Wheelbarrows at Dawn Cancelled

[wellinghall]

Just in case anyone on my FList doesn't already know about this -

"Our friends at The Tolkien Society are holding a gathering for Wheelbarrows at Dawn – Memories of Hilary Tolkien, a new book about JRR Tolkien’s younger brother. The event will take place on Saturday December 4th at 2pm The Redesdale Hall (upper hall), High Street, Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire, UK. For complete details, see the full press release below by clicking the ‘continue reading’ button! If you are lucky enough to attend, please send us a report."
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2010/11/08/40292-new-tolkien-book-launch-uk/

This just in:

"Hi,

I am sorry to have to advise that despite the tremendous work and dedication to this project by Angela Gardner, Neil Holford, the Publishers, designers, artists, and financial backing by ADC Publications Ltd I have no choice but to cancel the publication of the book for legal reasons.

Despite many revisions and changes made at the insistence of The Tolkien Estate it appears that The Tolkien Estate will seek to take court action to prevent the release of this book regardless. Everyone involved in the publication has worked hard to meet the requests of The Tolkien Estate time and time again, however it would be misleading to release a Biography on Hilary Tolkien without proper reference to his close relationship with his brother.

The launch event on Saturday 4th December has therefore been cancelled and a full refund will be made shortly to anyone has placed advanced orders.

Best wishes

Andrew Compton"

Comments

[parrot-knight.livejournal.com]

As I've expressed elsewhere, this is not good in all sorts of ways. Where the work of the authors and their collaborators has now been prevented from reaching the public, a precedent has been set which could make it difficult for any future book quoting Tolkien correspondence to be published.

[lil-shepherd.livejournal.com]

Pardon?

Unless the book quotes extensively from JRRT there is no way that the Tolkien estate can interfere with publication. What are their grounds?

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Being very, very rich, I expect. That seems to be the usual grounds.

[inzilbeth-liz.livejournal.com]

I think some of us are planning on meeting anyway but I'm just devastated for all concerned.

[gayalondiel.livejournal.com]

Who's planning on meeting?

[inzilbeth-liz.livejournal.com]

Steve and Andry still want to come up anyway and are trying to arrange things. I don't imagine anyone much feels like it at the moment but we are overdue a meeting.

[gayalondiel.livejournal.com]

Was there an email then?

[widsidh.livejournal.com]

*shakes head, speechless*

[muuranker.livejournal.com]

Oh.

Bad words.

How appaling for all concerned.

[jane-somebody.livejournal.com]

I'm very sorry to see this. Frankly that is utterly outrageous. Biographies are/should be absolutely fair game, and a literary estate should have no bearing on that at all :-( I am very sorry for all involved.