| 10-31-04 Latest News |
Mortensen Surprises At Rally
Xoanon @ 10:05 am EST
Melissa writes: I just wanted to let you know that a friend of mine, who knows I am a big LOTR fan, called to say that Viggo made a last-minute surprise appearance at a Michael Moore rally in Columbus, Ohio tonight. The rally started @ 7pm at our Palace Theatre, and I guess Viggo made a small speech about how he was here because he cared, and we in Ohio, we care. (this is me not using the actual expletives here, haha).
Anyway, fom what I understand Moore and Mortensen were quickly sent to their awaiting vehicles where Viggo rolled down his window, and waved at people. He gave a peace sign in return to my friend- when my friend did it to him.
The rally may be discussed on MoveOn.org or on Michael Moore's website, not sure, but it was just an FYI.
| 10-30-04 Latest News |
St. Paul Nasmith Book Signing Report
Xoanon @ 11:49 am EST
not a hobbit writes: I wanted to tell you about Ted Nasmith’s presentation and book signing on Tuesday evening at Bound To Be Read on Grand Ave. in St. Paul, Mn.
First, I have to say that you will love this new illustrated edition of the Silmarillion. I am told that this is the first edition of that wonderful book to contain any illustrations other than cover art.
A couple dozen politely enthusiastic local members of the Tolkien Society, this TORnSib, and a few others made for a rather intimate gathering, which meant we each had all the time for questions and contact with the artist that we could have wanted.
Unassuming and seemingly shy, Ted is on his first ever book tour. He spoke too softly, especially at first, but instead of spoiling his talk, this just served to keep everyone leaning forward and raptly listening to his every word when talking about the slides of his art for the book. He seemed to enjoy discussing the process of creating these pieces and choosing what would finally be used for the book.
Mr. Nasmith described how he had come to revisit the Sil in the 90s “with an eye to illustrating some of the many wonderful stories.” He emphasized that Professor Tolkien’s LOTR, being full of exact, vivid descriptions, and having certainly been well illustrated over the years, was in contrast to an arguably more interesting Silmarillion, with many more stories, characters, high drama and mythical history, which was not at all fully developed or fully described. To Ted Nasmith, this means that the Sil is a barely delved treasure-trove of source material for him and other artists.
The fact is that Christopher Tolkien had never wanted nor allowed “his” (the emphasis mine) Silmarillion to be illustrated.
I think it is clear that Ted Nasmith loves the Tolkien source material, being fully versed in all of Tolkien’s characters and tales, and enthusiastically discussing his many ideas for illustrations that he would still loved to do.
It’s not an easy process getting your art out there. Ted described sending about 80 smaller renditions of his paintings to Houghton Mifflin, with hopes of publishing a future collection. He was greatly, but not unpleasantly, surprised to find that the publisher then sent his work to Christopher Tolkien, who somehow decided, at last, that illustrations would be a good idea; Ted Nasmith’s illustrations.
Thus began the process by which Christopher, the publishers, and the artist found themselves collaborating over a two year period for this edition of the Silmarillion. It wasn’t always easy either, although that was only hinted at.
One interesting aspect of this collaborative process, was that Christopher Tolkien made it clear that he did not want any of Ted’s monsters and creatures to be used in the book. We were shown some of these marvelous paintings, and, along with their creator, thought they should be put into a collection or used for calendars. We strongly encouraged him to pursue that.
Someone asked Mr. Nasmith what else he was working on and if he were getting bored with Tolkien. He named a few projects, one being a possible illustration of George R.R. Martin’s next book, but he had a big grin on his face when he said that he was nowhere near done with Tolkien.
In my humble opinion, Mr. Nasmith’s art is almost as emotionally powerful as is Howard Shore’s music. These beautiful paintings will, perhaps, make the Silmarillion more accessible for many and open up the realms of Tolkien to new and old readers alike.
If the tour comes to a bookstore near you, be sure to go and shake the hand of this great talent and fellow geek.
----------
Ted Nasmith himself replies to this report, thanks Ted!!
I've just had the pleasure of reading the news piece written by not a hobbit. Her sentiments and observations are much appreciated, but I thought I should correct one or two factual errors. {I don’t blame her for the confusion, as the matter of bringing the illustrated Silmarillion out is a rather involved tale.}
First, most readers will realize that this new illustrated edition is not the first but the second one, and my story of how this first version was developed was described first, and then the second version a few years later. She is right that I’m normally fairly soft spoken, and everyone needed to listen more carefully. But that was partly a result of the lack of a functioning wireless microphone, however!
