So, here's a piece in The Guardian that explains a lot:
Ghost jobs: why do 40% of companies advertise positions that don’t exist?
"A survey has revealed that the practice is widespread, with many companies going as far as fake-interviewing too"
This syncs up with a lot of anecdotal accounts but places it within a context and rationale:
Thoroughly reprehensible, but no solution presents itself, at least in the short term.
--John R.
So, the past few days there have seen a few unrelated but similar events.
First up the Internet was down for the day, apparently due to theft rather than sabotage (that is, thieves cut the cables for the copper).
Second was the forty-five car smash-up on I-five between Seattle and Tacoma. No one killed, thank goodness, though there were a lot of cars that needed towed away (seventeen I fotget).
Third, and most sinister of the three, someone tried to set fire to two ballot boxes, one in Portland and the other in Vancouver, Washington. No one hurt and only minimal damage, but distressing nonetheless.
--John R.
So, today we traveled down to Tacoma to see a live preformance of DRACULA. We'd seen it before, this being our third time, but it's been a long time.
The first was in the Milwaukee Public Library: a staging of the original stage play famously filmed a few years later starring Lugosi. It was by far the best of the three. It cleverly had the heroes suspect Count Dracula but rule him out because they're in England: his 'native soil' wd be hundreds of miles away; it's a real breakthrough for them when they realize he brough the dirt with him. The mirror-smashing scene was also impressive.
The second was an amateur perforance in Elkhorn in which one actor --I think the one playing Van Helsing-- dominated the whole show, to its detriment.
And the third was this one in Tacoma, more than twenty years later. Renfield and Mina were really good, with Dr. Steward not far behind. Van Helsing, Jonathan Harker, and Miss Lucy did pretty well as well. In fact the only one I thought was lacking was Dracula himself. The actor had clealy seen LOVE AT FIRST BITE, and his slightly campy performance didn't fit particularly well with the rest of the cast.
So: well worth seeing, especially for the Renfield. Also, they combined Lucy's four suitors into one (Dr. Steward) and made her less the flirt in Stoker's novel and more the victim of fate.
--John R.
--current (re)reading: LADIES OF GRACE ADIEU by Suzanna Clarke
P.S.: and, I shd add, we were fortute on the drive up to avoid the forty-five car pile-up
So, our ballots have now arrived; just have to go through them, mark them up, and get them either into the dropbox or mail by the fifth. I already know who most of the people I'm voting for are (president /vice president, senator, Congressional seat, govenor, &c) because I've been paying attention.
But there are down-ballot candidates, such (as judgeships) and initiatives and the like --including our state Secretary of State, who's an avid D&D player (i.e., one of Our People).* There's the candidates' self-descriptions of who they are and their qualifications for the job. A lot of crackpots emerge at this stage, who can be interesting in a horrifying sort of way. But there are shortcuts that eliminate a lot of the not-worth-considering from the rest and shake some apples from the tree. It's my rule of thumb not to vote for anyone who boasts about his or her lack of qualification to do the job --e.g. anyone who's never held office before. Or tax deadbeasts (governments cost money to run; those who pretend otherwise need not be taken seriously). Those who wd mandate term limits also get the hairy eyeball. And so forth.
It's a lot to go thorough, but being able to vote is worth it.
--John R.
*I was invited to a meet-and-greet with Hobbs at a game store, but cdn't make it.
So, today we took a walk along the Cedar River in downtown Renton to see if the salmon run was underway. It's quite a sight, on years we get it right (the fish being unpredictable).
We've found a good spot last year, just down stream (north) of the Renton Library, which is right over the river. The viewing was even better this year. Whether the timing was right or this is just a better year for the fish I don't know. Maybe both.
I don't know how many fish there were --dozens and dozens--mostly grey with some golden, almost as bright as koi. A few were purple, which I suspect were either grey fish turning purple or contrarywise purple ones turning grey.
It helped that the day was beautiful, with sunbeams to shine right down to the river bottom (the Cedar being a fast, shallow little river).
All in all, a good outing. We'll see if we have such luck again next time.
--John R.
currrent reading: Tolkien's poem on Tea.
So, the Taproot Theatre, a local theatrical group we enjoy getting to occasionally, has announced they'll be staging a Tolkien / Lewis themed play, called simply LEWIS AND TOLKIEN.
Written by Dean Batoli, whose work I don't know (apparently BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER scripts figured in largely), it imagines a chance meeting between CSL and JRRT at some point after the Inklings towards the end of Lewis's life. Sounds like it has potential. At any rate, I plan to go, so here's hoping it's good.
DATE: January 22nd through February 22nd, 2025
THE SEASON: just to give a better idea of what Taproot's like, the four other plays that make up this season are
A RAISIN IN THE SUN (not my kind of thing),
The Patsy Cline Story (likewise),
MURDER ON THE LINKS (Poirot stories can be fun, but I'm doubtfull about their choice of a murder mystery play set on a golf course), and
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST (which I've seen more than once, and read several more times; the problem here is deciding how many times I want to see the same play).
