Would really like to go back

A tour around the exterior of All Saints’ Church, Roos. Pointing out the site of Edith’s dance for Tolkien, which inspired the meeting of Lúthien Tinúviel and Beren - the Elven Princess and the mortal Man. Included are: a three-trunked tree resembling Hirilorn; a heraldic device featuring a severed hand; the tree species mentioned by Tolkien in the earliest surviving version; a explanation of Tolkien’s “hemlock”; a coincidental tree-ish gravestone & the veiled aspect of Roos Beck. I also identify many of the bird species singing on the “soundtrack.”

In 1977 George Allen & Unwin released three sets of eight cards, each featuring an illustration by Tolkien. The three sets were "Hobbit Series 1", "Hobbit Series 2", and "The Lord of the Rings". Hammond's J.R.R. Tolkien A Descriptive Bibliography documents these as Eii17 (p. 379).

In going through my ephemera today, I found an advertisement for these sets that I had forgotten I had. Of note, it states

"The first collection of Tolkien cards was a great success. Now there is a choice of three sets"

In the fine print at the bottom, it indicates which seven cards were included in the "first collection":

• The Hill: Hobbiton-across-the-Water
  
• Rivendell
  
• Bilbo comes to the Huts of the Raft-elves
  
• Conversation with Smaug
  
• Death of Smaug
  
• Bilbo woke with the early sun in his eyes
  
• Barad-dûr
  

Has anyone ever run across a set of this "first collection"?

Aguttes has an important auction coming up on May 26th titled Autographs and Manuscripts. One lot (#202) contains six very important letters from J.R.R. Tolkien to George Sayers, talking about The Lord of the Rings.



The letters are variously signed "Ronald Tolkien", "Tollers" or JRRT. Most are handwritten and come from his home at 76 Sandfield Road, Hedington, Oxford. The letters are dated

• April 28, 1953 - Tolkien was in a sorry state, sent Sayer's essay to GA&U who's advertising department will use it... (Chronology p. 421)
  
• June 24, 1953 - typed letter. Interested in getting a recording device similar to the one George used... (Chronology p. 423)
  
• April 25, 1957 - Would be delighted to have lunch with Sayer... (Not noted in Chronology)
  
• April 6, 1962 - Apologies, Edith took a fall, could send tape reels for Sayer to critique... (Chronology p. 621)
  
• March 11, 1966 - Wants to send Sayer a deluxe boxed set in thanks. Ace books controversy. Invites Sayer to Tolkien's Golden Anniversary celebration, Donald Swann will perform... (Chronology p. 692)
  
• March 21, 1966 - Explanations of the revised edition of The Lord of the Rings. Again thanking George for his support to get it published... (Chronology p. 693)
  

Lot 202 - Six signed letters

Estimate: 5,000 - 7,000 EUR

Chronology page references - The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide: Chronology, Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond, HarperCollins, 2017.

Forum Auctions, in their "Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper" auction on Tuesday 9th June 2020 has the following interesting lot up for bid:



Printed programme for the New College School, Oxford, production of The Hobbit, adapted by Humphrey Carpenter with music by Paul Drayton, signed by Tolkien, 1967

Printed programme for the New College School, Oxford, production of The Hobbit, adapted by Humphrey Carpenter with music by Paul Drayton, 4pp., illustrations, with map by Drayton to final p., signed by Tolkien, Carpenter and Drayon on upper cover, additionally signed by 9 members of the case, hole punch rings to margins, the dragon coloured by hand, [Hammond pp.23-24], 1967 § Carpenter (Humphrey) "The Hobbit". A Play for Children and Adults, typescript, several markings and underlinings along with a few drawings relating to the production in a young hand, original programme loosely inserted, the sheets hole-punched at inner margins with ring fasteners in contemporary limp boards with related drawings to upper cover, extremities a little worn, 1967; with a contemporary vinyl recording of the play, 4to (3)

Estimate: £2,000 - 3,000

On November 25, 2017, Tolkieniano wrote on his blog a very interesting article titled 'Tolkien, Trains and Two Discoveries: Meccano and Hornby' - the article is written in Italian, but Google Translate did an admirable job making the article understandable and it is well worth your time to go read it now if you haven't already.

In it, Tolkieniano documents a few small appearances of the Tolkien family in two issues of Meccano Magazine - the March and June 1933 issues specifically, along with a host of other interesting background material from other issues and sources.

While I was reading through his article, I did a little searching, and discovered that most issues of the magazine, including these two, are fully scanned and available for download from the Internet Archive, in case anyone else is interested.




March 1933 issue of Meccano Magazine on archive.org




June 1933 issue of Meccano Magazine

On a small side note, Findegil - the addenda for your (indispensable) set The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide has the date incorrect for Tolkieniano's article, having 1917 instead of 2017, on all of the pages it is referenced.