My particular favorites were the picture of Bilbo, by Tolkien no less, wherein he is wearing boots which he apparently got in Rivendel although Tolkien never corrected the text, and the post card from which Tolkien got the idea for Gandalf. There is also an amazing photograph of a scene in the Swiss Alps that could be the prototype for Rivendel. All these examples and many more are included in The Annotated Hobbit.

Mr. Anderson is shows his excitement about his subject and the audience was right with him throughout. At the Q&A session afterward he told more stories about his future plans to work with some of Tolkien’s unpublished poetry. He also said some colleagues were working on an Annotated version of Lord of the Rings. He talked more about C.S.Lewis and the inklings, and Tolkiens expertise with Beowulf. He seemed comfortable talking about his subject and the audience was interested and attentive. It was a good evening and well worth the trouble of seeing him in other cities if you get the chance.

He wore a ring on a chain around his neck and I found myself wondering if that was an affectation that he used during his presentations. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Borders had given him the ring as a gift. It was from the Badali Jewelry Specialties, Inc. in Layton Utah who have the rights to make the "ring" inscribed with the markings of Mordor. Borders is also planning several events on November 6th when many of the Houghten Mifflin tie-in books will be released for The Two Towers.