I guess we'll find out
--John R
So, it's that time of year again when rare book sellers gather down at the Seattle Center (the old World's Fair fairgrounds) to offer up an amazing array of collectables --anything from a Kelmscott Chaucer or copies of WEIRD TALES through local-interest booths and first editions of THE LORD OF THE RINGS.
http://www.seattlebookfair.com/
These past few years I've been working at downsizing my collection, not adding to it, which calls for a whole different mindset. But it's still quite an experience just to browse. And I still occasionally at the end of the day carry away a book, particularly if it's something I'd been looking for a long time.
We'll see how it goes this time.
--John R.
So, yesterday I noticed that my tea plant (a kind of camelia) has put out its yearly flower. I'd just planted some pansies, which along with some violets (which if they flowered this year I missed it) make up my modest little flowers-in-pots minigarden for this year.
Possiblee adjustments include replacing the capnip, which died out at some point over the last few months. I'm also pleased to note the flourishing of the Italian shell beans' leafy greens so beloved of Hastur. Neither of our current cats show much interest, but Tyburn has taken some of some grass growing out of the side of one of the pots, so we'll let that stand for cat greens for now.
--JDR
P. S.: Thanks to JC for the photol
So, thanks to Ben Riggs, author of SLAYING THE DRAGON
(a highly entertaining account of the fall of TSR)
and Gareth Hanrahan, whose work I'm not familiar with
(his work on The One Ring rpg sounds particularly interesting), I got to enjoy an hour's online discussion of LotR. Ben has since posted the discussion in both audio/video form, complete with close captions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sOa8nrmVxQ
I can see that I need to learn more about the One Ring rpg and see what the current license holders have done with the newest in a long line of Tolkien rpg. Sounds like the Shire starter set is a good place to start, if I can find it. More on this somewhere back the road.
--John R.*
*bonus points: Ben knows how to pronounce my name
So, it's October 7th, which I always celebrate as the day I was hired at TSR as an editor in their rpg department. Over the next five years I got to work on a lot of adventures and sourcebooks and boxed sets, most of them for core AD&D / D&D but also at one time or another on just about every game world they were publishing at the time.
I got to work on a lot of great game modules (didn't keep count, but at a guess, about three dozen releases) and with a lot of amazing people. That same week I was one of four new hires (whom Jim Ward, our boss who's hired us all, called 'new fish') that same month on sequential Mondays.
I arrived first on October 7th, followed by Rich Baker (designer) and Thomas Reid (editor), both on the 14th, with Wolfgang Baur (as part of the DRAGON / DUNGEON magazine team) on the 21st.
It was a great place to work, from the point of view of GETTING TO BE THE ONES WHO WORKED ON D&D (how cool is that?) and a terrible place to work from the point of working conditions and the cluelessness of management carried to a high degree.
Later there was coming and going, and coming, and going, for a total of ten years at three iterations of TSR / WotC / Hasbro and a lot more releases I worked on --events some of which I commemorate in turn. But that's the subject for another time.
--John R.
So, Jimmy Carter has just turned a hundred years old -- something no other President has achieved.
No one has ever done a better job of being Ex-President. An interesting legacy, and one that I doubt will be matched.
I met him at a book signing once (he was famous for his epic book-signing sessions), and I wonder if he might hold some king of record there as well.
He's also the first person I voted for in a presidential election.
So, thanks to Andrew H for this link to a piece by a writer with the great name of Jedediah Berry. And the article is pretty good too: from the inside, linking together the roles of DM and author in a respectful way. And it's not another one of those journalist-descends-to-write-about-strange-people-and-their-strange (possibly dangerous) hobby.
https://lithub.com/what-fiction-writers-can-learn-from-dungeons-dragons/
--And this is a week when 'Settlers of Catan' was the correct answer to one of the challenges on NPR's 'Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me' (an answer they didn't quite get right).
Have I mentioned the fundraising event coming up for the state of Washington's Attorney General where he's focusing the event on his being a dedicated fan of the game? More on this one later.
--John R.
So, thanks to Janice and to Jim Lowder for the link to this nice little piece: a brief account and overview of Marquette's Tolkien Collection.
https://today.marquette.edu/2024/09/60-second-marquette-on-bill-fliss-the-tolkien-collection/
As someone who's spent a lot of time with this collection, let me say if you ever get the chance to see this in person, it's well worth the visit.
P.S.: can you spot the point where they briefly show my book?
--John R.
So, back in the day when there was no online gaming and DMs were hard to find, some of us filled the gap with pick-a-path books.*
Of the many variants thereof, the ones by Iron Crown (a.k.a. i.C.E.) show how relaxed a lot of game companies' understanding of copyright --esp. other people's copyright-- cd be. And the trouble this cd cause when the Other People (e.g. lawyers) were paying attention.
So far as I can tell, I.C.E. released ten books in four series: Tolkien Quest (two books), Middle-earth Quest (four books), Narnia Solo Games (one book), and Sherlock Holmes Solo Mysteries (three books). It started as Tolkien Quest, then quickly changed to Middle-earth Quest --indeed one of the books advertised as part of the T.Q. series had been re-labeled to be MeQ books instead by the time it came out.
Here's a listing which may not be complete, given that more books were announced than ever appeared on shelves.
