A Roundup of Recent and Forthcoming Books by and about J. R. R. Tolkien: Spring and Fall 2002

My desk has been a mess for months, overflowing with teetering piles of papers for work. I’ve finally put some order to it, and sorted all of my notes and emails about books and calendars relating to J. R. R. Tolkien that have recently been published, or are coming out through the end of the year. So here goes.

From Houghton Mifflin:

The big Tolkien-related book on the spring list that actually came out was The Lord of the Ring: The Art of the Fellowship of The Ring, by Gary Russell, an oversize book with over 500 pictures (the bulk in full color) of the design and conceptual work for the film, including work on the locations, the costumes and the armor, as well as the non-human creatures. If you like this kind of behind-the-scenes look (you know who you are), this is a superb example. And if you want the scoop on such things like the unresolved issue of a bathroom in Bag End, well have a look at page 20! The book is a hardcover priced at $35.00, ISBN 0618212906.

Announced for June but not yet published is The Annotated Hobbit, by Douglas A. Anderson. A hardcover priced at $28.00, ISBN 0618134700, we have been informed that it should be in stores towards the end of August. It includes the full text of The Hobbit, and notes about the various revisions Tolkien made to the published text, along with many annotations, a long introduction about the history of the book, and over a hundred black and white illustrations, from foreign editions and other sources, and a color insert. There are some new Tolkien writings too–a poem "Glip," and the longest version of "The Quest of Erebor," a shorter version of which appears in Unfinished Tales.

Houghton Mifflin has an extensive list for the fall. Clay Harper of Houghton Mifflin writes:

"We were tremendously gratified by the response to the first season's books (the Official Movie Guide spent 17 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list) and we're doing everything we can to insure that this year's books are even better and more informative. We are working to include as much detail as possible and to make sure these books provide great value to the fans."

Coming out first is a new trade paperback edition of The Hobbit, which includes a teaser chapter of The Fellowship of the Ring at the end. This is priced at $10.00, ISBN 0618260307.

Also shipping early is the new one volume edition of The Lord of the Rings, with new movie tie-in cover art. The trade paperback will be $20.00, ISBN 0618260250; and the hardcover will be $38.00, ISBN 0618260242.

Also shipping in August will be a new three volume paperback edition of The Lord of the Rings, with new movie tie-in cover art. The boxed set will be $35.00, ISBN 0618260293, and the three individual volumes, $12.00 each, as follows: The Fellowship of the Ring, ISBN 0618260269; The Two Towers, ISBN 0618260277; and The Return of the King, ISBN 0618260285.

In September comes a newly reconfigured three volume hardcover edition of The Lord of the Rings illustrated by Alan Lee. This will be available as a boxed set for $80.00, ISBN 0618260587, and as individual volumes priced at $27.50 each, The Fellowship of the Ring ISBN 061826051X; The Two Towers ISBN 0618260595; and The Return of the King ISBN 0618260552.

The movie tie-in books for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers coming from Houghton Mifflin will have a National Laydown Date of November 6th, so look for them on that date. There will be four this time.

The most impressive looks to be The Making of The Lord of the Rings, by Brian Sibley, which will be issued in hardcover at $29.95, ISBN 0618258000, and in paperback at $17.95, ISBN 0618260226. This book will be bigger than last year’s Offical Movie Guide, having 192 pages of full color while last year’s book had only 120 pages. It will also have a preface by Ian McKellen.

Also of great interest will be Jude Fisher’s The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Visual Companion, a hardcover at $18.95, ISBN 0618258027. This will have a preface by Viggo Mortensen.

On the children’s side, there are two smaller books, The Lord of the Rings Creatures, edited by Richard Taylor, 48 full-color pages priced at $8.95, ISBN 0618258116; and The Two Towers Photo Guide, edited by David Brawn, which will also be 48 full-color pages, priced at $8.95, ISBN 0618257365.

From Ballantine Books:

Ballantine is continuing their program of reissuing their mass market editions of Tolkien with new covers. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, Sir Orfeo came out in May at $6.99 (ISBN 03345277600). The Book of Lost Tales 1 came out in July, also at $6.99 (ISBN 0345375211). In August comes The Book of Lost Tales 2, $6.99 (ISBN 034537522X). And in October, we’ll see The Hobbit (0345339681), The Fellowship of the Ring (0345339703), and The Return of the King (0345339738), all priced at $7.99. I’m not sure if these new printings will have different covers or not, but The Two Towers, coming in November, will definitely have a new movie tie-in cover.

Calendars:

Ted Nasmith’s next Tolkien calendars are due out very soon from HarperCollins. Look for the J. R. R. Tolkien Wall Calendar 2003, priced at $14.99, ISBN 0060086564, and the J. R. R. Tolkien Diary 2003, a desk diary priced at $17.00, ISBN 0060086556. I think both of these should be hitting stores soon.

