5th Anniversary of the Events Page
18 March - By Trotter
Today is the 5th Anniversary of the Events (previously Tolkien Calendar) page on the Tolkien Guide.
The first event was created 2021-03-18 by Urulókë with announcement on the site, https://www.tolkienguide.com/modules/n ... ewtopic.php?topic_id=3969
As of the April 12th, 2026 we have listed 1237 events
The date of the first event was 2021-04-12 and was a posting about the excellent Ted Nasmith illustrated Silmarillion's being released, in Trade and Deluxe format, https://www.tolkienguide.com/modules/n ... t_id=30253#forumpost30253
As well as listing Online and Global events, we have covered events in the following countries so far.
Whilst it is great to look back on the Events Page, it hopefully is a really useful tool for anyone interested in Tolkien and finding out what is happening. You can access the site from the banner at the top of the site, under Events and can see Upcoming and Past Events, if you are using the desktop version of the site the next 4 upcoming events appear on the right of the site, and finally it is available directly at https://www.tolkienguide.com/events
We plan a refresh of the Events page and have plans to make it more useful for Tolkien Events, but if you notice any event that you think should be included, please PM me so that I can add it, I know we have missed some events because we only found out about them after they had finished.
History
The first event was created 2021-03-18 by Urulókë with announcement on the site, https://www.tolkienguide.com/modules/n ... ewtopic.php?topic_id=3969
As of the April 12th, 2026 we have listed 1237 events
First Entry
The date of the first event was 2021-04-12 and was a posting about the excellent Ted Nasmith illustrated Silmarillion's being released, in Trade and Deluxe format, https://www.tolkienguide.com/modules/n ... t_id=30253#forumpost30253
Location of Events
As well as listing Online and Global events, we have covered events in the following countries so far.
How to use
Whilst it is great to look back on the Events Page, it hopefully is a really useful tool for anyone interested in Tolkien and finding out what is happening. You can access the site from the banner at the top of the site, under Events and can see Upcoming and Past Events, if you are using the desktop version of the site the next 4 upcoming events appear on the right of the site, and finally it is available directly at https://www.tolkienguide.com/events
Future
We plan a refresh of the Events page and have plans to make it more useful for Tolkien Events, but if you notice any event that you think should be included, please PM me so that I can add it, I know we have missed some events because we only found out about them after they had finished.
Pets & their People - Bodleian Library exhibition
13 March - By Trotter
About the exhibition
We have been domesticating animals for over ten thousand years. But why do we want tame wolves in our homes or wild cats on our laps?
This exhibition explores the relationship between humans and their pets – or pets and their humans.
Pets & their People draws on depictions of pets in stories, imagery and poetry in the Bodleian's collection – from one of the earliest recorded depictions of an assistance dog for the blind to a rare copy of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland that has never been displayed in the UK before. The exhibition asks how the special bond between owners and their pets has evolved over time, and what that evolution tells us about who we really are.
Are we taming our pets, or are they bringing us back to our wild roots?
Additionally, I have been informed by the Bodleian Tolkien Archivist
There are a couple of Tolkien items in the Bodleian’s new Pets & Their People exhibition, on until 27 September in the Weston Library, and, as always, free admission. The first page of a draft typescript of Roverandom and Tolkien’s watercolour illustration for the story. Both are reproduced in Catherine McIlwaine’s Maker of Middle Earth (pp. 263-265). MS. Tolkien Drawings 89, fol. 2 (the watercolour) and MS. Tolkien B 64/1, fol. 2 (the draft).
https://visit.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/event/pets-and-their-people
Michael Hague 1948-2026
12 March - By Mr. Underhill
Illustrator Michael Hague’s wife Kathleen posted that her husband passed away March 10, 2026.
Michael was best known in the Tolkien community for his illustrated Hobbit, first released in 1984. His illustrations can also be found in several Easton Press volumes; The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Unfinished Tales, and Book of Lost Tales 1&2. Our condolences to his family, friends, and fans.
I was fortunate enough to meet Michael many years ago at an art conference not realizing he would be there. I did not have any books with me at the time, but was able to get him to sign a slip of paper, which I then brought home and pasted into my copy of his illustrated Hobbit. Still have it today.
View Thread (7 replies)
Great Tales Deluxe Edition
11 March - By Emilien
Stunning three-volume deluxe slipcased set of the three 'Great Tales' of Middle-earth, edited by Christopher Tolkien and illustrated throughout by acclaimed Tolkien artist, Alan Lee. It features exclusive new paintings appearing for the first time, together with three removable art cards and two foldout maps drawn by Christopher Tolkien.
