New Tolkien books

[wellinghall]

Michael Drout says:
" ... the new edition of Beowulf and the Critics is now proofed and back to the publisher, so that's moving along."


"It may be a while, though, before it actually gets printed, as we still have to index (though I can in some ways just mod the old index), but it's much closer now, and there's a 2010 date on the copyright page.

This is a completely corrected, revised and expanded edition. The expansions include the text of a previously unknown note by Tolkien that was part of the drafting of Beowulf and the Critics (found by Christopher Tolkien and included with his permission in this volume), an identification of all the voices in the 'Babel of Voices' allegory, and a discussion and illustration of the structural evolution of Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics. The corrections are thoroughgoing: I proofed the entire thing against the microfilm (my reading of Tolkien's handwriting has inexplicably gotten better) and received help from many scholars as well."

http://wormtalk.blogspot.com/2010/04/catching-up-i-seem-to-have-this.html


Jason Fisher says:
"Middle-earth Minstrel now available."


"According to Amazon, the release date is April 21 (next Wednesday), but the book is available now on the McFarland website. You might still want to (pre)order with Amazon, though, since the price of the book will qualify you for free shipping. Ordering direct from McFarland will cost you $4 more. That’s in the US; I’m not sure which option is better for international collectors.

I got a review copy in yesterday’s mail, so I’m holding the book in my hands at this very moment. The cover is even nicer than it looked in photographs; it’s got a beautiful glossy finish, and the text and illustrations are sharp. I’m not wild about the spine (poor color contrast between the background and the author and publisher’s colophon), but I suppose I’m being picky. Inside, high-quality 50# alkaline paper in a pale cream color, sharp ink, expert design and layout. Some readers may find the type just a bit on the small side (especially that of the notes and bibliographies). The book is 207 + [viii] pp, but considering the size of the type, this is probably the equivalent to 250 or even 300 pp from most other publishers."

http://lingwe.blogspot.com/2010/04/middle-earth-minstrel-now-available.html


John Rateliff says:
"So, another book I ordered at the same time as the Robinson, and had similarly held off on previously because of its expense, I found waiting for me when we got back from the Redwoods: The Power of Tolkien's Prose: Middle-earth's Magical Style by Steve Walker [2009]."


"Unlike the Robinson that arrived just before the trip, this one is a hardcover (from Palgrave Macmillan). Despite its relatively slim size of 173 pages of text (or a total of 213 once you add in notes/bibl/index), it costs a whopping $80 -- more than you'd pay for H&S's two-volume Companion & Guide set on amazon.

I can't put up an interim report on this one, because it turns out to be impossible to skim. It's a dense-argued, carefully written examination of a major topic that's gotten remarkably little attention over the years: Tolkien's style as a writer -- how he achieves the effects he does with his prose. It's a topic I'm greatly interested in -- it was after all the main focus of my Tolkien Studies piece. It looks like Walker builds on Brian Rosebury's excellent but too-little-read 1992 book, but aside from noting that Walker & I seem to reach the same conclusion (p 172), I can't say much more than that without giving it the slow, careful reading it deserves. And so the 'must-read' pile just got a little higher.

So, highly welcome, but definitely not a fast read."

http://sacnoths.blogspot.com/2010/04/new-arrival-expensive.html


ETA: The TS seminar in Australia is mentioned here:
http://www.conferencealerts.com/seeconf.mv?q=ca163mis

Comments

[the-marquis.livejournal.com]

See also
http://www.h-net.msu.edu/announce/show.cgi?ID=175592

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Ooh goodie - more publicity - well done!

[the-marquis.livejournal.com]

See also
http://www.h-net.msu.edu/announce/show.cgi?ID=175591
and
http://www.h-net.msu.edu/announce/show.cgi?ID=175593

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Good-oh!

[estelyn-strider.livejournal.com]

And what about "Music in Middle-earth"? Published in January by Walking Tree, with essays by an interesting variety of authors on a most fascinating subject. A chapter by above-mentioned author of the Middle-earth Minstrel is included...

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

And an excellent book it is, too! (I was only talking about new books in this post, but I shall include it when I do a similar post on other forums).