The original recipients of my set of Silmarillion sketches were actually the editors at HarperCollins UK, Tolkien’s primary publishers, not Houghton Mifflin, as stated. The confusion for U.S. readers is understandable though.
Lastly, lest readers get the impression that Christopher Tolkien was in any way over-restrictive in his influence over the illustrations, let me state unequivocally that Mr. Tolkien was consistently and extraordinarily fair, flexible, and supportive in all my dealings with him while the illustrations were planned and executed. Any creative reservations he expressed were entirely reasonable and were his prerogative, and he always left the final decisions to me, something I may not have emphasized clearly. I wish more of my clients were as informative, respectful, and encouraging! He deserves especial credit for his part in helping gain me the time I needed to plan and execute these newest couple of dozen works, now integrated with the paintings originally published in the 1998 illustrated edition.
Aside from these few things, I much appreciate the kind words of your writer.
Hall Of Fire Chats This Weekend
Demosthenes @ 4:36 am EST
Nine he gave to Mortal Men, proud and great, and so ensnared them. Long ago they fell under the dominion of the One, and they became Ringwraiths, shadows under his great Shadow, his most terrible servants. Middle Earth abounds in character both quaint and creepy; Gollum, Shelob, trolls and orcs, but perhaps none inspire quite the same shivers and chills as the Nazgul. Everyone assumes Ringwraiths were bad from the word "go" (or "Ring", as the case may be). Why is there little mention of their sad tales, or of their history? A trail of dropped remarks and an ounce of common sense will help us discover something which has long been shrouded in mists - the story of the Nazgul, and how they entered into bondage to the Dark One. Willing obedience, or forced servitude? This Halloween weekend join our special guest moderators and HoF wraith experts Nocturna and Angmar in #thehalloffire as we attempt to delve into the deep, dark, ins and outs of yet another "sad tale" in the history of Middle Earth as we look at "The Nazgul - Unwilling Slaves or Willing Accomplices?" === Place: === Saturday Chat: 5:30pm EST (19:00) EST = Eastern Time, USA's East Coast === Hall of Fire Special Event Anne Petty to take a seat in The Hall of Fire. The Hall of Fire staff is very pleased to announce that author Anne Petty will be our special guest during our scheduled HoF chat on Sunday, November 7 at 2:00 P.M. EST. Ms. Petty will be sharing her views on Tolkien as a myth-based writer, as well as ideas for those writing their own mythopoeic fiction. She will also be answering our questions on Tolkien, mythology and creative writing, especially creating characters and world-building. Send your questions to Hall of Fire staff today! Note: Hall of Fire on Saturday, November 6 will be an open discussion on various authors who write books based on or critiquing J.R.R. Tolkien. _______________________________________________
#thehalloffire on theonering.net IRC server. Need instructions? Go here:
http://www.theonering.net/barlimans/instructions.html
Chat Times:
[also 1:00 am (01:00) CET and 9:00am Sunday morning AEST]
Sunday Chat:
8:00 pm (20:00) CET
[also 2:00pm (14:00) EST and 4:00am Monday morning AEST]
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
AEST = Australian East Coast
Upcoming topic:
Hof-announce mailing list
Hof-announce@theonering.net http://www.theonering.net/mailman/listinfo/hof-announce
| 10-29-04 Latest News |
Wenham Lecture in Hawaii
Xoanon @ 9:56 am EST
Kiwi writes: I have just returned from the David Wenham Seminar at the Doris Duke Theatre sponsored by the Hawaii Film Festival. David went on to explain elements of some of the characters he has portrayed which he accompanied with film clips. David spoke highly of The Lord of the Rings and gave us some insite on how he played his role with Gollum, without the aid of the character actually being there. At the end of the evening David told us he was getting on a plane that night and after several flight transfers will land in a remote area in his homeland of Australia to begin his next project. If you ever have a chance to see David Wenham explain his craft, you will not be disappointed. He is truly a genuine person who is willing to share his experiences and give encouragement to others who are starting out in the acting field.
It was a delightful evening beginning with David sharing his family background, stating as a young boy his father would give him season theatre tickets every year for his birthday and it was one night while watching a play he felt he wanted to become an actor.
| 10-27-04 Latest News |
RINGERS is Ready for the World (Almost)!
