Tolkien Estate Website up & running (well partially)

[Child of the 7th Age]

Lalwende, Davem,

Interesting.....it's certainly a small world. A few years ago I was feverishly hunting for a copy of Alex Lewis's book the Uncharted Realms of Tolkien because it had an article linking hobbits to hedgehogs. This was before Lewis was selling on e-bay in any shape or form. It was impossible to find his book anywhere in the U.S., either in libraries or on on-line websites. On a whim I contacted Alex Lewis directly and asked him some questions about the book. I didn't know much about him except that he had served as president of the Tolkien Society sometime in the 90's. Out of the blue, he sent me a copy of his book signed by both him and his wife (the paperback Uncharted Realms...not the vastly expensive Tale of Gondolin) and didn't charge me a penny. It's still sitting on my bookshelf.

I was and am blithely ignorant of these behind the scenes things, but I was grateful to be able to get hold of a copy of that book. There is a page up on the Tolkien library site that talks about the privately printed Tale of Gondolin and another similar book they did called the Ruins of Osgiliath. Here.

Have you ever seen the 16 volumes of Nigglings that they also helped publish? What are these like? As I understand it, these are the volumes produced by the creative writing interest group from within the Tolkien Society. I assume these are published fanfictions. Perhaps that is another reason that the Tolkien family is unhappy.

To be honest, I like some of the representations by Ruth Lacon. A close friend who lives in Berkshire sent me a gift of a large paperback book entitled "The Art of Ruth Lacon." She never mentioned any of the very real "problems" that the Estate has encountered, but the pictures themselves were striking---presumably these were from the privately printed books. The illustrations have a strong Persian "feel" that I've never encountered anywhere else.

I have seen Lewis marketing on e-bay in recent years through a bookseller, but never purchased his most recent book called The Foresaken Realm of Tolkien, which also deals with Gondolin in essay form. I'll put in one good word for the bookseller (I'm pretty sure we're talking about the same seller. If not, I apologize but they definitely market the Lewis books now.) I know nothing of their other business dealings, but they are the one and only dealer from whom you can order a copy of The Children of Hurin from overseas signed by Alan Lee for about $35, which is fairly reasonable. They are having a special event/signing in Gloucestershire April 20-24 with Nasmith and Lee present.

I guess the Tolkien world is enough of a fish bowl that it's possible to bump into the same people very easily, even when you live in the hinterlands.