The Collection Grows

[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

Have you got the Lord of the Rings board game?

Which one?

Being both a Tolkien fan and a board game nut, I have just about every Tolkien-related board game going.

I assume from your description that you mean the co-operative game where the players team up to try to destroy the ring, effectively playing against the game. Yes, it is a challenging game, especially with only two players. Mrs Saucepan and I have not managed to destroy the Ring on a number of attempts.

If you're interested in LotR-related games, there's more info on that game and others here:

LOTR Risk

But this one is the best of all:

War of the Ring

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by SpM

I assume from your description that you mean the co-operative game where the players team up to try to destroy the ring, effectively playing against the game. Yes, it is a challenging game, especially with only two players. Mrs Saucepan and I have not managed to destroy the Ring on a number of attempts.

That's the one! We got halfway through the Mordor scenario board but then the 'events' caught up and the ring was claimed. The only ways I can think of that could get you through this last board is either to have the luck not to draw 'event' tiles too soon (and thus also to have lots of 'Hobbit' cards to move through it quickly) or maybe to save the 'Gandalf card' which allows you to reject an 'event' 'til the very end?

I do like it though. I used to enjoy strategy/sim games on the computer, such as Civilisation, Sim City and the Sims which likewise require more thinking skills than just the urge to win.

The expansion packs looked interesting, though it seems that only the "Friends & Foes" expansion has a board, while the "Sauron" expansion seems to involve a slightly different style of play?

[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

The only ways I can think of that could get you through this last board is either to have the luck not to draw 'event' tiles too soon (and thus also to have lots of 'Hobbit' cards to move through it quickly) or maybe to save the 'Gandalf card' which allows you to reject an 'event' 'til the very end?

You need a lot of luck. Just when we think we are doing well, a whole batch of Event Tiles seem to turn up and overtake us. And with only two players, there never seems to be enough Hobbit cards. I should imagine that the game is slightly less precarious with more players and therefore more Hobbit Cards. As for the Gandalf cards, well you need Shields for those. But then you need the Shields for other things too. And you need to try and get the other Tokens while still making it through each scenario as unscathed as possible ...

Halfway through Mordor is as far as we have ever got in 10 or so games.

Yes, it's a tricksy game, and no mistake.

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

The expansion packs looked interesting, though it seems that only the "Friends & Foes" expansion has a board, while the "Sauron" expansion seems to involve a slightly different style of play?

Tried the "Friends & Foes" Expansion. It makes a nice change, but it mostly concerns foes ( ) and I still prefer the original game. Haven't tried the Sauron expansion.

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

... such as Civilisation

Ah, the best PC game ever devised IMHO. Terribly off-topic I know, but Civilisation IV is gorgeous ...

[Lalwendë]

I think it might be worth trying the game with a 'dummy' player or two, just to see if it does make it any easier to complete it... though we will persist with two players just to see if it can be completed that way. Perhaps with more players the Ring-bearer can be left to concentrate on staying in the 'light' while other players can gather up as many Hobbit cards/shields as possible. Or maybe other combinations besides just Frodo and Sam may work?

One thing I cannot quite understand is whether every player has to have all three of the tokens at the end of each round. Also, we could not decide if the Gollum card was worth having or not as it seemed to mean giving up on a lot too, though it meant moves could be done more quickly. Bit like the book really...

[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by Lal

One thing I cannot quite understand is whether every player has to have all three of the tokens at the end of each round.

Yes. They do.

[Child of the 7th Age]

The "real" Shadowfax is for sale: here

Ths will cost a mere $38,000!

Anyone out there considering a purchase?

[Lalwendë]

Last time I tried to get on a horse, it was too big for me to get on from the block, so we took him to a gate nearby. I climbed on top of the gate, holding onto a tree branch for balance, lifted up my leg to get on the horse and he decided to move, leaving me hanging in mid air from a tree branch. I then fell in some nettles.

So, though Shadowfax is a beautiful horse, I fear a pony would be more appropriate to my height. Is Bill for sale by any chance?

[mark12_30]

I was considering posting that I had added two live Siberian Snowhobbits to "my collection." It is more precise to say that I have added them to my household. However, the elder of the two snowhobbits is showing the effects of entdraught, and will soon be more aptly described as a woodland elf. (He does love to climb trees.)