I. Tolkien Quest
—The Legend of Weathertop. by Heike Kubasch (1985)
—Night of the Nazgul. by John David Ruemmler (1985)
II. Middle Earth Quest
—Rescue in Mirkwood. by Gerald Lientz (1988).**
—Treason at Helm's Deep. by Kevin Barrett & Saul Peters (1988)
—Mines of Moria. by Susan Mathews & J. D. Ruemmler (1988)
—A Spy in Isengard. by Terry K. Amthor (1988)
[Search for the Palantir]. announced but never released]
[Race from RIvendell ]. never released
Next Up: Narnia Quest
--John R
*P.S.: In my case it was Dungeon Geomorphs and Cal-tech encounter tables, quickly followed by the Player's Handbook, which I actually read all the way through, from start to finish.
**best cover
So, here are two very similar books published not that far apart.
One of those cases where small differences opened up a potential nightmare for that publisher, who reallly shd have seen it coming.
And by the by this sequence of events had the wholly unintended result of allowing me to miss GenCon, that year. Among other things.
More later
--John R.
So, Janice asked me a question I cdn't answer. In TotR Orcs occasionally refer to other orcs as having identification numbers. She asks: Who keeps track of the enormous bureaucracy this wd generate?
There's a hint sharing something of the same attitude in Tolkien's anger in his comments to the Zimmerman script at the rooms in the inn at Bree having been assigned room numbers.
--John R.
So, a little more judicious poking showed a listing of retro-style posters. Here's the listing:
Of this fuller list, I've read thirty-six of forty.
--John R.
So, thanks to Paul W. for pointing this out: there was indeed a link that got left out to my recent post re. the odd assortment of folks who identify with Tolkien.
The Boston Globe website proved surprisingly difficult to navigate, but let's try that again.
--John R.
So, my office calendar this year (in a break with tradition, replacing the Mayan) is an oversized wall calendar called 'Literary Classics', with Art by 'Anderson Design Group', whom I've never heard of. But I like the art, which seems deliberately evocative of the WPA poster art of the 1920s and 30s.
Just as interesting as the style are the choices of the Literary Classics chosen.
January: 20,000 Leagues
February: Peter Rabbit
March: The Call of Cthulhu
April: The Count of Monte Cristo
May: The Secret Garden
June: Treasure Island
July: Hamlet
August: The Island of Dr. Moreau
September: Moby Dick
October: Sleepy Hollow
November: The Little Mermaid
December: The Time Machine
An eclectic group. Some quite short (the Potter, Irving, Andersen, Wells), others quite lengthy (Dumas, Melville). I suspect I'm not the only one who, when confronted by such a grouping of display, such as frequently appear in the local Barnes & Noble, pauses a minute to work out how many of them I've read. So I'll go ahead and confess I've never read The Secret Garden or Count of Monte Christo. And while I'm at it, I'll share that my favorite among the art pieces here are the dramatic view of the last moments of the Pequod and crew; the Verne; and The Time Machine.
The most interesting thing about this selection is that it includes Lovecraft, who continues his ascent out of the pulp dungeon towards canonization --which wd I think have astonished Lovecraft and his pulp peers.
No Tolkien, but then he's in copyright.
For those who want to see more of these posters, see
or
https://www.andersondesigngroupstore.com/a/collections/search?
or just ADG.com
--John R.
So, I like calendars.
For years now I've gotten several every year:
--each year's new Tolkien calendar (sometimes multiple different Tolkien calendars in the same year), which I hang up in my office
--a Mayan calendar (beautiful artwork and archeology), which I hang just under the Tolkien one
--the Moon calendar (combining in a postersized grid a calendar, the entire phases of the moon for one year, and a little image of the moon as it appears on that day); this hangs in the stairwell in the hallway next to the cat-stand
-- a half-sized calendar, about the size of a trade paperback book, for carrying in my satchel. The topic for this one can vary widely. This wide range of topics applies also to the downstairs calendar hanging by the phone; these two are the ones we write on to keep track of the schedule. The current ones are whimsical Lear birds and drawings of fruits and berries, respectively
--and a miniature calendar the size of a credit card (good in previous years for scheduling; nowadays the print size is too small for aging eyes).
As for this year's calendar, 'Literary Classics', see next post.
--John R.
current reading: THE SHADOWS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD by Th. Ligotti
So, here's a picture of me sharing a bench with one of my favorite writers, taken during our recent visit to Fairhaven.*
*photo courtesy Janice C
So, here's a sample entry in Philip Pullman's intriguing little book THE IMAGINATION CHAMBER I wanted to share. I've broken up the lines to make for easier reading. --JDR
Mr Taphouse said one day as he ran his hand
over a freshly-planed length of oak:
"Feel that, boy, feel how old that is," Malcolm tried,
but all he could actually feel was the glassy smoothness
of the bare surface.
So he imagined it: acorn, sapling, mature tree,
a mighty canopy in the summer and a gaunt skeleton
in winter. From then on whenever Malcolm had
a piece of oak in his hands, or walnut, or even
simple honest pine, he liked to think of the tree it had been.
He liked to feel the immense age of it, visible
in the growth rings, and the past of it, and the
future too, as he thought of the acorns and walnuts
and pine cones. He imagined it. He pretended
he could see it.
From somewhere he remembered the expression
"the mind's eye". He imagined it, and thus he came
to see it, every time, until it became second nature . . .