THE CHILDREN OF HÚRIN
Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, dwells in the vast fortress of Angband in the North; and within the shadow of the fear of Angband, and the war waged by Morgoth against the Elves, the fates of Túrin and his sister will be tragically entwined. Their brief and passionate lives are dominated by the elemental hatred that Morgoth bears them as the children of Húrin, the man who dared defy him to his face. Against them Morgoth sends his most formidable servant, Glaurung, a powerful spirit in the form of a huge wingless dragon of fire, in an attempt to fulfil his curse and destroy the children of Húrin.
BEREN AND LÚTHIEN
Deeply opposed to the marriage of Beren, a mortal man, to his daughter Lúthien, the great Elvish lord, Thingol, imposes an impossible task that Beren must perform before they might wed. Undaunted by Lord Thingol’s challenge, Beren and Lúthien embark on the supremely heroic attempt to rob Morgoth, the greatest of all evil beings, of a Silmaril, one of the hallowed jewels that adorn the Black Enemy’s crown.
THE FALL OF GONDOLIN
Central to the enmity of two of the greatest powers in the world – Morgoth and Ulmo – is the Elvish city of Gondolin, beautiful but undiscoverable. Turgon King of Gondolin is hated and feared above all his enemies by Morgoth, who seeks in vain to discover the marvellously hidden city, while the gods in Valinor largely refuse to support Ulmo. Into this world comes Tuor, cousin of Túrin, the instrument of Ulmo's designs. Guided unseen by him Tuor sets out on the fearful journey to Gondolin, where he becomes great; he is wedded to Idril, Turgon's daughter, and their son is Eärendel, whose birth and profound importance in days to come is foreseen by Ulmo. Then Morgoth learns through an act of supreme treachery all that he needs to mount a devastating attack on the city, with Balrogs and dragons and numberless Orcs.
This deluxe set of these beautifully illustrated works features brand-new cover designs by the artist. Each volume is quarter-bound and has additionally been enhanced for the first time with sprayed edges. They are housed in a custom-built cloth slipcase stamped in silver foil with motifs and a hidden artwork created exclusively by Alan Lee, and accompanied by three removable art cards plus two foldout maps of Beleriand drawn by Christopher Tolkien.
UK edition
US edition
Just found out more information about the upcoming Great Tales box set, including the first mock-up! (
https://www.harpercollins.com/products ... en?variant=44983777591330
We can see also (maybe for the first time, to be confirmed), mention of both J.R.R and Christopher on the spine !
Tolkien's Oxford English Monographs
2 March - By Mr. Underhill
“I am a philologist, and all my work is philological.”
Carpenter #165: Letter from J.R.R. Tolkien to Houghton Mifflin Co. • 30 June 1955 (#478)
This article is an introduction to the Oxford English Monograph series on which J. R. R. Tolkien served as a General Editor (he oversaw much of the series from its inception around 1940 to his retirement in 1959). Tolkien’s role varied slightly between general editorial oversight and contributing prefatory notes, all of the following volumes were published in the Oxford English Monographs series during the period he was associated with it.
It seems that Tolkien’s involvement as a General Editor of the series arose naturally from his academic position, reputation, and institutional role within the University of Oxford. In 1925, Tolkien was appointed Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon. In 1945, he became Merton Professor of English Language and Literature. His 1936 lecture “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics” established him as a major voice in Anglo-Saxon studies and at the time, Oxford University Press relied heavily on senior Oxford academics to serve as general editors for subject-based series.
Tolkien didn’t author these monographs but served as a editor or contributor during much of its early run. For some titles, his involvement is specifically mentioned in the preface or as an editorial contributor even if he didn’t write large sections himself. The contents of the seven volumes themselves, are mostly scholarly editions of medieval (Old English, Middle English, Old Norse/Icelandic) and early modern texts, with introduction, notes, and glossary.
“The aim of this series is to provide reliable texts with such introduction and commentary as may be necessary for their understanding.”
--J.R.R. Tolkien prefatory note to Old English Apollonius of Tyre
"It is a pleasure to record the debts which I have incurred in preparing this edition of Sir Orfeo: to Professor J.R.R. Tolkien, whose penetrating scholarship is an inspiration to all who have worked with him... to the editors of the Oxford English Monographs, who agreed to include this volume in the series."
--A.J. Bliss prefatory note in Sir Orfeo
First in the series, edited by G. Turville-Petre, was an edition of an Icelandic saga. A critical scholarly text of Víga-Glúms saga, one of the classic Íslendingasögur (“Sagas of Icelanders”) recounting feuds and heroism in medieval Iceland. These sagas are essential primary sources for Norse literature and culture. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis served as general editor for this early volume in the series. A second edition was published in 1960 with an altered dust jacket and corrections to the text.