Another calendar, A Guide to Middle-Earth 2003 Calendar: Exploring the World of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, listed as by Robert Foster, is coming from Andrews McMeel at $10.99. ISBN 0740723944. This may be a page-a-day calendar; if so, that’d be pretty cool.

Cedco already published in April The Lord of the Rings 2002-2003 Locker Calendar, priced at $9.99, ISBN 076835806X.

From other publishers:

In February, Intervarsity Press published a slim trade paperback by Mark Eddy Smith, Tolkien’s Ordinary Virtues: Discovering Spiritual Themes of The Lord of the Rings, $10.00 (ISBN 0830823123).

Published in March by iUniverse was Bilbo’s Birthday and Frodo’s Adventure of Faith, by Robert E. Morse, who did a short book in 1986 The Evocation of Virgil in Tolkien’s Art: Geritol for the Masses. His new book is much longer, and can be previewed at http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?isbn=0%2D595%2D21935%2D7. It’s also available from Amazon.com, in a trade paperback priced at $16.95 (ISBN 0595219357).

One British book worth noting here is The History of Middle-earth Index by Christopher Tolkien, which is evidently a one volume compilation of the indices to the twelve volumes of the series, the History of Middle-earth. No American edition has yet been announced, so if like me you must have it, order it from Amazon.co.uk. Price £9.99, a trade paperback. It’s due out shortly (late July or early August), ISBN 0007137435.

September:

Knopf will be releasing an edition of Tolkien’s poem Bilbo’s Last Song. Originally published in 1990 in a large format, with illustrations by Pauline Baynes, this new edition is reformatted to a smaller size. It is priced $12.95, ISBN 0375823735.

The Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies will be publishing J. R. R. Tolkien’s Beowulf and the Critics, edited by Michael D. C. Drout. Amazon doesn’t list the price, but the ISBN is 0866982906.

Tolkien-scholar Verlyn Flieger’s 1983 book on Tolkien, Splintered Light: Logos and Language in Tolkien’s World, is being reissued in a revised edition coming from Kent State University Press. It will be a trade paperback at $19.00, ISBN 0873387449.

Anne C. Petty’s One Ring to Bind Them All: Tolkien’s Mythology, originally published in 1979, is coming out in a second edition from the University of Alabama Press. The price is $18.95, and I think it is in hardcover, ISBN 0817312056.

Baker Book House is releasing a trade paperback edition of Colin Duriez’s The J.R.R. Tolkien Handbook: A Concise Guide to His Life, Writings, and World of Middle-Earth. I’m not sure what exactly this is–evidently a reissue of the same title which Baker House published in 1992. However, Hidden Spring Books published last fall a book, also by Duriez, very similar to the original edition of The J. R. R. Tolkien Handbook. It was called Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings: A Guide to Middle-earth, and it came out in trade paperback at $17.00, ISBN 1587680173. Amazon doesn’t list a price for the new printing of The J. R. R. Tolkien Handbook, but the ISBN 0801030145 is the same as is found on the old version.

October:

A volume called Tolkien the Medievalist, edited by Jane Chance, is coming from Routledge, one of the most academic of academic publishers. It is described as: "Interdisciplinary in approach, this book provides a fresh perspective on J. R. R. Tolkien's medievalism. Fifteen essays explore how professor Tolkien responded to a modern age of crisis - historical, academic and personal." It is a hardcover priced at $95.00, ISBN 0415289440.

ISI Books is publishing another Christian analysis of Tolkien’s works, J. R. R. Tolkien’s Sanctifying Myth: Understanding Middle-earth, by Bradley J. Birzer, with a foreword by Joseph Pearce. It will be published in hardcover, priced $24.95, ISBN 1882926846.

Berkley will be publishing The Magical Worlds of The Lord of the Rings: The Amazing Myths, Legends, and Facts behind the Masterpiece, by David Colbert, who last year published a similar book The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter. It will be a trade paperback, priced at $13.00, ISBN 0425187713.

November:

Quest Books will be publishing Frodo’s Quest: Living the Myth in The Lord of the Rings, by Robert Ellwood. This illustrated book "interprets Tolkien’s epic in light of ancient wisdom about the personal quest for spiritual transformation." It will be priced $18.95, in a trade paperback, ISBN 0835608239.

Also coming in November is Master of the Rings: Inside the World of J. R. R. Tolkien, by Graciela Repún and Enrique Melatoni. This is an introduction to Tolkien aimed at older children, with illustrations by Melatoni. It will be published by Totem Books in a trade paperback at $13.95, ISBN 1840464003.

January:

Cold Spring Press will be publishing Myth and Middle-earth: Exploring the Medieval Legends Behind J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, by Leslie Ellen Jones. It will be a trade paperback, priced at $14.95, ISBN 1892975815.

That’s all for now. My wallet will be empty for months to come.

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--Turgon