Xoanon @ 1:23 pm EST
EXCLUSIVE UPDATE RINGERS is Ready for the World (Almost)! Greetings -- Cliff Broadway ‘Quickbeam’ here. The time has come to celebrate, for we have completed the first rough cut of RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS. The camera crew has put away the equipment and bright lights. We worked through an intense period of post-production to bring the film together in the best possible way, with music cues, motion graphics, animated segments, and a ton of extra visuals. Thanks to the hard work of director Carlene Cordova and editor Arnaud Gerardy, RINGERS is a complete feature film that now runs just over an hour and half. However, we have not locked down the “final cut” just yet! It is still subject to changes (as we have learned something watching Peter Jackson assemble and re-edit his films right up the last possible minute -- Carlene & Arnaud understand how THAT feels). Our film was cultivated from over 150 total hours of footage -- from our extended trips to 16 major cities on 3 continents. Great numbers! We are very proud of our work -- it is a “feel good” movie that really feels good. It will stands as a celebration of over five decades of people being in love with one piece of literature (and subsequent movies). We anticipate a world premiere for RINGERS in January 2005 at an upcoming film festival. Please check out website and sign up for our newsletter for the latest announcements. Stay tuned for more details! Much too hasty, Cliff Broadway ‘Quickbeam’ Ringers: Lord of the Fans
RINGERS Producer, Writer, Interviewer
Visit our website!
http://www.lordofthefans.net
Science of Middle-earth Special Report – An Unexpected Party
Xoanon @ 1:02 pm EST
Olog-Hai writes: They were about three foot six tall, kept well out of the way of the Big People, lived in holes in the ground, had a simple technology fashioned with long, clever fingers … and, it can now be revealed, hung on in the real world until almost historical times. In an astonishing case of life imitating art, the remains of hobbits just like these have actually been unearthed in a cave in a hillside overlooking a river valley, in a remote and unspoiled part of Middle-earth. All that seems to be missing is the brass doorknob and (so far) confirmation of hairy feet. In the 28th October issue of the science magazine Nature (www.nature.com/nature) an international team of researchers describe remains of an entirely unexpected party – a skeleton of a tiny, human-like creature that lived on the island of Flores in eastern Indonesia, discovered there in September 2003 by researchers from the Indonesian Centre for Archaeology in Jakarta. Founded by seafaring individuals of the ancient prehuman species Homo erectus that settled there almost a million years ago, these ancient colonists – marooned and isolated -- evolved their own way, shrinking, until by 18,000 years ago, they had reached the size of hobbits. “I would have been less surprised if someone had uncovered an alien,” says Dr Peter Brown, from the University of New England in Armidale, New South Wales, an anthropologist involved in the research. As Charles Darwin discovered in the Galapagos Islands during the voyage of HMS Beagle, creatures confined to islands for long periods evolve away from their mainland forebears, becoming very distinctive. Sometimes they become much larger or smaller than those on the mainland. The island of Malta in the Mediterranean once had tiny elephants that could look eye to eye with giant swans. In a similar way, Flores was a looking-glass world of dwarf elephants, giant Komodo dragons, rats the size of retrievers … and little people, no more than a metre tall and with heads the size of grapefruits. These people made sophisticated stone tools which the researchers think they used to hunt the elephants, if not to fend off the dragons – until a volcanic eruption 12,000 years ago seems to have snuffed out this Lost World. One of the remarkable things about the discovery is how recently the creatures lived. We are usually accustomed to thinking that extinct relatives of humanity all lived many thousands, or even millions of years ago, but to have a distinct species of the human family alive 18,000 years ago is unprecedented. At that time, modern humans (Homo sapiens) had been present in Indonesia for 20,000 years or so, yet they do not seem to have mixed with the strange indigenes of Flores. Or did they? Persistent and extremely detailed folk-tales from Flores speak of encounters with a tribe of little people called ebu gogo that lived on the island until as recently as a century ago. Says team geochronologist Dr Bert Roberts of the University of Wollongong, in Australia, the researchers thought these stories “no better than leprechaun stories -- until we unearthed the Hobbit.” Who knows what a search of the remaining rainforest on Flores or elsewhere might turn up? Explorers have been searching Sumatra for the orang pendek, a mythical hairy biped. Dr Michael Morwood of the University of New England, is co-director of the Flores excavation, working closely with his Indonesian counterpart R. P. Soejono of the Indonesian Centre for Archaeology. Next year they plan to explore caves on the island of Sulawesi, known, like Flores, for its unusual, endemic fauna. What next? Elves? Dwarves? ….. Balrogs?
