A 'darker' Hobbit - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Mithalwen · 03-22-2007, 01:06 PM

Who is the editor ..someone from Marquette?

Edit:
*Googles* .... yes in a way.....

davem · 03-22-2007, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

Who is the editor ..someone from Marquette?

Edit:
*Googles* .... yes in a way.....

John D Rateliff. bit more here:
http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/press/...thehobbit2.htm

Elladan and Elrohir · 03-22-2007, 02:24 PM

This is magnificent news! I had heard that a book was being prepared, but never expected it to release this year, the same year of CoH. 2007 will be the greatest year for Tolkien publication since the release of The Silmarillion, some thirty years ago.

Now I can't decide which I'm looking forward to the most: CoH or HoH.

obloquy · 03-22-2007, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Now I can't decide which I'm looking forward to the most: CoH or HoH.

Hurin has always been one of my favorite Tolkien characters, and First Age stories are generally more appealing to me. However, nearly 1,000 pages of unpublished late-era Tolkien is pretty amazing, even if it is just Hobbit rewrites. I mentioned the possibility of some new light shed on certain Hobbit peculiarities before, but knowing that we'll be receiving two fat volumes has really got my imagination excited.

Child of the 7th Age · 03-23-2007, 12:05 PM

I have been waiting for this book for many years--back when it was assigned to another author. To be truthful, I'm more excited about this than CoH, but I am probably in the minority.

I actually don't have a problem with "another" Hobbit. We already have 3 Hobbits: the original, the revised, and the parts in UT discussing Bilbo and such. Most of us see the revised as the "real" Hobbit though there are still folk around who cut their teeth on the first one. I suspect the revisions will not take the place of anything....but just be another alternative. We already have this situation in terms of other things in the Legendarium...the same story in Silm and HoMe with different viewpoints. I honestly don't think it will knock out the original.

Plus won't that 960 pages read more like HoMe (discussions of variant text from different periods) rather than the Hobbit itself. Discuss of variants is interesting but doesn't tug at the heart the way a "real" book does.

By the way, I am glad you put up this thread. I am looking forward to discussing the book when it comes out.

William Cloud Hicklin · 03-23-2007, 12:09 PM

Just to clarify: technically there are already three 'versions' or editions, the 1st (1937), 2nd (1951) and 3rd (1966), in the last of which Tolkien cleaned up some passages, mostly to integrate better with The Lord of the Rings. To get really geeky, each publisher of the 3rd Edition used a slightly different text (finally resolved by Doug Anderson).

davem · 03-23-2007, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by William Cloud Hickli

Just to clarify: technically there are already three 'versions' or editions, the 1st (1937), 2nd (1951) and 3rd (1966), in the last of which Tolkien cleaned up some passages, mostly to integrate better with The Lord of the Rings. To get really geeky, each publisher of the 3rd Edition used a slightly different text (finally resolved by Doug Anderson).

Technically yea, but its not the '3rd edition' that Tolkien originally envisioned - I should have been clearer. Can't help wondering whether that '3e' would have been a 'Myths Transformed' kind of mistake on Tolkien's part - suppose we'll be able to form our own opinions on that when the work finally sees the light. Of course, it seems the Hobbit movie will be this very 'darker', more 'adult' version of the story...

Like Child I too am more excited by 'Mr Baggins' than by CoH - after all many of us have read CoH in its various versions, so it won't exactly be 'new' to us. Its not just the 3e version that I'm looking forward to reading, but also the original draft - which, as I said, seems much more 'fairystory' like.

03-22-2007, 01:06 PM	#1
Mithalwen Pilgrim Soul Join Date: May 2004 Location: watching the wonga-wonga birds circle... Posts: 9,463	Who is the editor ..someone from Marquette? Edit: Googles .... yes in a way..... __________________ “But Finrod walks with Finarfin his father beneath the trees in Eldamar.” Christopher Tolkien, Requiescat in pace

03-22-2007, 02:24 PM	#3
Elladan and Elrohir Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Halls of Mandos Posts: 332	This is magnificent news! I had heard that a book was being prepared, but never expected it to release this year, the same year of CoH. 2007 will be the greatest year for Tolkien publication since the release of The Silmarillion, some thirty years ago. Now I can't decide which I'm looking forward to the most: CoH or HoH. __________________ "If you're referring to the incident with the dragon, I was barely involved. All I did was give your uncle a little nudge out of the door." THE HOBBIT - IT'S COMING

03-23-2007, 12:05 PM	#5
Child of the 7th Age Spirit of the Lonely Star Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 5,133	I have been waiting for this book for many years--back when it was assigned to another author. To be truthful, I'm more excited about this than CoH, but I am probably in the minority. I actually don't have a problem with "another" Hobbit. We already have 3 Hobbits: the original, the revised, and the parts in UT discussing Bilbo and such. Most of us see the revised as the "real" Hobbit though there are still folk around who cut their teeth on the first one. I suspect the revisions will not take the place of anything....but just be another alternative. We already have this situation in terms of other things in the Legendarium...the same story in Silm and HoMe with different viewpoints. I honestly don't think it will knock out the original. Plus won't that 960 pages read more like HoMe (discussions of variant text from different periods) rather than the Hobbit itself. Discuss of variants is interesting but doesn't tug at the heart the way a "real" book does. By the way, I am glad you put up this thread. I am looking forward to discussing the book when it comes out. __________________ Multitasking women are never too busy to vote.

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03-23-2007, 12:09 PM	#6
William Cloud Hicklin Loremaster of Annúminas Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 2,330	Just to clarify: technically there are already three 'versions' or editions, the 1st (1937), 2nd (1951) and 3rd (1966), in the last of which Tolkien cleaned up some passages, mostly to integrate better with The Lord of the Rings. To get really geeky, each publisher of the 3rd Edition used a slightly different text (finally resolved by Doug Anderson).