ready to go goodbye because of that. Buying Tolkien books has been a part of my life since about 2002. Now, it's time to look ahead. The next (possibly 'last') series of books I'm interested in getting are Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin novels. Most famously, in 2003 Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany starred in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World . It adapted portions of some of O'Brian's novels. I have heard that the books are quite good, and reading up on them, I have become interested. I admit, this particular time period is quite unknown to me. However, the East Coast in me revels at the idea of reading these stories. The books in the series are: - Master and Commander: 9780006499152 - Post Captain: 9780006499169 - H.M.S. Surprise: 9780006499176 - The Maur...