ord of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkien.I could have done 30 days of Tolkien stories and poems. I could have put in the most random story of his that I love (such as Leaf by Niggle), or some of my favourite quotes ("'and my companion, who, alas! is overcome with weariness' - here he gave the other a dig with his foot").
But I tried all that when naming my two cats, and they ended up called Frodo and Sam (of course, in daily life, they're actually called Chirpy and Shmuzz, but that's another story).
So here we are. The Lord of the Rings.
I think I first read The Hobbit when I was 10 or so, and read The Lord of the Rings the year after. It touched something deep inside, or sparked something that blossomed and grew. I'd read the Chronicles of Narnia at about that time. Suddenly I was sketching the towers of Minas Tirith on the backs of school notebooks during classes - and I can't draw for beans!
Since then, I've reread The Lord of the Rings every year - I'm past my second decade now. I've read everything else of his that I can get my hands on; for instance, I've just discovered there's an expanded edition of Smith of Wootton Major - forget adding it to a wishlist, Tolkien is an immediate buy!
I realise I've got nothing erudite to say here, but keep blabbing like a fan girl. And I realise that not everyone is as enamoured of these books as I am. So for this post, instead of book covers, I thought I'd share some of my favourites of Tolkien's art (the man could paint, too!):
The End of the World
The Shores of Faery
three dragons
friezes
Lake Mithrim and heraldic devices
patterns
24 comments:
I have yet to read LotR! I've seen the movies and I've read THE HOBBIT, but when it comes to his greatest masterpiece, I've just never got to it. it is on my TBR shelf (literally) though.
Right, that's it, next time I have a blog giveaway it's going to be copies of LOTR!
I knew this was coming! Tolkien was a talented illustrator. I had no idea.
Have a happy weekend!
Ooh, there's lots more where that came from, Theresa! Check out his Father Christmas letters to his kids!
I knew you couldn't do the whole alphabet without Tolkien!
It was either this, or U for Unfinished Tales or H for the History of Middle Earth, or something about Beren and Luthien...
Oh very pretty. I like the colors in the The Shores of Faery.
Lord of The Rings.
Not sure if there is really much to say beyond just naming the series.
Of course, there are countless words I could write. Paragraphs I could pour out in my own diatribe. But Lord of The Rings will suffice. :-)
I read all his books in grade school, never saw his drawings. Nice touch Deniz
Okay, I've only ever read The Hobbit and that was after seeing the LoftheRings trilogy on film. But I'm really a very nice person :-)
Me too, LR!
I agree, Angela :-)
Thanks, Gene!
Hope you read 'em and like 'em someday, Susan!
I am a big fan of occasionally babbling like a fan girl. I do it myself sometimes, and enjoyed watching you indulge here :)
~ Rhonda Parrish
My parents bought me beautiful boxed editions of the books when I was younger. I love Tolkien's art scattered throughout and his maps that fold out!
Without this book, half the fantasy tropes I make fun of wouldn't exist. Certainly none of my jokes about the 'big red eye' would work. Whether that's a good thing or not...
i love Lord of the Rings. I first read the entire collection while in college at Carson-Newman in Jefferson City, TN back in 1965. Reread all of them when the movies came out. Thanks for the reminder. Ruby
The Hobbit is one of my favorite books of all times, and I really like LOTR! Good post! Cool pics!
The Hobbit is one of my favorite books of all times, and I really like LOTR! Good post! Cool pics!
You know, it's messed up, but I have only read The Hobbit and LOTR. I've read The Hobbit over and over, and have been intending to read LOTR again in order, but there's always another book I need to read. Some of his artwork was really fantastic!
Shannon at The Warrior Muse, co-host of the 2012 #atozchallenge! Twitter: @AprilA2Z
I knew you'd do LOTR for L! What else? I didn't know you re read it every year. Go girl! Love the illustrations too,.
Denise
I had no idea he was an artist, too.
I haven't read him yet, but I plan to.
Aww, thanks Rhonda. I like gushing over my favourite authors.
Ooh, those sound like lovely editions, Jemi.
Tolkien's work is the basis for everything that's come after, stu [g] Or so I claim all the the time... The big red eye, ha ha!
I like to think if I'd read them back then, Ruby, I might have written to Tolkien. I hope he would have written back!
Thanks, Tyrean!
Ooh, so many other stories to read, Shannon! They're short too - try Leaf by Niggle (not to add to your TBR pile or anything!)
Thanks, Denise!
Hope you love it, Medeia!
Damn right, Lord of the Rings. I loved them. All six books.
I love LOTR - especially the Hobbit! I was so inspired by it (and Eragon at the time) that I wrote my novel which is coming out next month finally. BTW, congrats on finishing yours. I know it's a huge achievement. http://1000wrongs.blogspot.com
Yup, all six, Joshua. Love it when people remember that!
Congratulations on your novel release, Laurisa!
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