New Zealander builds Hobbit hole

Ananova / The Evening Post ^ | 1/26/02

[John Farson]

New Zealander builds Hobbit hole A New Zealand man has built a Hobbit house. Carl Gifford, a stonemason from Wellington, says he used a 10-tonne digger to make the hole. He's put rocks either side of the front door and plans to install a chimney and lantern on top. He told the Evening Post he was embarrassed as he was constructing the home. He said: "I must admit I was hiding as the cars were driving past. I thought, 'These people think I'm an idiot'." The house is part of a series of stonework mounds, designs and sculptures dotted around his land. "I'm just having a bit of fun. Things that were built by those ancient people like caves have always fascinated me."

[2Jedismom]

Welcome back, Sam! Rosie's here, along with JenB and Carton and BibChr and some others now and then. We've been having quite a conversation.

[RosieCotton]

Considering how much I love elves...I feel a bit foolish admitting I've never [completely] read the Silmarillion. I started it several years ago and LOVED it - the first part about the creation was just gorgeous...but then I moved back to the states and lost the book in the process. Looks like I need to hunt down a copy! Thanks for reminding me!

[Samwise]

It took me a while to find this link. But I had to post it--in case you haven't seen it. It's a hoot.

LOTR Skin

I hope it posts this time. If it's a duplicate, forgive me.

[JenB]

I love Silmarillion. It's a beautiful, heartbreaking story. The only piece I didn't like at first was the Tale of Turin Turambar, but even that grew on me - especially after I read The Kalevala, which was the source-myth for that particular story.

I now own a beautiful copy of the Silmarillion, purchased after a possible mental breakdown (it cost $35, but it's so worth it.) It has pictures done by Ted Nasmith, probably my favorite Tolkien illustrator... anyway, go buy the six-dollar paperback and read, it's worth the time and effort!

[2Jedismom]

The Silmarillion

I can't get this to link, for some reason...here's the link...

http://www.half.com/search/search.jsp?ad=null&product=books&search_by=keyword&query=Silmarillion&x=9&y=11

[HairOfTheDog]

The soundtrack is available in live constant streaming - link to it on the official website Lordoftherings.net - Click Join the Ring - Soundtrack....

Download a little player and it streams the whole soundtrack.

[RosieCotton]

Thanks, you two! I'm going to order one sometime in the next few weeks, I think. I'm in the middle of both ROTK and CS Lewis' The Great Divorce, so it may be a little while before I get to read the Silmarillion...but it sounds like I have a LOT to look forward to!

It's half tempting to save up for the really nice one Jen mentioned, though I know I don't need it. But I also want a hardback set of LOTR. Beautiful books are so seductive, aren't they?

I love peanut butter sandwiches and macaroni and cheese, really I do!

[2Jedismom]

Funny about the skin! They didn't pick up on the blemish below Frodo's lower lip that comes and goes, though. Or maybe they were too polite to mention it, but I doubt it.

[JenB]

I have a very nice set of LotR; got them when I was fifteen. Took me a good five months to earn the money for them, at 25 or 30 bucks per book.

I also got a lovely copy of The Hobbit for a birthday - good quality, with some nice pictures of Smaug and Bilbo and the Dwarves. Basically, you can tell by my bookshelf what books I'm fond of - they're usually beaten up, but if I really really love them they're hardcovers and practically immaculate, because of the care I take in reading them.

[hunyb]

I didn't see any 'dust', but i did see the sun 'glint' off the side of the car as it was passing by....

[HairOfTheDog]

I have just a minute or two to check in here... and I want you all to know how ENVIOUS I am that you are all are having this great discussion today and I am rushing from meeting to meeting... I hope you all will still have the energy to respond when I can catch up with you tonight!!!

UH OH - Something draws near - I can feel it! (the boss) ;~D

[2Jedismom]

My trilogy is the 1975 paperback edition and in the back of each book it says

"To order by mail, send $1.25 per book plus .25 cents per order for handling to Balantine Cash Sales, PO Box 505, Westminster, Maryland 21157. Please allow three weeks for delivery"

Think they'd still honor it? LOL

My Silmarilion is the 1979 paperback edition...I imagine it's the first paperback edition, because my Mom wouldn't get it for me in hardback, but she knew how desperately I wanted it and got it as soon as it came out in paperback. All three books are pretty beat up, I just keep reinforcing them with clear package tape! I'm very attached to them.

[RosieCotton]

I've just gone through paperback set after paperback set...I think I'm up to three sets or so at this point. Of course, I had to share those with lots o' other siblings, so it's no wonder they didn't survive long! My current set is also out on loan in three different locations, and it's only the cheapie movie version so I don't have a lot of faith in its longevity.

I do however have a beautiful version of The Hobbit. My brother (jrherreid) gave it to me for Christmas. It's a special edition (hard-cover, gold colored) from a few years ago, really well made and with a lot of Tolkien's own sketches and notes mixed in, plus a big fold-out map, if I remember right.

That's another poster I need - a nice big map of Middle Earth! I did go out and buy the atlas of Middle Earth that someone put together. It's a really interesting book - they tell times and distances for all the traveling in the books, plus have maps of everything from Middle Earth in its entirety to Bag End to Moria, etc.

[JenB]

I'd been through three sets of paperbacks before I got my hardcovers. Having two sisters and a father who also read the books tends to do that. Now that I'm at school, they had to get a seperate set - I would not be seperated from my Tolkien!

[jrherreid]

All right, break it up. Time to go back to work--stop drooling over Aragorn and company or I'll make the guys come back in and start a conversation about Elven babes.

[2Jedismom]

I've been sending those new LOTR books, the ones with the movie pictures on the cover, to the troops in Kosovo.

[jrherreid]

Here's the set I have. Pretty nice--maps, dustjackets and all. I got it used for $35 before the Tolkien craze started in October.

[2Jedismom]

I did go out and buy the atlas of Middle Earth that someone put together.

I have got to get me one of those! Do you have an ISBN number on it anywhere?

[RosieCotton]

Check here: Atlas of Middle Earth

There are some used ones floating around, too.

[RosieCotton]

Here's the set I have. Pretty nice--maps, dustjackets and all. I got it used for $35 before the Tolkien craze started in October.

Yeah, rub it in again, why don't ya? ;-)