Sean Astin Auction for Charity
Xoanon @ 12:39 pm EST
Erica writes: I'm involved with a Los Angeles-based non-profit organization called CoachArt that provides free lessons in the arts and athletics for underpriviliged children with life-threatening illnesses. Sean Astin has donated a unique heart-shaped ceramic plate that he decorated with his own design, as an autographed Lord of the Rings photo. Sean's package will be part of a fundraiser called Art for the Heart, a silent auction benefit on November 4 from 6-9 p.m. at Christie's Los Angeles. Tickets to the event are $150 per person. The evening will include a reception and over 40 unique packages designed by celebrities and athletes including Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Elisabeth Shue, Sean Astin, the USC and UCLA football teams, Pedro Martinez of the Boston Red Sox, Martin Sheen and more! Tickets may be purchased by calling CoachArt at (310)203-2850 or online at Stubhub.com. Click on "Exclusive Events," then "Art for the Heart tickets and Celebrity Auction." Several packages that will be available only through bidding online can be found on this Web site. All proceeds will benefit the children of CoachArt. Please consider posting this opportunity on your Web site so that Sean's fans may have the chance to bid on this unique package, as well as help thousands of ill children in the Los Angeles area. Please e-mail me at erica@coachart.org if you have any questions. Thank you!
| 10-26-04 Latest News |
Marquette Tolkien Conference Report
Xoanon @ 9:30 pm EST
True-Hearted Easterling writes: I have just returned from the superb Lord of the Rings conference held at Marquette University in Milwaukee this past Friday and Saturday. The conference commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of The Lord of the Rings and paid tribute to Dr. Richard E. Blackwelder, who donated his large private Tolkien collection to Marquette in 1982. The biggest names in Lord of the Rings academic research were among the 21 presenters, including Tom Shippey, who sang his old school song for a group of us Saturday night while we were sharing drinks and conversation; John Garth, who signed his book Tolkien and the Great War for me and was presented with a Mythopoeic Society Award at Saturday night’s banquet sponsored by Beyond Bree; and Michael Foster, who expressed a sentiment I share when he noted in his presentation that, despite the faults and virtues of The Lord of the Rings movie, it has brought a lot of new readers to the books. S. Gary Hunnewell, an independent Tolkien scholar and collector, stayed on the same hotel floor that I did and had a sign on his room door written in Elvish that, according to him, read “Speak Beer and Enter.” Although he was not a presenter but just a “regular” attendee, Ted Nasmith graciously signed copies of the beautiful new Silmarillion containing his artwork at every break throughout the two days. This conference was about the smoothest I’ve ever attended. I honestly can not find one thing to complain about. The facilities were good, there were plenty of refreshments, the presentations were outstanding and kept to schedule, and the total attendance was small enough (250 paid registrations) that it was very easy to have a conversation with any of the presenters that you wanted. The conference proceedings are scheduled to be published in 2005, and I would recommend that every fan of Tolkien read them when they are available. I also recommend that anyone who can get to Marquette's Haggerty Museum of Art to see "The Invented Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien: Drawings and Original Manuscripts from the Marquette University Collection," which will be on exhibit until January 30, 2005. The original handwritten text and artwork from Mr. Bliss alone is worth the trip.
Master of the Ring Report
Xoanon @ 9:24 pm EST
Cat writes: I just thought I would write up an little report about the event I went to this weekend. Master of the Ring. I had been looking forward to this event for an long time and although there was no huge guests accounced I like talks and workshops and it promised to be by the fan for the fans.I started to go wrong the very first day Jed had pulled out no accouncement had been made even on the forum he was just missing from the website. I got to the event on the saturday early to help out and was given an job all the stewards and p.a's were not told about anything that was going on that day or what to do we were given the same programme as the normal ticket buyer. After this the people who oragaised the event disappeared I rarely saw them and was left to wonder at times why an 15 year old was left by herself at times to deal with passes and money. All the guests were great as normal but all looked worn out. Craig Parker seemed to be holding the show together and on the saturday while we were all queuing up for the autography session to start he came out to tell us what was going on even though many people had to ask the people on the door what was going on and of course they did not know. I heard any reports of the hotel rooms being dirty and a lot of disappointed people. From the promised workshops and sessions only one was there that of an costume workshop done on saturday by an fan on stage. To be honest the main reason I'm writing this is as an warning to other fans these people are doing an event called Ring Fest in the u.s please don't go you will be wasting your money.
