Methinks he doth cry foul too much ...
 

Professor Hedgethistle! Are you daring to suggest that I would not have got it without the Cellar Door discussion? Harumph indeed to that! :mad:

;)

Actually, it's one of those passages from the Letters that really sticks in my mind. Can't think why ... :D

Oh, SpM, you left out some of the best bits, which I shall quote here before I have to turn the thread over to you.

I can just imagine the scene.

We don't have to wait 'til Christmas to open this thread, do we?
 

I think SpM has forgotten about this thread too and not only the Musical thread. ;)

A quiz if you please, Mr. SaucepanMan.

Oops. I keep losing track of which Quiz threads I'm on. Must be getting out of practice ...

Please accept my sincere apologies for the delay, together with this early Christmas present:

In what circumstances did Tolkien adopt the title of Member for Longbottom, and in what way was it appropriate to him?

Shouldn't be too difficult, I suspect.

Can you give a little clue to this one, Saucy? I have no idea where to start looking; it sounds like something that could have belonged to the time of his youth and the clubs that were begun then, but must have been after the writing of LotR.

As to the reason it would be appropriate, I assume because of his "love of the Halflings' leaf"... ;)

*Esty pokes Saucy...

I'm sorry. I had overlooked this one.

A hint? Look in the Letters.

Praise Scull and Hammond for an excellent index - praise them with great praise! I was able to find this answer without reading the Letters in their entirety. ;) Tolkien agreed to an informal association with the Tolkien Society of America and suggested that he would

Indeed. It's one of my favourite Letters for showing Tolkien's gentle humour and, indeed, humility.

And I am surprised no one got it earlier, given that we are here a Tolkien society of sorts, albeit a truly international one. :smokin:

Have at it, Esty ...

Which hotel was the Tolkiens' home away from home, where Edith especially felt comfortable and found many friends?

The Green Dragon!

(Had to be said.)

Edith and the Green Dragon?? :eek: Hotel - Ho-tel - not pub... ;)

The Hotel Miramar? Along the south coast of England, I believe.

That's the one, Tuor! It's in Bournemouth, which is on the south coast of England, as you state. Go ahead with a new question!

Okay.

What is the significance of Maitland Street for JRRT?

Tolkien was born in a house on that street in Bloemfontein S. Africa, I believe.

Correct. Your turn.

What was the position JRRT accepted in 1925?

takers? no?

I believe that 1925 was the year that he moved to Oxford to take up the position of Professor of Anglo-Saxon and Fellow of Pembroke College.

*grins fiendishly*
 

Indeed, but the professorship he accepted was a specific one, with a specific name...

He accepted the post of Rawlingson Professor of Anglo-Saxon.
Apologies for not being more specific in my original answer, I've been away from the 'Downs for quite a while :rolleyes:

It's Rawlinson and Bosworth, technically. But since you're so close you may go, Eruanna.

It is good to see you around... I haven't been re-haunting the downs all that long myself, so I can't tell who's been here all along and who hasn't. ;)

Good to be back isn't it? :)

I've had a hard time coming up with a question not previously asked, but here goes:

In 1992, The Tolkien Society and The Mythopoeic Society decided to celebrate the centenary of Professor Tolkien's birth by doing something that Samwise would undoubtedly have approved of. What did they do?

Oh dear! Have I killed the thread?
I can offer a clue if needed.

Probably not dead, but hibernating, perhaps.
 

I could use a clue ;)

Wasn't that the first year of the simultaneous, world-wide toast? At something like 18h00 GMT participants from around the world hoisted their choice of libation in honour of the Professor.

It still happens every year, I think -- I've not yet partaken of the ritual, although I think that perhaps it's time the Downs makes an effort to promote it! :D

The toast sounds a very good idea, but not what I was looking for. Perhaps I should have said that the Forest Elves would also have approved.

Did they plant one or more trees?

They did, indeed :)

The Tolkien Society and the Mythopoeic Society bought two trees which were planted in the University Parks, Oxford. A memorial bench was placed nearby. The two trees are named for those other two trees. Telperion is a silver-leafed Maple and Laurelin a False Acacia.

Ask away Estelyn :)

In which art form was Tolkien less skilled than his wife Edith? As a matter of fact, he claimed to understand little about it, though he enjoyed it.

Painting! It was painting! Was it painting?

Maybe it was singing. . .

I'm sticking with Painting! Absolutely. Painting Painting Painting.

(But maybe singing.)

No No No. Sorry - and ain't it satisfying to be able to stump you, Fordie?! :p It was not painting or a related visual art form. (Think in general terms, not specific performing abilities...)

Like Fordim, I thought this would be singing or dancing...Tolkien loved to watch Edith dance. She also played piano if I recall correctly.
However, I seem to remember something in his biography about Edith being shy and yet a good practitioner of the art of conversation, better than him in fact... Three guesses in one post...Am I getting warmer?

As a semi-guess, I think I read something to this effect in the HC biography, was it the theater (theatre :) )?

Actually, I was taking Tolkien's reference in Letter #260 as the basis for this question, so the general art I meant was simply "music". Eruanna comes closest by stating that Edith played piano, so she's entitled to the win and the next question. Here's the quote:

I think you are being very kind to me Estelyn, thank you :)
Here's another question:

Which European city is Tolkien referring to?

That has to be Venice - I remember reading that in the biography.

Venice is correct :)

Which card game did JRRT enjoy, sometimes playing it instead of doing the things he really wanted to accomplish?