—The Imagination Chamber. Philip Pullman (2022). page 21
--John R.
I’m a little late getting this posted, but so it goes.
Cat ROOM. June 28th Two o'clock Friday
'starved we are Precious, yes.'
Still five cats (and the same five) as last week:
MAVERICK & GOOSE,
SMOKEY & JACK
and JANE MARIE (our semi-seniors)
They ate as if not fed since day before, and this seems to have been the case.
So after they gave due attention to their food bowls they wanted out and wanted attention.
We had many viewers. Janice shared information to several about volunteering.
As for the individual cats,
JANE MARIE wanted OUT. And Attention. And Games, esp crinkly paper and string. She and I were buddies today, and spent a lot of time together. She let me know the string game met with her demanding standards. I'd say she has an ounce of pounce for every pound of cat.
SMOKEY AND JACK.
Our young and lively pair liked the string game and also as much of the crinkly as they had time with. Smokey bites paper (some cats do, but it's fairly rare). Late in the shift, Smokey and Jack showed great enthusiasm for the laser pointer.
misc
Jane (and Jack) showing an interest in Outside. Unfortunately too many dogs in the store today and we decided to err on the side of caution.
Chatted with one visitor who identified herself as a fellow volunteer from the Tukwila cat room. Didn't think to ask her name.
HEALTH concerns.
Jane Marie: spilled cat litter all over the place. Despite this there didn't seem to be much of it.
We worked on her ears some more; think they look much better now.
--John & Janice
So, I heard today* about the mass shooting in Fordyce, where we lived the year I was in third grade and my sister in seventh and my father the high school principal. We left after only a year later and didn't keeping in touch with folks from there, but I still have some good memories because there we were all back together again as a family for the last time.
The shooting took place in the parking lot outside The Mad Butcher, a local grocery store (actually a small southern chain), only about a block and a half from where we lived in the Delcro Apartments (#7).
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jun/21/arkansas-grocery-store-shooting#img-1
Not much reporting re. who was the shooter, and why: just what have become the standard in such cases: the number killer and wounded, a closing comment about some bill, currently before Congress or some other legislative body (say a state government) that wd place some mild restriction on gun ownership or pious comment on computer games, Occasionally some particularly heinous details of this particularly or that murder comes to light (like shooting small children).
For those of us who remember, it's reminiscent of the Quagmire that was Vietnam, where we cdn't win and wdn't lose.
*thanks to Pam R. for the news
So, I've been enjoying going through the expanded edition of LETTERS of JRRT.
One passage that made me really realize how different the experience of reading differs from reader to reader came in a letter from Tolkien to a reader (11 April 1956; LETTERS page 359). Tolkien writes (emphasis mine):
. . . I am a very 'unvoracious' reader,
and since I can seldom bring myself
to read a work twice I think of the
many things that I read -- too soon! --
Nothing, not even a (possible) deeper
appreciation, for me replaces the bloom
on a book, the freshness of the unread.
Still what we read and when goes,
like the people we meet, by fate
This made me realize who different JRRT's experience is from my own. If I like a book, I will read it again, sometimes repeatedly. Such was the case with WATERSHIP DOWN, FACE IN THE FROST, THE BOOKS OF WONDER, PERSUASION, of course Tolkien, and many another. I don't do it as much anymore, but that's largely because my eyesight is worse and partly because I now have more books available.
It's interesting to note that this is one of the many ways in which Tolkien and Lewis differed. Lewis loved to reread old favorites, and counted occasions when his doctor ordered a few days of bed rest one of life's not so little gifts. This was a trait he shared with his brother Warnie, who from time to time notes in his diary about re-reading specific books.
As for THE HOBBIT and LORD OF THE RINGS: by this point I have no idea how many times I've read both. I'm always reading them, in a sense.
--John R.
Currrent Reading:
TALKING TO DRAGONS by Patricia Wrede (the sixth time I've read it, according to my notes).
THE WIFE SAYS:
Lucky for Tolkien that his fans didn't feel the same way.
So, I've been enjoying Steve (Stan) Brown's weekly podcast on the history of TSR as told by people who worked there at some point over the last fifty years, with each weekly episode illustrated by a cartoon rendering of an iconic piece of D&D art.
This week's guest was Karen Conlin (Karen Boomgarden back when I knew her, from '91 to '96). It was good to see her after all these years and to hear her perspective on what TSR was like in back in those times. There was one story I was sure they'd bring up that didn't get told. Thinking back, it was before Stan's time. So I thought I'd share. Here's how I remember it.
A tradition at TSR every Christmas was the Tacky Gift Exchange, in which all the designers and editors who wanted to take part drew names from a hat and then traded presents on the last day before Christmas. There was a mathom that got traded around each year, but as might be expected from a great big room stuffed with creative people a few were memorable. *
This particular year, 1993 or 1994, had seen the release of TSR's WOMEN OF FANTASY calendar, in which the staff artists had outdone themselves in the scantiness of the scanty outfits on display. Whoever drew Karen's name had an inspiration: he or she got one of these cheesecake calendars, then went through a clothes calendar like Land's End and cut out clothes to cover the inadequate bits. He or she then taped into place the comfy sweaters and sensible slacks. The juxtaposition between what we might call the Caldwell school of illustration and what those characters might actually wear was hilarious.