LOTR Stage Play Producer Interview
Xoanon @ 1:33 pm EST
The folks from Kevin Wallace Ltd write: Kevin Wallace, producer of the eagerly anticipated stage version of THE LORD OF THE RINGS, is the latest guest at the Balcony on the West End series of interviews at the Theatre Museum, London. Hosted by Paul Webb, the interview runs from 6 to 7pm on Friday November 12. There will be a question and answer session with the audience in the last 20 minutes, as well as an informal drink at the Theatre Museum's pay bar afterwards. November 12 will be a fascinating first-opportunity to hear about the creation of what promises to be 2005's mega musical – an insight into the process of turning the much-loved Tolkien trilogy of novels into an epic theatrical event. This first live forum with the producer of THE LORD OF THE RINGS has already attracted considerable attention – a must for Tolkien fans - and marks the last of the 2004 Balcony on the West End season. Theatre Museum: 1e, Tavistock St, London, WC2E 7PR.: Tel: 020 7943 4700
| 10-25-04 Latest News |
A Hall Of Fire Special Event
Demosthenes @ 5:38 pm EST
Anne Petty to take a seat in The Hall of Fire. Calling all scholars and students of Tolkien, fantasy, mythology and anyone interested in creative writing! Hall of Fire staff are very pleased to announce that author Anne Petty will be our special guest during our scheduled HoF chat on Sunday, November 7 at 2:00 P.M. EST. Ms Petty will be sharing her views on Tolkien as a myth-based writer, as well as ideas for those writing their own mythopoeic fiction. She will also be answering our questions on Tolkien, mythology and creative writing, especially creating characters and world-building. All are welcome to join us for this special chat. Anne C. Petty received her Ph.D. in English Literature from Florida State University. Her doctoral dissertation was published as One Ring to Bind Them All: Tolkien's Mythology. She has since written Tolkien in the Land of Heroes: Discovering the Human Spirit and recently published a book that includes a chapter on Tolkien, Dragons of Fantasy. Her first fantasy novel, Thin Line Between, will be published in May 2005, part of a four-book series titled The Wandjina Quartet. In addition to her book writing, Ms Petty has taught English Literature, Creative Writing, and Journalism at both the secondary and university level, and has published in the fields of literary criticism, technical writing and editing, the arts, and multimedia development. Learn more about Anne Petty on her website at www.annepetty.com. This will be a moderated Q&A session, and HoF staff are now accepting questions. So if you have a question for Anne and can't make it on the day, please you us your question right now and we'll ask it for you! Simply e-mail it in to halloffire@theonering.net right now.
Tolkien Exhibit in Milwaukee, WI Report
Xoanon @ 10:43 am EST
anonymous writes: I attended the opening reception for an exhibit of J.R.R. Tolkien's original manuscripts and working drafts of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings at the Haggerty Museum of Art at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI. Anyone who is a fan of Tolkien has an opportunity to view this exhibit through January, 2005. I would urge anyone who can attend to do so. It's thrilling to see the words of a beloved book in the author's own hand. Several drafts of the Book of Marzabul are on display, including a colored version and a translation of the dwarvish runes. Below is information about the exhibit and the Tolkien Archives that reside at Marquette. The Invented Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien Drawings and Original Manuscripts from the Marquette University Collection October 21- January 30, 2005 The well-known English novelist and philologist, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973) wrote The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit and the children’s story Mr. Bliss. Work from all three will be featured in the exhibition which is being presented in collaboration with the Department of Special Collections and University Archives Marquette University and in conjunction with the International Conference The Lord of the Rings, 1954-2004: Scholarship in honor of Dr. Richard E. Blackwelder. The collection of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973), professor of Old and Middle English language and literature at Oxford University, 1925-1959, contains the original manuscripts and multiple working drafts for three of the author's most celebrated books, The Hobbit (1937), Farmer Giles of Ham (1949), and The Lord of the Rings (1954-1955), as well as the original copy of the children's book Mr. Bliss (published in facsimile form in 1982). The collection includes books by and about Tolkien, periodicals produced by Tolkien enthusiasts, audio and video recordings, and a host of published and unpublished materials relating to Tolkien's life and fantasy writings. Tolkien manuscripts reside at Marquette because of the vision of William B. Ready (1914-1981), director of libraries from 1956 to 1963. Ready was appointed with the understanding that he would aggressively collect material for the newly-constructed Memorial Library. He recognized The Lord of the Rings as a masterpiece soon after its publication, long before the work and its author gained enormous popularity. With administrative approval, Ready approached Tolkien in 1956 through Bertram Rota, a well-known rare book dealer in London. At the time, no other institution had expressed an interest in Tolkien's literary manuscripts. After a relatively brief period of negotiation, an agreement was reached whereby Marquette purchased the manuscripts for 1,500 pounds (or less than $5,000). The first shipment of material arrived in 1957; The Lord of the Rings manuscripts arrived the next year. Tolkien accepted offers to visit and speak at Marquette in both 1957 and 1959, but on each occasion he canceled the anticipated visit due to family concerns. Tolkien's personal and academic papers, as well as his other literary manuscripts (e.g. The Silmarillion and Leaf by Niggle), are at the Bodleian Library of Oxford University.