[Parmastahir]

I have posted a similar message in other BD threads. So if you get tired of seeing this, my apologies. This thread, per advice of ET, seems the correct one in which to drop this line.

I am interested in a small (it would seem) sub-set of Tolkieniana: the Tolkien calendars. I have been able to catalog and/or collect 182 of them to date. (Who'd a thunk it, eh?) You can see them at:

www.angelfire.com/tn3/tolkiencalendars

Hope you enjoy it and whatever you may collect. I am having a WONDERFUL time meeting other collectors, finding 'new' calendars (unknown to me, at least), and trying to acquire them when I do.

Best to all,

Parmastahir

[Child of the 7th Age]

Thanks so much for this resource. I have also collected calendars down through the years but not in as systematic a way as you have. I certainly had not realized that so many variants existed of the same calendar! I'll have to check mine and see which one I actually have.

Off the top of my head, I can think of just two calendars that I don't see on your list. These are not illustrations of the books, but things from Tolkien's life so I am not sure if you would want them for your collection.

One is "The Real Middle-earth, 2004". It was published by cafepress.com. But it is quite nice and has photos of the various sites and places associated with Tolkien's life, especially those that may have influenced his writings: Perrott's Folly, the Edgbaston Waterworks Tower. Sarehole Mills, etc.

The next year a calendar was published with the very same cover: Discover England's Two Towers, 2005. (I'm not sure about the tie between these two calendars, but there has to be one.) This one was published by the DME Partnership and I originally found it at www.DiscoverMiddleEarth.co.UK, but that no longer exists. Although the covers are identical, the pictures are somewhat different. The reason for the publication is to emphasize that Tolkien never saw the landscape of New Zeeland and that the "real" middle-earth has roots in England, especially the midlands. Some of the photos in this calendar include the surrounding grounds at New Lodge in Stonyhurst College, allegedly an inspiration for the view from Bombadil's garden, the Eagle and Child; the landscape that provided inspiration for the Barrow-downs, etc.

Have you seen these? If I can get my daughter's help later, I will try to scan a picure or two if you are interested.

BTW, I just got the 2006 Elvish Battle Calendar, and I quite like it. What are your most and least favorites of all your collection?

_______________________________

Helen,

My congratulations to you. I hope things work out well.

[Lalwendë]

I'm impressed by this collection, especially as calendars are so often written on or simply thrown away at the end of the year! As with a lot of 'ephemera' this is what makes them even more valuable items.

davem has a couple of the really old calendars, still with their envelopes.

One of these days I'll get round to doing a scan of the Hobbit playbill I have from the production in Liverpool in the 80s... I found it under my bed! The playbill, not the production...

[Lalwendë]

Firstly, we have finally managed to play a game of Lord of the Rings - the Board Game and managed to get to Mount Doom and destroy the Ring! So you see, it can be done! Even though I still suspect we were doing something wrong...

Today I managed to get a set of Lord of the Rings Monopoly for a knock down price. It looks entertaining, especially as it has a special feature which means the games will not take hours and hours to play! But I was amused that the makers of the game must have just used 'copy and paste' from the regular Monopoly rule book to complete the bulk of the rule book for this version! Cheapskates... The pewter figures are nice, and well, it's Monopoly, you can't go wrong.

I've seen a 'plug and play' electronic game in one of the local bargain shops which involves a plastic 'Mount Doom' which you connect to the TV like a console. You then have a wireless plastic sword which you use to fight Orcs and the like - like the PlayStation eye-toy combined with a fighting game. It looked quite amusing to me, but I wondered if anyone had got one of these and could tell me whether it's actually rubbish or not before I think about buying one.

It looks as though LotR film memorabilia is now becoming cheap in the shops as I also got a set of figures containing exclusives for a cheap price (well, cheaper than buying them individually on e-bay anyway...).

[Parmastahir]

Thanks to Child of the 7th Age for the reply about those calendars. I had seen them on ebay in 2004 and 2005. I did not pick them up then because they did not include any illustrations (artwork). That is the same reason that I do not collect the PJ movie-related calendars. That and the fact that there are just too many of them. One can find them from the US, UK, the rest of the EU, Israel, Japan, Australia, etc etc etc. (Did I leave any out? Am certain I did.)