I wonder if that artifact of the past survives and, if so, who has it.
--John R.
* P.S. For example, THE LITTLE BOOK OF ELVES, created I think by Rich Baker and given to Colin McComb; it was particularly apt because Colin had just finished PHBR6: ELVES
So, here's a distinction I hadn't known (or needed to):
Turtle is the all-encompassing name for all creatures of this type.
Tortoises are a subgroup, all of them land animals.
Terrapin are another subgroup of turtles, so named by Native Americans.
Yesterday was World Turtle Day --a holiday I'd not heard of before. Had I thought of it in time, I would have tried to make time to have gone by one of the spots in the area where turtles can be spotted in the wild. Or, failing that, one of the parks or gardens with ponds whose resident turtles can usually be seen.
I've always loved turtles, and had them as pets as a child (bought as baby turtles at Sterlings, the local Five and Dime)* and rescuing them out of the street if I spotted one in peril.** But unfortunately having indoor turtles and cats are a bad mix.
I did the best I cd, though, for the occasion, stopping by the turtle habitat in the local PetSmart when we spent some time taking care of the Purrfect Pals up-for-adoption cats today.
At any rate, the occasion reminds me that I still haven't read TURTLES OF THE WORLD, a beautifully illustrated book on turtles I bought myself at Elliott Bay Books the last time I was there. I'll have to see if I can devote some time to actually reading it sooner rather than later.
After all, as I think Pratchett said (or was it Gaiman?): it's turtles all the way down.
--John R.
*Among other things, I earned the Boy Scout Merit Badge for Reptile keeping. I still remember Speedy and Swifty (who were grey rather than green), and my sister's Regina, among others.
**including, twice, a snapping turtle, which are not to be messed around with. The key is to remember that it's neck is much longer than you'd think, and he can get you from several feet away.
THE WIFE SAYS:
Given my reputation (cf. The Catbite Incident, a.k.a. Thirteen Days in the Hospital), I shd make clear that I've never been bitten by a turtle.
So, I was following up on a piece of astronomical news by Bruce Cordell on his blog about a new designation of asteroids. The original article can explain it better than I could:
https://brucecordell.blogspot.com/2024/04/the-moons-of-earth.html
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/earth-has-more-than-one-moon/
What particularly caught my eye is the piece about Planet X (here called Planet Nine) and the
long and fruitless effort to locate some evidence that it exists. Instead this new approach is collecting evidence to prove places it's not, planning to solve the matter by process of elimination.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/where-is-planet-nine-its-hiding-places-are-running-out/
--John R.
The final intriguing bit for me is that observation that they might not find evidence it exists because it might no longer exist, in case they'd be looking for traces it left behind.
Anyway, an interesting piece for those who like to put on their astronomer hat once in a while.
So, here's an amusing piece I recently ran across called Stab Me Now. The conceit is that an author planning out her new story decides to let the heroine decide what she will do, how she will react to the main events in the enusing story. Right from the start things go not-according-to-plan, as when the main character objects to the fancy clothes the author wants her to dress up in, as opposed to the practical outfit the character wd prefer. Character and Author clash over everything from what weapons she shd carry to her failure to fall in love all over the place.
It's not fan fic, which by definition is based on the work of others (particularly characters, but usually with setting too). It reminds me of Flann O'Brien for an internet generation.
If you want to give it a try, take a look at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEE_pqix1dQ
--John R.
--current reading: audiobook version of LETTERS OF JRRT, expanded edition (bogged down on the print book, so switching to the audiobook instead).
So, for those unfamiliar with the triptych, as Brust uses the term this is a rhetorical tool inspired by a feature in medieval church decoration. A medieval triptych is a large central painting flanked by two smaller panels that complement the central image in both style and theme. By analogy Brust's triptych focus on a central figure, with the subsidiary figures chosen for the way they highlight specific elements all three share in common.
For example, one cd bring together a trio of tempresses centered on Guinever as she appears in The Fall of Arthur, flanked by Lady Bertilak from Sir Gawain & the Green Knight and the Corrigan from The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun. Another triptych cd portray women trapped is failed marriages: Erendis (The Mariner's Wife), Aredhed (Silm), and Miriel (ibid). Or yet another of warrior women, headed by Eowyn (who best exemplifies the role within LotR), flanked by Galadriel in her virago role in her early days (as depicted in UT), and Haleth (also Silm), who unlike the other two remains a warrior-maid throughout her life.
The possibilities are myriad. I look forward to seeing what scholarship this scholarship inspires.
--John R.
