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12
By Jlong
Home away from home

Tolkien Dedication

12 Oct, 2008
2008-10-12 4:05:59 PM UTC

Ok, so when I purchased those 4 books, the seller also gave me the following dedication inscription that Tolkien wrote to some person. The dedication originally contained a signature but that portion was cut off and used for other purposes by David Miller. Do you guys think this looks like Tolkien's writing? I have a clear date on it; it was written in June 1973. Not that cool of an item, I know, but better than nothing.

251_48f2201f98d93.jpg 1535X470 px
14 Oct, 2008
2008-10-14 8:44:34 PM UTC
It looks like Tolkien's writing to me; and the date makes it one of the last things he signed. Which means that whatever this has been cut out of has lost its history in order to make a quick buck, and that's shameful in my opinion.
19 Oct, 2008
2008-10-19 10:37:33 PM UTC
I uploaded a copy of the inscription with the original signature. What do you guys think?

251_48fbb6850f2c1.jpg 1280X960 px
20 Oct, 2008
2008-10-20 9:26:47 PM UTC
Looks good to me - too bad it isn't still together!
21 Oct, 2008
2008-10-21 11:03:37 AM UTC
It looks okay to me too.

Wayne
21 Oct, 2008
2008-10-21 11:09:47 AM UTC
Have a card from 30/6 and from 6/7 a signed set of Lord of the Rings of the same year (and a card in from between those dates as well) ... will try and get pictures in here so you can compare.

But this looks very fine! It is soooo sad that this piece was cut. Can't imagine how that feels, cutting away the dedication, but I think I would feel sick... incredible what booksellers can do. Hope this kind of practices are now history, but I doubt it.
22 Oct, 2008
2008-10-22 10:14:28 AM UTC
Beren wrote -

"Can't imagine how that feels, cutting away the dedication, but I think I would feel sick..."


I know someone who has a book with a similarly fine dedication and signature, also on a separate piece of paper. He tells me that the books (there are others) are safe while in his care, but he's concerned that this sort of thing will happen to them once they're sold (he has children, and wants to leave the books to them.)

But there's no question of this practice coming to a stop, so long as the greedy and unscrupulous know that a Tolkien signature will fetch more on a copy of TH or LotR than on an original piece. What we need is a bit of education among the buyers! But, as a lot of folk who buy this sort of thing do so because of investment and/or speculation, I fear no-one would take any notice.
23 Oct, 2008
2008-10-23 8:13:42 PM UTC
This book was signed on the 6th of June 1973:



And this card on 30th May 1973:



Just to show how similar the signature is around that period.
24 Oct, 2008
2008-10-24 7:19:46 AM UTC
by the way... what do you think of Tolkien's translation of "The Lord of the Rings" into " i Turin i Cormaren "? Never seen it as such before.

I'm not a linguist, but find it interesting none the less. Tolkien in one place rendered "The Lord of the Rings" as _Heru i Million_ in Quenya, but the word Mil or Millë for ring does not appear elsewhere; in the Lord of the Rings itself, Tolkien twice uses the word corma, in which case the title should have be Heru i Cormaron.

The Sindarin equivalent would be Hîr i Chyrf, but I don't actually know if Sindarin had the word corf = corma. Anyone can help?

Also this was written to "Philip Brown" and Tolkien invited him because he had the "right qualifications", anyone knows anything about a Philip Brown? They communicated both by writing on Merton Collage cards. Tolkien did write a first invitation to Brown on the 30th of May 1973 and then some communication back and forward. They saw each other on the 6th of June 1973. Anyone knows anyhting?
24 Oct, 2008
2008-10-24 9:20:35 AM UTC
Just stop posting all these pictures of stuff you have signed by Tolkien!
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