Second in the series, edited by B.L. Joseph, literary/historical study. This volume focuses on acting practice in Elizabethan England, a period vital for the development of English drama. Examines sources on performance practice, playhouse conventions, and the acting profession in the late 16th/early 17th century. Tolkien contributed editorial oversight and “comments and encouragement” as general editor.
There was a second impression very soon after the first which is discernible by looking at the copyright page. A second hardback edition was published in the 1960's with an altered dust jacket and corrections to the text.
Third in the series, edited by Ursula Brown and is an Old Icelandic saga. Critical edition of Þorgils saga ok Hafliða from the Sturlunga saga corpus, an important tale of family conflict and politics in 12th–13th-century Iceland. Scholarly editions like this helped to preserve and interpret medieval Norse narrative texts.
Forth in the series, edited by A.J. Bliss, a Middle English literary edition. This is an edition of the Middle English romance Sir Orfeo, a retelling of the Orpheus legend within an Arthurian-flavored medieval setting. These texts illuminate how classical material was adopted and adapted in medieval English literary culture. A second edition was published in the 1960's with an altered dust jacket and corrections to the text. Another paperback edition was published as well.
Fifth in the series, edited by Cecily Clark and is an edition of an Anglo-Saxon Chronicle continuation. A scholarly edition of the continuation of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle preserved in the Peterborough manuscript. This text is a key historical source for late Anglo-Saxon and early Norman England and is widely used in studies of early English history and language.
Sixth in the series (and by my account the hardest to find), edited by Peter Goolden and is an edition of the Old English version of the medieval romance Apollonius of Tyre, a narrative story that circulated widely across medieval Europe. Tolkien contributed a prefatory note addressing details of publication.
Seventh in the series, edited by G. M. Story & Helen Gardner. This is an Critical edition of the Latin sonnets of William Alabaster (late 16th–early 17th c.), a poet and theological writer whose work forms part of Renaissance English literary history. Tolkien’s editorial connection here marks the end of his involvement with the Oxford English Monographs series as he would shortly retire from his chair at Oxford at the age of 67.
By the 1940s, many academic and trade publishers (including major university presses like OUP) were using advance copies to solicit reviews in journals, newspapers, and scholarly publications before a book appeared. the typical groups receiving such copies included: Book reviewers and critics in newspapers, magazines, and academic journals. Booksellers and distributors who could order stock based on early reviews. Academic libraries and scholars likely to adopt and recommend the book in their fields. Librarians and institutional buyers who would evaluate new academic titles for their collections.
These typically came with some sort of documentation to indicate the volume was being sent for this purpose. I have many such copies in my collection.
Conclusions
This series and Tolkien’s involvement, I feel, reveal a coherent intellectual worldview that unites his academic and imaginative work. The series reflects a distinctly philological conception of English studies—one grounded in the careful establishment of texts, attention to linguistic history, and respect for manuscript transmission.
Its emphasis on Old Norse sagas, Anglo-Saxon chronicles, Middle English romance, and early modern scholarship demonstrates a belief in deep historical continuity, treating English literature not as a modern, isolated phenomenon but as part of a long cultural and linguistic inheritance. This same sensibility shapes Tolkien’s fiction. The Lord of the Rings is structured like a recovered text, embedded in layers of history, languages, and lost records, mirroring the scholarly editions he helped oversee.
His narrative world behaves like a medieval archive, complete with transmission, variation, and antiquity. The monograph series therefore illustrates that Tolkien’s myth-making was not separate from his scholarship; rather, his fiction can be understood as philology transformed into imaginative sub-creation, applying the methods and values of historical scholarship to the construction of an invented but internally coherent past.
For more information & Works Consulted
1. J.R.R. Tolkien A Descriptive Bibliography - Wayne G. Hammond with the assistance of Douglas A. Anderson (Oak Knoll)
2. Turville-Petre, Thorlac. The Alliterative Revival. Woodbridge: Brewer etc., 1977. pp. 126–129.
3. Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond, The J. R. R. Tolkien Companion & Guide
4. Tolkienbooks.net
5. Bliss, A. J., editor. Sir Orfeo. Oxford University Press, 1954. Oxford English Monographs.
6. Brown, Ursula, editor. Þorgils Saga ok Hafliða. Oxford University Press, 1952. Oxford English Monographs.
7. Carpenter, Humphrey, editor. The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien. George Allen & Unwin, 1981.
8. Carpenter, Humphrey. J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biography. George Allen & Unwin, 1977.
9. Goolden, Peter, editor. Old English Apollonius of Tyre. Oxford University Press, 1958. Oxford English Monographs.
10. Joseph, B. L. Elizabethan Acting. Oxford University Press, 1951. Oxford English Monographs.
11. Story, G. M., and Helen Gardner, editors. The Sonnets of William Alabaster. Oxford University Press, 1959. Oxford English Monographs.