P. S. I'm not aware of anyone else working along these lines these days, but it's interesting to note that one of the earliest books on the Inklings, ARTHURIAN TRIPTYCH by Charles Moorman, used this as its central image in his 1960 book on Charles Williams, C. S. Lewis, and T. S. Eliot, though it's too long since I read it for me to remember any details. --JDR
So, a while back I was asked to write a brief Foreword to the new book TOLKIEN'S TRANSFORMATIVE WOMEN: ART IN TRIPTYCH by Annie Brust (Vernon Press, Series in Literary Studies, 2024). I'm happy to say the book is now out:
https://vernonpress.com/book/1702
Brust's major innovation is to bring Tolkien's works within his legendarium into dialogue with his scolarly work explicating, editing, and translating poems in Old and Middle English -- which was, of course, his life's work at Leeds, Pembroke, and Merton as a working medievalist. Brust suggests we could learn a lot by bringing together in comparison or contrast women from the LotR (Galadriel, Eowyn, Shelob, Goldberry, Arwen, Rosie Cotton) and the core texts from the legendarium, esp the 1977 Silmarillion and 1980 Unfinished Tales (Luthien, Melian, Erendis the mariner's wife, Haleth, Aredhel, Ungoliant, Morwen, Nienor, Elbereth, Yavanna, Arien) with figures from medieval literature (Pearl, Wealtheow, Lady Bertilak, Gudrun, the Corrigan, Gwinever, Grendel's Mother).
For more on Brust's method, see the next post.
--John R.
P.S.: extra points for anyone who can identify all these Tolkien characters without having to look up any of then,
So,
Looking at the title of my recent post it occurred to me that I might have been inadvertently obscure in my references.
To clarify: DARK TOWER is a D&D adventure, written by Jennell Jaquays, released by Judges Guild in 1980.
THE DARK TOWER is an unfinished novel by C. S. Lewis, written circa 1944 but not published until 1977.
I contributed an appreciation to the recent deluxe edition of DARK TOWER. Years ago (1996 I think) I wrote a piece detailing THE DARK TOWER's origins.
Sorry for the potential confusion.
--John R
So, for several years now we've made a point of visiting the Bonsai Garden, part of the Rhododendron Garden down in Federal Way. Not only is it a fascinating display but the little trees change so quickly that it's best if viewed every four to six weeks or so. Nor is that all: besides the Bonsai, the Botanical Garden as a whole is a quiet, peaceful setting.
Ttat's why I was dismayed to learn that the people who oversee the garden have decided to cut down their biggest and oldest trees:
The RSBG* has some massive trees over 150 feet tall and it's a significant expense in maintaining our plant collection. . . . While we have made substantial progress in shaping the garden tree canopy, work remains. Your gift will allow us to focus on 'problem trees' and do more required thinning and, if necessary, removal.
So I'm torn between wanting to support the Garden as a whole and dismay that they want to use that support to cut down the kind of trees I most want them to preserve and protect.
This is the kind of progress we cd do without.
At any rate, here's a link to the Gardens
--John R
--current reading: looking over old non-TSR D&D modules I've picked up over the years, from the recent GaryCon dealer's room through relics of the Judges Guild era.
*i.e. Rhododendron Species Botanical Gerden
So, I just learned that the Peter Jackson LotR movies are due to be back in theatres in June. Since the dates given for this Fantom event are June 8th thr 10th, I assume it's be one film per night for three nights, like this:
June 8th:
THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING.
June 9th:
THE TWO TOWERS.
June 10th:
THE RETURN OF THE KING.
I'm not sure, but it sounds like it'll be extended cuts --though whether the currently available Director's Cut will be used or a different version I don't know.
I'll certainly be seeing them on the big screen again.
--John R.
So,
So, one of the things I saw at GaryCon that interested me greatly was the new expanded edition of DARK TOWER, by the late great Jennnell Jaquays. Not only is this one of the great modules from the early days of D&D, but I'd contributed a short note of appreciation to this new edition. I won't repeat here what I said there, so I'll just reprint the Table of Contents to give an idea of what the frontmatter is like.
I got to look at it briefly at the Dealers' Room at GaryCon and am looking forward to the arrival of my contributor's copy for a longer look. About a year or so ago I had the opportunity to run the original as a short campaign for our regular Saturday night gaming group, who indulged me by letting me run it under the original 1st edition rules. I was quite an experience slipping back into the 1st edition AD&D mindset, and reminded me of just what I liked so much about that version of the game.
We didn't quite finish it, and I suspect our stopping point where we abandoned the adventure is the same as many another group: right at the time the lich became aware of our presence and made it clear it was about to enjoy having a new batch of adventurers to let loose his powers and his minions upon.
So thanks for that moment, Jennell, and thanks for all the quirky NPCs and vivid villains.
And for those who have never played it, give it a go sometime and get a taste of one of the expressions of oldstyle D&D at its best.
--John R.
So, some cats like catnip and some don't. Some really, really like it and some can take it or leave it. And then there's some who will abandon all dignity for the chance to really let go.
Witness Boop (Betty Boop), a senior cat currently looking for a new person.
--John R.
So, thanks to the Tolkien Society (thanks, Asli), I now have the link to my Oxonmoot paper, recounting my meetings and correspondence with a half dozen or so Inklings or what we may call Inklings-adjacent figures. Included are Humphrey Havard, Owen Barfield, David Cecil, Mrs. Tangye Lean, J. I. M. Stewart, and Christopher Wiseman.
Also, revealed at last is the history behind the notorious 'Nerd Nyren'.
Included are slides of some previously unpublished photos. Enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQeQ5Hmq9mo
--John R
current reading: uncollected and unfinished ghost stories by M. R. James (re-reading)
Judges Guild list
So, I like to make lists.
