Happy Birthday, J.R.R.!
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At the end of 2011 several of us Glad people did see the new Hobbit movie. We were reminiscing about our distant historical connection with lovers of everything Tolkien. The main claim to fame I can see is that Kate started an e-mail discussion list on Tolkien's writings, characters and stuff called Hobbit-Hole. She does still have friends from that group, but she had forgotten that she was the creator of it.
Some 20 years ago I read the whole Rings trilogy to all the children. Kate was probably too young to appreciate it then. And I read The Hobbit myself twice. Seeing Peter Jackson's movie made me want to read it again, to remember the amiable and heartwarming spirit of it, which I didn't find in the movie, though I did like the film enough overall.
And Pippin eagerly offered her own annotated edition for Mr. Glad and me to read aloud together. We plan to start today, on the author's birthday. Leafing through the pages of this book made me excited to begin, and I thought I'd share a few illustrations with you, too. Maybe if you click on the pictures you can see them better in a larger version.
I'm not feeling too adventurous at this time of year - well, truthfully, at any time of year. But right now I'm going to get a fire going in the woodstove so we'll be all ready to cozy up and read about the adventures of a Hobbit.
To your memory, dear Mr. Tolkien!
5 comments:
When my husband was in college, his original books had the illustrations by J.R.R. Tolkien himself. I loaned them to a friend who never gave them back. I still kick myself. My husband read them out loud to our children too. My husband still reads the Hobbit once a year.
I enjoyed the movie. In fact, we were leaving and I wanted to go see it again.
I think it is so nice you have those illustrations.
I've been contemplating rereading The Hobbit before I see the movie. My husband read them all to the kids so it has been It has been some 26 years since I read that book. Enjoy your fireside reading. It sounds lovely.
I read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings to my children too. It took about a year! What really stood out to me as I read out loud, was the incredible diversity of language Tolkien used for the landscape descriptions. I don't think he skipped one word in the English language pertaining to a geographical feature. I love the richness of his language compared to the rather sparse narrative style of many modern novels.
you have no idea how jealous I am of your illustrated edition! thanks for sharing some of these completely smile-inducing images.
now let me go repent of my covetousness.
:D
Believe it or not I have read the Trilogy every year since 1968, when a college friend recommended it to me! I have read it aloud 4 times to my children and 3 times (seperately ) to my husband. I liked the movie , but it was insipid compared to the book...at least it had the beauty of the imagined world...though to a generation that never read the book and ONLY saw a movie, it is sad to think JRR 's message may never come across. The Hobbit as seen recently, Christopher Tolkien turns from. Mostly for the same reasons...disappointing in content portrayal, though entertaining.
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