Marquette University

Located in the Raynor Memorial Library at Marquette University is the amazing J.R.R. Tolkien Collection . Within the library you'll find three manuscripts and working drafts of The Hobbit, Farmer Giles of Ham and the Lord of the Rings to name of the few gems kept there.

Are you sitting down?

"The original manuscripts represent the heart of the collection. They include holograph renderings (manuscripts in the hand of the author), various sets of typescripts with corrections by Tolkien, and page proofs or galley sheets, also with corrections in the hand of the author. The manuscripts for The Lord of the Rings, 1938-1955, consist of 7,125 leaves (9,250 pages). Included are an advance proof copy of The Return of the King, printed maps of Middle-earth, dust jackets from the original Houghton Mifflin edition, several drafts of a rejected " Epilogue," and manuscript fragments from The Silmarillion (1977). Drawings and sketches, often in preliminary form in the margin of the text, can be found throughout the handwritten manuscripts. Linguistic and philological notes relating to Tolkien's invented languages also appear in the manuscripts, often on the verso of the main text. The documents reflect an extraordinary creative process; as many as 18 drafts exist for a single chapter. Christopher Tolkien, the author's son and literary heir, has presented the history of the composition of The Lord of the Rings in The History of Middle-earth series (Volumes VI, VII, VIII, and IX, 1988-1992).

The Hobbit manuscripts, 1930-1937, which consist of 1,048 leaves (1,586 pages), include a holograph version, corrected typescripts, three sets of page proofs with the author's corrections, a water-color rendering by Tolkien of the dust jacket used by Allen and Unwin, printed maps with corrections, a watercolor of trolls and Gollum by German artist Horus Engels, and the original copy of " Thror's Map." Most of the early holograph is a continuous text with no chapter divisions. The manuscripts for Farmer Giles of Ham, ca. 1930-1938, 1948-1949, comprising 173 leaves (201 pages), include a holograph, typescripts with corrections, and galley sheets with corrections. Mr. Bliss, ca. 1928-1932, includes 39 leaves (61 pages). In addition to the finished booklet which is 50 pages in length, separate " preliminary" drawings and jottings exist. The manuscript is in Tolkien's calligraphic hand, illustrated throughout with ink and colored pencil drawings. Galley sheets and an advance proof copy of the 1982 facsimile edition complete the primary holdings."

And there's more...

"The collection includes books by and about Tolkien, periodicals produced by Tolkien enthusiasts, audio and video recordings, and a host of published and unpublished materials relating to Tolkien's life and fantasy writings."

I was so speechless I had to use quotes directly from Marquette's webpage. It's unbelievable isn't it?

The J.R.R. Tolkien Collection at Marquette University.

Jerry Vanderstelt

Recently I was introduced to Jerry Vanderstelt's work. This air brush artist has taken the medium to a new level. Jerry is contracted by New Line/Warner Bros. to create collectibles for the Lord of the Ring's movies. And wow does he do a magnificent job bringing the characters to life. I highly recommend this man's work and you can visit his web site to view terrific videos and find buying information too.

Visit Vanderstelt Studio.com and enjoy!

A Chronological Bibliography of Books About Tolkien

A Chronological Bibliography of Books About Tolkien compiled by Åke Bertenstam is another wonderful resource. Easily laid out and perfect for researchers this very long page is loaded with information. Though when I looked at this page it seemed to end in 2004 (no doubt when the Tolkien craze was in full swing) it still is valuable to some.

A Chronological Bibliography of Books About Tolkien compiled by Åke Bertenstam.

A Chronological Bibliography of the Writings of J.R.R. Tolkien

A Chronological Bibliography of the Writings of J.R.R. Tolkien compiled by Åke Bertenstam is exactly as the name implies.

This list not only includes Tolkien's own books but also contributions to other books, as well as contributions to periodicals too. The dating starts as early as 1910 and beyond. It's quite a list and easy to follow links for more information.

It's very well done.

A Chronological Bibliography of the Writings of J.R.R. Tolkien compiled by Åke Bertenstam.

Council-of-Elrond

The Council-of-Elrond.com (not to be mixed up with The Council of Elrond) is a massive site. Their welcome letter says it all.

Greetings friends, from the Council-of-Elrond, the last homely house. The Council-of-Elrond was created by fans and admirers of JRR Tolkien to continue the community that had developed over the years at imladris.net when it closed.

Here you can find transcripts of all the LotR films, Middle Earth Fonts, Middle Earth Genealogy charts, Middle Earth Fan Fiction, a LotR Gallery, a large selection of Middle Earth Online Java Games, a friendly forum where you can find discussions and fun on a wealth of subjects, and a whole lot more.

All are welcome here who come in peace.

You can view the message forums and all of the other reference materials, their fan fictions sections as well as sending an e-card using their massive New Line movie stills collection (currently unavailable). All in all it's quite easy to get around and worth a look.