In part this is probably part of my endless, and essentially unsuccessful, efforts to get organized. But for me it's also a way to get to know the material, on a word-by-word level: to spot connections not otherwise apparent.
Anyway, seeing the new Judges Guild expanded reprints at GaryCon last week* reminded me of the Judges Guild list I put together a few months back, which I thought I'd share. It differs from the listing on Wikipedia in that those are alphabetical whereas mine is chronological; my list also emphasizes authors. It's a working document, not as complete or polished as one, now lost, that I did back in Lake Geneva days. But I hope some may find it useful, or at the least enjoy a glimpse back into our hobby's sometimes eccentric roots. **
—John D. Rateliff
March 25th 2024
*More on this one, my most recent publication, in another post.
**If nothing else it shows just how much Judges Guild churned out at the rate of about a module a month over the course of their relatively brief run. The only two other rpg companies to match them on this I think wd be Mongoose in the early days of 3e/d20, and TSR itself in its later Lake Geneva days.
14. Ready Ref Sheets. For Use w. DUNGEONS & DRAGONS. (1978)
Second Edition: revised, enlarged, in booklet form
#20. The Judges Guild Journal. Issue 20 (April/May)
48. Wilderlands of High Fantasy—Bill Owen & Bob Bledsaw,
w. Marc Summerlott, Debra Bledsaw, & Norma Gledsaw. (1977)
six mapsheets. back cover = City State hex.
52. The Thieves of Fortress Badabaskor—'concepted' by Marc Summerlott. designed by Mike Petrowsky, Craig Fogel, Bob Bledsaw, Mark Summerlott, Bill Owen, & Tony Floren (1981)
[2 editions]
55. Gen Con IX Dungeon—Bob Blake (?1980).
Baldemar Castle & Staff of Albalon
Temple of Diklah & Helm of Valasdum
59. Village Book I: Campaign Hexagon Sub-system. 'guidelines & villages on numbered hex grids'
60. Castle Book I: Campaign Hexagon Sub-system (universal supplement). n.d.
62. Revised Edition CITY STATE OF THE INVINCIBLE OVERLORD—Bledsaw & Owen. 94p bklet + mapsheets.
#64. The Judges Guild Journal. issue10 June/July 1978. [2 copies]
68. War Cry—Dave Petrowsky. new 2nd edition 'Emperor' series
75. Judges Guild Referee Screen. TRAVELLER. green screen.
78. The Traveller Logbook—Dave Sering (n.d.). TRAVELLER
80. Of Skulls and Scrapfaggot Green—Bob Blake (?1977) [GenCon X tournament]
87. Character Codex—Paul Jaquays (1978)
†88. DARK TOWER—Paul Jaquays
93. Under the Storm Giant's Castle—ThomasMcCloud (1979)
†95. Survival of the Fittest—Michael Mayeau (1979) solitaire dungeon
105. Drakne Station—Bill Paley. (1979?) TRAVELLER.
107. Broken Tree Inn—Rudy Kraft RUNEQUEST
113. The Book of Treasure Maps —Paul Jaquays (1979)
[113. The Book of Treasure Maps II—Daniel Hauffe & Rudy Kraft]
114. The Maltese Clue—Paul Karczag (1979)
†117. Temple of Ra Accursed by Set—Thomas & Edward McCloud (1979)
140. Castle Book II. (?1979)
[150] CITY STATE OF THE WORLD EMPEROR. 1980. book +mapsheet.
—Creighton & Bob Bledsaw, w. Rudy Kraft & Clayton Miner. The City of Spices,
• Judges Map (Campaign Map Six, w. Gheu lost Island)
• Players Cartogtaphy. (w.Gigabolt Mountains
• Color City Map
• SHOPS
• CITY
160. The Judges Guild Journal. issue #19 (February/March).
180. The Dungeoneer. issue #16 (March/April 1980).
200. The Judges Guild Journal. issue #20 (April/May).
220. Legendary Duck Tower and other tales. Paul Jaquays & Rudy Kraft. sw.
230. The Dungeoneer. #17 (May/June 1980). interview w. Greg Stafford. sw.
240. The Fantasy Cartographer's Field Book. 'complete fantasy mapping system'
250. CHIVALRY & SORCERY. Gamesmaster's Shield. <sw, therefore n.d., no author>
260. Portals of Torsh. Rudy Kraft. 1980. lizardmen. with detached color cover/products list
270. Spies of Lightelf. Bryan Hinnen. Wilderness Book Two. 1980.
280. THE JUDGES GUILD JOURNAL. #21 (June/July 1980).
?Mythlogy <boardgame: advertised in DUNGEONEER #17 p 31>
?Witch's Caldron <[Ral Partha set]]: advertised in DUNGEONEER #17 p 34>
300. Wilderlands of the Fantastic Reaches. <sw: adv. bk & mapsheet>
[At about this point, loses TSR License]
