The Tolkien Society has their annual Seminar every summer around this time, where members gather for a one day event to present papers and have panels around a particular theme that changes every year.

The 2016 Tolkien Society Seminar, used with permission

This year is rather special, in that the Seminar is online-only, and open to the general public to attend or just listen to. Here is more information

In anticipation of the Tolkien TV adaptation by Amazon Prime, this year’s Seminar invites speakers to explore the topic of adapting Tolkien to the screen and beyond. Papers may consider, but are not limited to:

• Adapting Tolkien’s works to stage and screen
  
• Fan-made content
  
• Illustrating Middle-earth
  
• Tolkienian pastiche
  
• Other adaptations: games, merchandise and Hobbit-hole hotels
  

Following the untimely death of Christopher Tolkien, we would like to recognise his immeasurable contribution to the field of Tolkien studies with a panel discussion on Christopher Tolkien’s interaction with his father’s work.

The full schedule of presentations and panels is available at https://www.tolkiensociety.org/events/seminar-2020/

Links to talks by topic
1 - Paul Godfrey Adapting The Silmarillion for Music


2 - Alessandro Voglino Middle Age/Middle Earth in the iconography of the Hildebrandt Brothers


3 - Mina Lukic Is Adapting Tolkien (Mis)Remembering


4 - Andrew Higgins ‘Elvish as She is Filmed’ The Adaptation of Tolkien’s Elvish Languages in the Peter Jackson’s Films


5 - Brian Egede-Pedersen “I Heard The Sword’s Song, and It Sang to Me” – Adapting Tolkien in the World of Heavy Metal


6 - Monica Sanz Shadows of Middle Earth: Tolkien in subculture, counterculture and exploitation

7 - Panel discussion on the work of Christopher Tolkien


8 - Marie Bretagnolle The other illustrated Silmarillion: Francis Mosley for the Folio Society


9 - Cami Agan The First Age Materials: C. Tolkien’s Greatest Task


10 - Vanessa Simmons Journey’s End: A Musical Interpretation of Tolkien’s Landscape
Not currently available

11 - Kristine Larsen Adapting Tolkien Beyond Arda, or, How to Navigate the Political Minefield of the International Astronomical Union in Order to Name Features on Titan, Pluto, and Charon After Middle-earth

I am sure that Urulókë may know who this is

https://luke-shelton.com/2020/07/03/tep-14-jeremy-edmonds/

For this week’s episode, we are very excited to have Jeremy Edmonds, the creator of Tolkienguide.com!

The hosts of the podcast met Jeremy at Tolkien2019, and became fast friends with many shared interests, especially a love of Tolkien’s work. His phenomenal website has been going for more than a decade and a half! There you will find scholars and collectors talking about minutiae and interesting factoids about Tolkien

HarperCollins is releasing an unabridged audiobook of J R R Tolkien's The Hobbit, read by Andy Serkis who starred as Gollum in the blockbuster movies.

Released in September, the audiobook comes after Serkis embarked on Hobbitathon, a live, cover-to-cover reading of the classic book, in an 11-hour sitting to raise money for Covid-19 relief efforts. More than 650,000 fans tuned in, helping to raise over £300,000.

Serkis explained: “I have such vivid memories of first reading The Hobbit, when I was on the bus going to school, aged about nine or 10. It was the first ‘grown up’ book I remember reading, and I’d often miss my stop because I was so engaged in the thrust and power of its storytelling, the beautifully drawn characters, the majesty of the epic journey.

“After having performed it all in one take for the Hobbitathon, and with experience freshly under my belt, HarperCollins and I talked about the idea of creating an audiobook version, one that would encapsulate the spirit of the Hobbitathon, except this time I would have the opportunity to refine the performance over four days in the studio.”

The actor has donated his fee to the Disasters Emergency Committee and HarperCollins has matched his contribution.

Deputy publishing director Chris Smith said: “HarperCollins is proud to be the official publisher of the works of J R R Tolkien, and we consider The Hobbit to be one of the brightest jewels in our crown, a book that generations of readers have grown up with and continue to love for its charm, imagination and sense of adventure. We are delighted that we have an actor of the calibre of Andy Serkis who can bring these qualities to life so brilliantly for a whole new audience, and the support of the Tolkien Estate in bringing about this exciting project.”

The audiobook will be available to download from all audiobook retailers on 3rd September and on CD on 17th September. Recorded Books will publish in the US.

https://www.thebookseller.com/news/and ... bit-harpercollins-1208925

Audible pre-order https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Hobbi ... rd_r=6VXVXKVRMJFQ65TKAZ0H

Forum Auctions is having another sale titled "Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper" on Thursday 16th July 2020 at 1:00pm BST.

Lot 194 - Tolkien (J.R.R.) The Lord of the Rings, 3 vol., 1954-55.

Comprising The Fellowship of the Ring, second impression, neat ink ownership inscription, 1954; The Two Towers, second impression, 1954; The Return of the King, first edition, first impression, state with signature mark '4' and sagging text to p.49, 1955, folding maps, foxing or browning to endpapers, original cloth, dust-jackets, light browning to spines, some chipping and fraying to spine ends and corners, light creasing to head and foot, extremities rubbed, 8vo.

Estimate: £500 - 700 (not including 25% buyer's premium)

This auction is online-only, with bidding active now and lots ending on July 2nd, 2020.

Lot 154 - JRR Tolkien, The Hobbit, 2nd edition, 10th impression. Colour frontispiece, illustrations, map endpapers, original pictorial boards, spine slightly faded, dust-jacket chipped and rubbed but flaps uncut, 8vo, 1958.

Estimate: £100 - £150 (not including 25% buyer's premium)