Council of Elrond.com

The US Tolkien Guide

The US Tolkien Guide is very similar to TolkienBooks.net. Here is a little bit about what they are achieving.

The U.S. Tolkien archive project aims to compile the complete printing history of Tolkien books in the United States, taking factors into account that are not commonly addressed by other sources, such as cover designs, original RRP (Regular Retail Price) and other data for reprints. Not all of this information will be published in the guide.

Though all the titles published by author J.R.R. Tolkien are listed here, this isn't so much a bibliography as it is a guide to locating the many editions and variants of them.

This guide is very easy to use. For example I clicked on the link to Smith of Wootton Major and was brought to a page very easy to read and find quick information. This page also included some surprises for me as well.

There is also a related works section which must have been quite an undertaking. It includes reference and criticism titles too. There is also a small Links page which bibliophiles may enjoy.

It is uncertain if this site is kept up to date however, there is contact information available.

The US Tolkien Guide

TolkienBooks.net

This site has a wealth of information for those collecting British editions of Professor Tolkien's books. Their goal is:

TolkienBooks.net is the home of An Illustrated Tolkien Bibliography.The website aims to list all British editions of the published writings of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings) and to illustrate changes to the texts and covers.

You are privy to a lot of information regarding editions, what the print run numbers were and much, much more. My favorite pages are from the Articles section. Here you can find the contents and more information regarding all Tolkien's Middle-earth titles and a few scholarly titles too.

This site is very easy to navigate and is kept up to date with new collectors information.

TolkienBooks.net

Thorton's Bookshop

Thorton's Bookshop located in Oxford, England can help you find out of print and rare publications of or about J.R.R. Tolkien. You can join their mailing list or if you click on their logo you get their extensive list of categories of which Tolkien is one of.

Just to experiment I checked on The Hobbit and was given 11 books. The books ranged from the story itself {the Moroccan leather bound edition for $1417.40 was tempting)to literary criticism titles.

This looks like a good place to start your collection.

Thorton's Bookshop

Compleat Gyde to Tolkien Calendars

The Compleat Gyde to Tolkien Calendars is a well organized, informational site for those who collects calendars. It is easy to navigate and with a chronological list dating back to 1969 it is quite thorough too. The rarity scale used can help you determine if your calendar is one of value. They include an image of a calendar cover dated in 1973 the year the professor died.

The Compleat Gyde to Tolkien Calendars

Tolkien Collector - The Collectible Hobbit

Tolkien Collector - The Collectible Hobbit is specifically for those collecting Tolkien inspired items. From books, jewelry, clothing to swords you can find it there at the Collectible Hobbit. There is also a chat room and Tolkien sudoku page. So if you're in the mood to shop this is probably one of many but very easy to navigate.

Tolkien Collector - The Collectible Hobbit

Rolozo Tolkien

Rolozo Tolkien (hosted by TheOneRing.net) created by Ryan Eric Lovett of California has collected quite a few images, drawings and paintings of Tolkien images on the web. The artists range in the most successful to the amateur and in itself is pretty amazing.

The gallery is quite easy to follow. It is sectioned out easily with topics ranging from book illustrations to Tolkien calendars. There is even one page for images of Tolkien himself.

It is sad however that no images have been added since 2006. But when you think of the work involved to keep such a huge site up to date it is understandable. The site is truly a gem.

Rolozo Tolkien

War of the Ring

War of the Ring offers quite a lot. Starting with the New Line Cinema LoTR craze the site posted up to date news regarding the movies. Currently they still do post news Tolkien related and have an active message forum. Also included in their pages are book reviews, photo forums, a shop (includes everything from shirts to weapons), fan fic page and downloads.

They also have a large archive section for news and such prior to 2004. It's worth a look for a variety of reasons.

War of the Ring

The One Ring.net

TheOneRing.net was founded in 1999 by Xoanon and Tehanu. Primarily driven for news regarding Peter Jackson/New Line Cinemas's LoTR movies they hunted for any pre-production news they could find. This site truly is one created by fans for fans and you can read about their history here.

This site has grown to an immense size even out growing it's original one which you can still view in their archive.

Besides current news on the Hobbit movie in pre-production and any news to do with Tolkien including gaming, the site also holds a message forum, Barlimans Chat, polls, a scrapbook from events, a page just for merchandise, events and much more.

It is vast, fresh and fun.

Tolkien Collectors Guide

The Tolkien Collectors Guide is a simple data base to use. With links to specific subjects you can find much of what you are looking for. With a message forum attached you can also find others looking for items you may have knowledge of. Also included is a live chat function.

This is a good place to start and converse with others of like interests. Looks quite easy to use too.

Have fun at The Tolkien Collectors Guide.

The Tolkien Library

This website is run by Pieter Collier a collector of Tolkien literature. Pieter not only collects books and the like he also keeps this wonderful site updated with the latest in Tolkien literature news. Whether it is for collecting references, interviews or the terrific links page, The Tolkien Library is the place to browse.

 Visit the library HERE.