As to my favorites, my top 5 list would have to include:

1. The 1974 A&U signed by Professor Tolkien (more precious than ANY ring to me!)
2. The 1998 Khandlendar done by Alex Lewis (yes, THE Alex Lewis). It is a hoot-and-a-half!
3. The 1990 NOT Tolkien Calendar (Mythopoeic Society). It is a hoot!
4. The 1969 illustrated by Tim Kirk because it is the first one ever and because Tim Kirk sent a copy of it to me (very cool!)
5. The 1973 Ballantine because it's the first of the commercially published calendars. I have a mint (unopened in its mailer that looks like it could be on a store shelf today) copy of it. I have two copies of most of the commercially published calendars: one mint (unopened mailer or still shrinkwrapped) and one for "reading".

I like any of the calendars issued by the various Tolkien societies (including especially Beyond Bree where Nancy Martsch has been a great resource). These were illustrated by non-professionals. I very much appreciate their abilities to put pen to paper and give us their concepts of Tolkien's world.

My least favorites (I'm sorry to say) would have to be those illustrated by Roger Garland (too much fantasy, too little reality even for a fantasy world!) and Rowena Morrell (her human figures are a little too much).

I just updated the website today. In addition to several "new" (not previously listed) calendars, I added a "Calendar of the Month" feature. In it, I will post pictures of all 12 illustrations from one of the calendars. For this first posting, I chose the 2002 ideaLibri from Italy. I did so for two reasons: I like the illustrations by Anton Spazzapan; it is somewhat a rarity (for reasons noted on the website). So it is one that many people may not ever see. If you visit my website and another one 'strikes your fancy', drop me a line and let me know which one you would like to see more of. I'll feature whichever one gets the most "votes". Failing that, I'll grant the request of whomever replies first!

www.angelfire.com/tn3/tolkiencalendars


In addition to the Tolkien calendars noted previously, I also have:

- two paperback sets of LOTR
- a hardback set of LOTR
- The Silmarillion
- the 50th Anniversary edition of The Hobbit
- the 50th Anniversary edition of LOTR
- Atlas of Middle Earth
- Tolkien Bestiary
- Bored of the Rings
- Tolkien Companion
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia
- Set of six Ted Nasmith prints (signed/numbered)

[Child of the 7th Age]

Thanks, Parmastahir.

__________________

Some people have a weakness for calendars, and others indulge in books. I'm afraid I'm one of the latter. I not only collect Tolkien but certain children's books, and I do have a weakness for the Tolkien family tree.

Today I found something on e-bay that combines all those interests This is a first edition of Little Grey Rabbit's Pancake Day by Allison Uttley. What makes this interesting is that it was a gift to Ruth Tolkien from her father Michael Tolkien (JRRT's grandson) Ruth was born in 1982 and is blind. (This info is on the e-bay site, but I was aware of it independently as well.)

There's a handwritten inscription in the book from her father and it comes with a brief letter from Ruth confirming the authenticity and outlining the Tolkien family pedigree as it descends from Michael, sr. I've corresponded with the owner and am fairly convinced that this book is "for real" -- not a fake or anything. Plus it's only a crazy person like me who would want to purchase something like this from several generations removed! A resourceful counterfeiter (and there are many out there) would surely counterfeit JRRT's own sig!

Scroll down and take a look at the inscriptions: Tolkien family inscriptions I can't get over how similar Ruth's and her father Michael's handwriting is to that of the family patriarch JRRT. that unique script seems to run in the family! Anyways, I got a kick out of adding this to my collection.

P.S. If there are any more crazy collectors out there, this same seller will be offering other books of this type.

[Lalwendë]

Child, I also spotted that on eBay and was quite fascinated by it, wondering who might be tempted to go the extra mile and buy it.

Another couple of items on eBay I have been watching are a pair of original sketches by Roger Garland. One is for a well known book cover and the other of Tom Bombadil. I like his work as I have a boxed set from the mid 80s which had it on so it brings back memories. I did note that this also seems to be the artist himself who is selling these sketches!