(Tolkien Conference Oct. 22-23)
| 10-24-04 Latest News |
Ted Nasmith Book Tour Shorewood, WI
Xoanon @ 4:10 pm EST
In celebration of the Lord of the Rings 50th anniversary scholarly conference held at Marquette this week, Ted Nasmith presents slides of his paintings from the new edition of J.R.R. Tolkien’s prequel to the trilogy. Nasmith was commissioned for twenty-six new paintings. Ted will be at the following places: 10/24/2004: Harry W. Schwartz Bookshop. Shorewood, WI
10/25/2004: The University Book Store. Madison, WI
10/26/2004: Bound to Read. St. Paul, MN
10/27/2004: Borders Book Store. Salt Lake City, UT
10/28/2004: The University Bookstore. Seattle, WA
10/29/2004: Books Incorporated. Mountain View, CA
Cold Spring Press Announces
weetanya @ 7:45 am EST
THE SCIENCE OF MIDDLE-EARTH
Author: Henry Gee
ISBN: 1-59360-023-2
256 pages
Price: $14.00
Publisher: Cold Spring Press
Release Date: October 12, 2004
[Now Available! ]
Henry Gee, Senior Editor for the most prestigious magazine in science today -
Nature - has written a spellbinding, fun, and accessible book explaining the scientific basis for how all that wizardry, sorcery, and magic really works in J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy epic, The Lord of the Rings, and his other fictional books featuring Middle-earth.
Growing out of a series of columns under the pseudonym 'Olog-hai' for the premier Tolkien fan website -- www.theonering.net -- the author explores just how elves might be able to see much further than humans, why Frodo's sword turns blue at the sight of evil orcs, how the rings of power do their thing, and just about every other conundrum or piece of 'elvish magic' that has puzzled and delighted Tolkien fans for years. Gee tells us that science, fantasy, and nature are really more similar than one might think. Gee writes in a popular tone and style, fully explaining all science concepts and convincingly demonstrating how Tolkien's world of fantasy makes sense in a very real - a very scientific - way.
In the Foreword to this book David Brin, one of sci-fi's most popular authors, calls The Science of Middle-earth "one of the most clever and insightful explorations of its kind…one of the delights of this book is the chance to see yet another layer in the subtlety of Tolkien's rich mind. For though he was suspicious of progress and the future, he nevertheless clearly reveled in the intellectual excitement that surrounded him. The new discoveries of science were not alien things. With fascination, he seems to have taken a real effort to weave them into The Lord of the Rings..."
And Paul Levinson, author of The Pixel Eye, says "If Charles Darwin were J.R.R. Tolkien, who would be his Aldous Huxley? If The Science of Middle-earth is any indication, the answer would be Henry Gee…a delightfully written primer."
Henry Gee received his doctorate in zoology at the University of Cambridge in 1991. In 1987 he joined the staff of Nature, the leading international journal of science, where he is now Senior Editor, Biological Sciences. In 1996 he was awarded a Regents' Professorship of the University of California. He is the author of several books including Jacob's Ladder: The History of the Human Genome (Norton, 2004), In Search of Deep Time (Free Press, 1999), and (with Luis V. Rey) A Field Guide to Dinosaurs (Barrons, 2003). As Olog-Hai he is the occasional science correspondent for TheOneRing.net, the leading Tolkien fan website. He lives in Ilford, Essex, England.
The Science of Middle-earth is published by Cold Spring Press and distributed by Simon & Schuster, and is now available in bookstores nationwide and in Canada, and on the Internet through online booksellers.