12. Turville-Petre, G., editor. Víga-Glúms Saga. Oxford University Press, 1940. Oxford English Monographs.
For More TolkienGuide.com articles please see
https://www.tolkienguide.com/articles/
Carpenter #165: Letter from J.R.R. Tolkien to Houghton Mifflin Co. • 30 June 1955 (#478)
This article is an introduction to the Oxford English Monograph series on which J. R. R. Tolkien served as a General Editor (he oversaw much of the series from its inception around 1940 to his retirement in 1959). Tolkien’s role varied slightly between general editorial oversight and contributing prefatory notes, all of the following volumes were published in the Oxford English Monographs series during the period he was associated with it.
It seems that Tolkien’s involvement as a General Editor of the series arose naturally from his academic position, reputation, and institutional role within the University of Oxford. In 1925, Tolkien was appointed Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon. In 1945, he became Merton Professor of English Language and Literature. His 1936 lecture “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics” established him as a major voice in Anglo-Saxon studies and at the time, Oxford University Press relied heavily on senior Oxford academics to serve as general editors for subject-based series.
All seven together, jacket has been left off of one volume in order to see the green binding that all of them share.
Tolkien didn’t author these monographs but served as a editor or contributor during much of its early run. For some titles, his involvement is specifically mentioned in the preface or as an editorial contributor even if he didn’t write large sections himself. The contents of the seven volumes themselves, are mostly scholarly editions of medieval (Old English, Middle English, Old Norse/Icelandic) and early modern texts, with introduction, notes, and glossary.
Prefatory note thanking Tolkien
“The aim of this series is to provide reliable texts with such introduction and commentary as may be necessary for their understanding.”
--J.R.R. Tolkien prefatory note to Old English Apollonius of Tyre
"It is a pleasure to record the debts which I have incurred in preparing this edition of Sir Orfeo: to Professor J.R.R. Tolkien, whose penetrating scholarship is an inspiration to all who have worked with him... to the editors of the Oxford English Monographs, who agreed to include this volume in the series."
--A.J. Bliss prefatory note in Sir Orfeo
Víga-Glúms Saga (1940)
First in the series, edited by G. Turville-Petre, was an edition of an Icelandic saga. A critical scholarly text of Víga-Glúms saga, one of the classic Íslendingasögur (“Sagas of Icelanders”) recounting feuds and heroism in medieval Iceland. These sagas are essential primary sources for Norse literature and culture. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis served as general editor for this early volume in the series. A second edition was published in 1960 with an altered dust jacket and corrections to the text.
First Edition
First Edition Title & Copyright Pages
Second Edition
Elizabethan Acting (1951)
Second in the series, edited by B.L. Joseph, literary/historical study. This volume focuses on acting practice in Elizabethan England, a period vital for the development of English drama. Examines sources on performance practice, playhouse conventions, and the acting profession in the late 16th/early 17th century. Tolkien contributed editorial oversight and “comments and encouragement” as general editor.
There was a second impression very soon after the first which is discernible by looking at the copyright page. A second hardback edition was published in the 1960's with an altered dust jacket and corrections to the text.
First Edition
First Impression Title & Copyright Pages. Images Courtesy of remy
Second Impression Copyright Page.
Second Edition
þorgils Saga ok Hafliða (1952)
Third in the series, edited by Ursula Brown and is an Old Icelandic saga. Critical edition of Þorgils saga ok Hafliða from the Sturlunga saga corpus, an important tale of family conflict and politics in 12th–13th-century Iceland. Scholarly editions like this helped to preserve and interpret medieval Norse narrative texts.
First Edition
First Edition Title & Copyright Pages
Sir Orfeo (1954)
Forth in the series, edited by A.J. Bliss, a Middle English literary edition. This is an edition of the Middle English romance Sir Orfeo, a retelling of the Orpheus legend within an Arthurian-flavored medieval setting. These texts illuminate how classical material was adopted and adapted in medieval English literary culture. A second edition was published in the 1960's with an altered dust jacket and corrections to the text. Another paperback edition was published as well.
