New Tolkien book coming!

[Huinesoron]

Help, someone can't count.

In NoME 1.XIII, "Key Dates", Text 1 is Tolkien's final timeline of the Awakening to the March. It matches up nicely with his final Generational Scheme (1.XVII, scheme 7), so we can be confident it's actually final.

Tolkien gives the date of the Awakening as VY 850/1 - ie, the first sun-year of the 850th Valian Year, a Valian Year being 144 sun-year. He also gives the date as First Age 1. Fine.

The Finding of the elves is also fixed. It takes place in the last sun-year of 864 (ie, 864/144), with events after this all being in 865. And again, he gives a First Age date: 2016.

Except, ummm. 2016 = 144 x 14, so comes 14 VY after FA1. One VY after 850/1 is 851/1; two is 852/1; you can follow the pattern up, and 2016 = 864/1, not 864/144 or even 865/1.

Hostetter usually notes Tolkien's mathematical errors, but let's this one pass silently. Tolkien continues to use 864/144 as the date of the Finding, with all later dates based on this - this definitely isn't a printing error. So I have to wonder if I'm the one who's wrong, messing up either my maths or my reading.

Help help, who can't count: Huinesoron off the Internet, or JRR Tolkien and one of his foremost scholars?

hS