So, today the supplement to TOLKIEN STUDIES volume XIX arrived -- in rather battered condition, I'm sorry to say: the cover looks like it's been crumpled then flattened out again. Anyone else have this problem?
Glad to say the book is intact; in this case, condition does not affect contents.
And the content is impressive, and shd be welcome to all serious fans of the book. It's long been known that when the narrative of THE LORD OF THE RINGS split into multiple threads, Tolkien drew up charts so he cd keep track of who was doing what an when. Wm Cloud Hicklin has now edited these columns as THE CHRONOLOGY OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS, and it is being released as a stand-alone addendum to the latest volume of TS (XIX).
I haven't had a chance yet to look over this, but I'm impressed by the clarity of his presentation. I made several stabs towards transcribing this material for my own research in the early 2000s and cdn't arrive at a satisfactory way of transcription among the multiple, oft-altered material. It's good to see Hicklin succeed.
And it's always a good day in my book when we get some new, never-before-published Tolkien mss.
Speaking of which, my copy of Volume XIX itself has not yet arrived. Anyone else having this problem, or am I just impatient?
--John R.
3 comments:
Is Volume XIX itself out yet? I haven't seen any announcement of the table of contents at David's blog, so I have assumed that it was delayed because of the work on the supplement.
Doug
I also just received the supplement (yesterday, also damaged in transit). I thought they were going to ship the supplement and issue 19 together but can't tell because mine arrived in the dreaded USPS "we're sorry our machine ate your package" plastic bag and so it could have been lost/destroyed.
Vol. XIX has not been published yet. West Virginia University Press has labeled the Chronology as a supplement because it's coming out the same year. Subscriptions are annual, so if you bought the Supplement you will receive the regular issue as part of your purchase.
That's assuming it does come out this year. Working on the supplement has put us way behind.
- David Bratman, co-editor, Tolkien Studies
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