First Edition
First Edition Title & Copyright Pages
Second Hardback Edition
Second Paperback Edition. Image courtesy of remy
Second Paperback Edition Copyright Page. Image courtesy of remy
The Peterborough Chronicle (1958)
Fifth in the series, edited by Cecily Clark and is an edition of an Anglo-Saxon Chronicle continuation. A scholarly edition of the continuation of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle preserved in the Peterborough manuscript. This text is a key historical source for late Anglo-Saxon and early Norman England and is widely used in studies of early English history and language.
First Edition
First Edition Title & Copyright Pages
The Old English Apollonius of Tyre (1958)
Sixth in the series (and by my account the hardest to find), edited by Peter Goolden and is an edition of the Old English version of the medieval romance Apollonius of Tyre, a narrative story that circulated widely across medieval Europe. Tolkien contributed a prefatory note addressing details of publication.
First Edition. Image courtesy of Beren
First Edition. Image courtesy of Beren
First Edition Title & Copyright Pages
The Sonnets of William Alabaster (1959)
Seventh in the series, edited by G. M. Story & Helen Gardner. This is an Critical edition of the Latin sonnets of William Alabaster (late 16th–early 17th c.), a poet and theological writer whose work forms part of Renaissance English literary history. Tolkien’s editorial connection here marks the end of his involvement with the Oxford English Monographs series as he would shortly retire from his chair at Oxford at the age of 67.
First Edition
First Edition Title & Copyright Pages
Listing of all other titles in the final volume.
Review, and Advance Reading Copies
By the 1940s, many academic and trade publishers (including major university presses like OUP) were using advance copies to solicit reviews in journals, newspapers, and scholarly publications before a book appeared. the typical groups receiving such copies included: Book reviewers and critics in newspapers, magazines, and academic journals. Booksellers and distributors who could order stock based on early reviews. Academic libraries and scholars likely to adopt and recommend the book in their fields. Librarians and institutional buyers who would evaluate new academic titles for their collections.
These typically came with some sort of documentation to indicate the volume was being sent for this purpose. I have many such copies in my collection.
Review/Courtesy Slip
Conclusions
This series and Tolkien’s involvement, I feel, reveal a coherent intellectual worldview that unites his academic and imaginative work. The series reflects a distinctly philological conception of English studies—one grounded in the careful establishment of texts, attention to linguistic history, and respect for manuscript transmission.
Its emphasis on Old Norse sagas, Anglo-Saxon chronicles, Middle English romance, and early modern scholarship demonstrates a belief in deep historical continuity, treating English literature not as a modern, isolated phenomenon but as part of a long cultural and linguistic inheritance. This same sensibility shapes Tolkien’s fiction. The Lord of the Rings is structured like a recovered text, embedded in layers of history, languages, and lost records, mirroring the scholarly editions he helped oversee.
His narrative world behaves like a medieval archive, complete with transmission, variation, and antiquity. The monograph series therefore illustrates that Tolkien’s myth-making was not separate from his scholarship; rather, his fiction can be understood as philology transformed into imaginative sub-creation, applying the methods and values of historical scholarship to the construction of an invented but internally coherent past.
For more information & Works Consulted
1. J.R.R. Tolkien A Descriptive Bibliography - Wayne G. Hammond with the assistance of Douglas A. Anderson (Oak Knoll)
2. Turville-Petre, Thorlac. The Alliterative Revival. Woodbridge: Brewer etc., 1977. pp. 126–129.
3. Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond, The J. R. R. Tolkien Companion & Guide
4. Tolkienbooks.net
5. Bliss, A. J., editor. Sir Orfeo. Oxford University Press, 1954. Oxford English Monographs.
6. Brown, Ursula, editor. Þorgils Saga ok Hafliða. Oxford University Press, 1952. Oxford English Monographs.
7. Carpenter, Humphrey, editor. The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien. George Allen & Unwin, 1981.
8. Carpenter, Humphrey. J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biography. George Allen & Unwin, 1977.
9. Goolden, Peter, editor. Old English Apollonius of Tyre. Oxford University Press, 1958. Oxford English Monographs.
10. Joseph, B. L. Elizabethan Acting. Oxford University Press, 1951. Oxford English Monographs.
11. Story, G. M., and Helen Gardner, editors. The Sonnets of William Alabaster. Oxford University Press, 1959. Oxford English Monographs.
12. Turville-Petre, G., editor. Víga-Glúms Saga. Oxford University Press, 1940. Oxford English Monographs.
For More TolkienGuide.com articles please see
https://www.tolkienguide.com/articles/
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