310. City of Lei Tabor. Paul Nevins & Bill Faust [RUNEQUEST]] (cover credited to 1979
330. Tancred. Dave Sering. [TRAVELLERS, Ley Sector 1232] (1980)
340. Ley Sector. (maps and booklets). no designer credited, art credited to Ken Simpson. (1980).
400. The Toughest Dungeon in the World. Ken St. Andre. (covers 1980). [TUNNELS & TROLLS]
410. The Astrogators Chartbook. 'complete science fiction mapping system'. 1980.
420. The Unknown Gods. by Bob Bledsaw, Mark Holmer, Paul Jaquays, & Mike Petrowsky. 1980
430. [SUPERHERO 2044] Hazard. by Robert Bingham (n.d.) [IPSP.ISIS Official Map 7]]
440. Temple Book I <sw>
[?470] or [?400]. THE DUNGEONEERS JOURNAL issue #25.(Feb/March 1981
480. Fifty Starbases. (1981) TRAVELLER.
490. Glimmerdrift Reaches [TRAVELLER] [sw]
500. Doom of the Singing Star [shrinkwrapped w. Map & Guidebook] TRAVELLER
530. Ravenscrag — Scott Fulton, assisted by Dave Sering & Steve Crow. 1981. Universal
supplement. [came shrinkwrapped w. map pad (4 maps).]
††540. Nightmare Maze of Jigresh. EMPIRE OF THE PETAL THRONE.
MAPS
• The First Fantasy Campaign. by Dave Arneson. 1977
• City State Campaign Map One. 1977.
"Cartography to the Wilderlands about the City State" (includes Brezal Isle)
• Tegal Manor: Judge's Map
• Tegal Manor: Players' Map
• Barbarian Altanis: Campaign Map Two (1977)
Valley of the Ancients: Campaign Map Three (inid.) [winedarksea]
• Thunderhold: Castle of the Dwarven King (1976)
• Lenap Campaign: Map Ten (Players' Map)/
verso = Elphand Lands: Map Nine (Player's Map) (1978)
• Mouth of Roglaroon. Brezal Isle. back blank.
City State just below center. see also 48
• blank hex sheets.
550. Field Guide to Encounters. by Dragon's Byte. 1982. two volumes.
560. Portals of Irontooth. Rudy Kraft. 1981.
†570. Lara's Tower. Kevin Nunn. 1981.
†xxx. PEGUSUS. Premier Issue. interview w. Dave Arneson, article on Disease.
620. PEGUSUS #3. (1981).
630. Dragon's Hall. Jim Simon. 1981.
640. Marooned on Ghostring. Walter & Dorothy Bledsaw. nd. [TRAVELLER]
660. Zienteck. Mark Harmon. 1981.
670. House on Hangman's Hill. Jon Matttson. 1981.
680. The Tower of Indomitable Circumstance. Corey Cole. 1981
690. Masters of the Mind. Charles M. Wilson. 1981.
700. Restormel. Scott Fulton.
710. Amycus Probe. Dave Sering. 1981 [TRAVELLER]
720. Rogue Moon of Spinstorme. Dave Sering. 1981. [TRAVELLER]
730. Simba Safari. Dave Sering. 1981. [TRAVELLER]
740. Tarkin's Landing. Dave Sering. nd. unlicensed 'science fiction suppplement'
†750. The Illhiedrin Book. Daniel Hauffe. <sw>. 1981
760. Maranantha-Alkahest Sector. Dave Sering. 1981 [TRAVELLER]
770. Portals of Twilight. Rudy Kraft. nd <sw>
†790. F'Dech Fo's Tomb. Scott Fulton. 1981
800. Glory Hole Dwarven Mine. Edward G. Mortimer. 1981.
820 (1). Heroic Expeditions. Edward R. G. Mortimer. 1981
820 (2). Fantastic Personalities. Bill Paley & Edward R. G. Mortimer.
840. Prey of Darkness. Edward R. G. Mortimer. 1982.
†850. Rat on a Stick. George R. Paczolt. 1982. [TUNNELS & TROLLS]
880. Corsairs of the Turku Waste. Dave Sering
890. Magebird Quest. Dave Sering. [DRAGONQUEST]
900. Heroes and Villians. Edward R. G. Mortimer. [DRAGONQUEST]
940. Waspwinter. Walter & Dorothy Bledsaw. nd. [TRAVELLER]
960. Darkling Ship. Dave Sering. nd. [TRAVELLER]
990. The Book of Treasure Maps III. Edward E. G. Mortimer. nd.
1010. Shield Maidens of Sea Rune. Bryan Hinnen & Dan Hauffe.1982. Wilderness Book Three.
†1030. Pirates of Hagrost. Bryan Hinnen & Dan Heuffe. nd. Wilderness Book Four.
1040. Wondrous Weapons. Joseph Weingand. 1982.
†1090. Witches Court Marshes. Bryan Hinnen, Mark Holmer, & Joe Wiengard. 1982.
1100. Caves and Caverns. John Mortimer. <circa 1982?>
1130. Druids of Doom. Bill Pixley & Diane Mortimer. 1982.
1140. Demons of Dundurn. Derek Watson. pt 1 Rood of Parth Series.
1180. Jungle of Lost Souls—Glenn Rahman (1983). TUNNELS & TROLLS. solitaire adventure.
Castle Thrax. Paul Burdick (1985) [DM-less. Spellbinders Games]
Tegal Manor. Bill Webb & Thom Wilson, w. Gabor Lux (Frog Gods 2019, 212p hc)