Christopher Tolkien Was The Unsung Hero Of Middle Earth

The Federalist, ^ | January 20, 2019 | John Daniel Davidson

[Kaslin]

I forgot to add this from the author:

The son of J.R.R. Tolkien did far more than just compile and edit his father’s unfinished stories. He helped create the world of Middle Earth.

[kearnyirish2]

He had a difficult job to do; he admitted there were various inconsistencies in the works, as his father’s vision morphed over the decades. I appreciate that he shared those works with us regardless; he did his father proud!

[NFHale]

Read “Lord of the Rings” trilogy for the first time when I was 15 years old, then “The Hobbit” afterwards. Re-read both of those books many times since. Still have my old dog-eared Ballantine paperback versions. Read “The Silmarillion” later on as well.

One of the greatest tales ever told, IMHO, created by a true genius.

Enjoyed Peter Jackson’s film rendering as well, though Same and Frodo were always whining and crying a bit too much. :^)

Jackson got the Orcs and Uruk-Hai down perfectly, though...

[Conan the Librarian]

1965 edition?

[NFHale]

Red, Green, and Blue covers for the “Lord of the Rings”, white cover for Hobbit and Silmarillion.

Got them new back in the 70s.

[NFHale]

Copyright page says “Copyright 1965”.

[dhs12345]

Apparently it was required reading for high school students. Not for me though.

I am reading it right now. 1300 pages of English wording and text. Reminds me of Shakespeare (that I read in College). Nice to have the Internet to translate. :)

No, the word "faggot" is not a derogatory term for a homosexual.

Anyway, I think that it is a 50th anniversary deluxe edition? But it is definitely a great read.

[Bruce Campbells Chin]

My favorite passage from the book, and Jackson did a pretty good job of this as well:

And in that very moment, away behind in some courtyard of the city, a cock crowed. Shrill and clear he crowed, recking nothing of war nor of wizardry, welcoming only the morning that in the sky far above the shadows of death was coming with the dawn. And as if in answer there came from far away another note. Horns, horns, horns, in dark Mindolluin's sides they dimly echoed. Great horns of the north wildly blowing. Rohan had come at last.”

Also, the story of Creation in the Ainulindale, the first story in the published Silmarillion, is just gorgeous.

[dhs12345]

I like this passage... as we get older, we start to think about things like this.

This passage is the best

“I sit beside the fire and think
of people long ago
and people who will see a world
that I shall never know.”

The whole poem...

“I sit beside the fire and think
of all that I have seen
of meadow-flowers and butterflies
in summers that have been;

Of yellow leaves and gossamer
in autumns that there were,
with morning mist and silver sun
and wind upon my hair.

I sit beside the fire and think
of how the world will be
when winter comes without a spring
that I shall ever see.

For still there are so many things
that I have never seen:
in every wood in every spring
there is a different green.

I sit beside the fire and think
of people long ago
and people who will see a world
that I shall never know.

But all the while I sit and think
of times there were before,
I listen for returning feet
and voices at the door.”

[P.O.E.]

The first one I read was National Lampoon’s “Bored of the Rings”. I was a big comic book and Mad magazine fan in my pre-teens, so I bought the parody for laughs. I became intrigued, however and around 12 or 13 began reading “Lord of the Rings”. A few chapters in, I was hooked. I stopped, went back to read “The Hobbit”, then the Rings. Each about three times.

In between, read “Leaf by Niggle” and “Farmer Giles of Ham”, then went on to Gardner’s “Grendle”, T. H. White’s “Once and Future King”, the “Mabinogion” etc.

Life was simpler then, but the world of literary imagination was rich.

So RIP Christopher, and thanks for your part in shaping what was a big part of my youth.

[cdcdawg]

“It’s a remarkable thing for a son to realize the unique genius of his father and, instead of trading on that genius to advance his own career and fortune, choose to dedicate his life to the stewardship and advancement of his father’s work. It is hard to imagine the son of a famous man doing that today, which makes the humility and filial devotion of Christopher Tolkien all the more remarkable.”

Thank God for Christopher Tolkien. RIP

[Mercat]

As far back as I can remember my mother read this series every year. She passed away in 1999. I’ve been continuing that tradition. I’m now finishing up The King Returns. .Ive probably read it 8 times. Our son first read it when he was 12.

[NFHale]

“Faggot” refers (or at least used to refer) to a bundle of sticks, deadfall, wrapped up and carried on the back.

Somewhere along the way, like other words, it picked up a different meaning.

As far as required reading, I don’t recall it being required when I was in High School back in the late 70s.

I also remember a very abbreviated Ralph Bakshi animated version that came out in the early 80s(?) thereabouts, that cut off suddenly in the middle of the second book. I think he ran out of funding or something like that.

All in all, it was an amazing undertaking by a man with a brilliant mind.

Classic bright-line battle of good versus evil.

“Rohan had come at last”...
Great scene, when the Rohirrim came charging in.

Jackson really captured it well. He did great with “King Kong” too. Loved the original when I was a child (the dinosaur island scared the Hell out of me), and was equally thrilled by his rendition of it.

Especially the insect pit scene... good lord... which was actually cut out of the original.

[Bruce Campbells Chin]

Fantastic passage.

I remember reading once that Professor Tolkien was asked how he would feel if instead of being known for all his academic achievements and scholarship, he was instead known for his stories and Middle-Earth. He responded with a smile and something like "well, that would be just fine."

Indeed it is.

[NFHale]

“...A few chapters in, I was hooked. ...”

Yeah, it IS that kind of story... grabbed me like that as well.

I remember hearing some songs by Led Zeppelin, referring to “Gollum”, “The Evil One”, and the “darkest depths of Mordor” and I think that got me into asking about it. Evidently, Robert Plant was a huge fan of the story.

[j.havenfarm]

Bored of the Rings is the finest satire I’ve ever read. Absolutely pitch perfect take off on Tolkien’s masterpiece, and particularly the poems and songs. I still recite this little couplet for politicos like Beto who flame out:

.. for fortune strums a mournful tune,
For those whose campaigns peak too soon.

To anyone who loves Lord of the Rings, read Bored of the Rings. In print continuously for 50 years. Available on Amazon. The footnotes in the current edition explaining the 60’s cultural references are a bit jarring for us elders, but maybe necessary for the young ‘uns

[Crucial]

Cool!

[jeffc]

"Still have my old dog-eared Ballantine paperback versions."

Hear, hear! Sadly, for me, after many (many) moves, I lost my copies of those precious Ballantine paperbacks. and, yes, quite dogeared, to, LOL.

I've been looking for a hardcopy set of TLoTR, but not one of the nicely illustrated ones (very expensive!). I just want a nice hardcopy version to own. Strange how Barnes & Nobles has none, but Amazon does...

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Christopher Tolkien, the third and youngest son of “Lord of the Rings” author J.R.R. Tolkien, died at the age of 95.

I wasn't aware of his passing. Christopher Tolkien is the reason "The Silmarillion" was ever published, and for this alone I'd always be grateful to him. But he did far more - he also compiled and released all of his father's unpublished Middle Earth work in the massive and monumental 'The History of Middle Earth', which has given me a lot of hours of reading pleasure.

Christopher Tolkien was the ideal custodian for the imaginary world that his father - and he - built. Now if the current Tolkien rights holders would just get "The History of Middle Earth" published in digital format I'd be happy.