[Parmastahir]

Hello to All -

Added two more calendars to my compilation today: Inklings calendars (Cahill&Co from 1978 and 1979). Drop in, see how many of the Tolkien calendars you have and/or recognize . . . or just see how many there are! Check out the "Calendar of the Month" for March and let me know what you suggest for next month. Thanks.

Parmastahir

www.angelfire.com/tn3/tolkiencalendars

[Child of the 7th Age]

Lalwende,

Those are nice. Your link didn't work, but you can get to one of the listings by this: Garland Then you can click on his other listings to get to the other one.

I have a feeling the Tom Bombadil listing will go sky high at the last minute. (It's already over $100.) I do have a copy of that book with Garland's cover.

My little book came today. It is truly eery to look at Michael Tolkien's writing--almost like a carbon copy of his grandfather!

[Lalwendë]

You actually bought the book! I hadn't noticed that!

That's nice, knowing it has gone to a good home!

The Tom Bombadil sketch is still only £62 in UK pounds, which is not too bad at all, so I'm hanging on to see if it goes over what I'd be prepared to spend, as I do like it.

[Samwise]

Howdy!

Well, a couple of weeks or so ago, I was in our local Shire (K) Mart, when I passed one of those little discount racks they have out in the middle of the aisle.

I did a double-take.

There, sitting forlornly amidst the Barbies and Bratz, was a

LOTR ROTK Dluxe Poseable Sam Gamgee!

You realize of course, being the Sam fan that I am, I just had to rescue him...and hey, $9.99 was a small ransom to pay to get him out of there and safe in my LOTR collection.

[wilwarin538]

I just got the book J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography by Humphrey Carpenter. I'm only on page 37 but it's amazing so far.

[Samwise]

Like your Avatar. I think there actually may have been a thread about
"Middle Earth Idol" at one time....unless it's just something I thought of doing, but I doubt the latter...

[Samwise]

I was right. it's right here:

Middle-Earth Idol

[Parmastahir]

Well, it's April and that means a new "Calendar of the Month" featured on my Tolkien calendar website:

www.angelfire.com/tn3/tolkiencalendars

Hope you enjoy this one (and the others). Please drop me a line (via the website) if there is one on the website that you would like to see the illustrations from.

Away from the Green Hill Country,

Parmastahir

[Lalwendë]

I've got hold of a book I've never seen before, even on t'internet - Treasures From The Misty Mountains by James H Gillam. This is a book detailing all kinds of Tolkien 'collectables' including books, calendars, film merchandise, even 60s fan badges etc. It doesn't go into the kind of detail specialist sites go into (e.g. Parmastahir's site) but it's got loads of pictures and is an interesting read for general collectors.

...davem informs me it can be bought through the Tolkien Society website. Now he tells me!

I've also got hold of a two person game in which you have to act as either Gandalf or Balrog and battle it out. I like the way the Balrog counter in the box is non-winged. Lord of the Rings - The Duel The shop Orcs Nest in London (they also have a website, but I'm not sure if they stock the board games on that) is well worth a visit for board games - they also had War of the Ring, The Hobbit and others, including one based on Beowulf!

[narfforc]

ARRRRRRRRRRRRGH, I,ve just paid £129 for a version of The Hobbit from Oxfam, I could not resist. One of my friends thought I was mad, and told me so as she puffed away on a cigarette, Well that thing is costing you more than money, I replied.

[Parmastahir]

I have been fortunate to catalog three "new" calendars (ones I had not previously discovered). Have acquired two of them and am working on the third. Will add them to my compilation when I receive them. You can check them out at:

www.angelfire.com/tn3/tolkiencalendars

And check out the "Calendar of the Month" feature. Comments on the site are always welcome!

Away from the Green Hill Country,

Parmastahir

[Child of the 7th Age]

Lalwende -

Regarding Treasures from the Misty Mountains.....this must be one of those items more widely available in the U.S. as I purchased mine in a regular bookstore some years ago. The listings are not complete but the colored photos are quite good. Just be gentle with the book, since the pages have a way of detaching from the spine.

[Parmastahir]

if you are interested in the various Tolkien boardgames "out there", you should visit:

http://www.freewebs.com/tolkienboard...ting/index.htm

Its creator (Mike) wrote to me about my calendar site and told me of his. Seems a good example of parallel evolution (for specialized collecting sites). Hope you enjoy it!

Away from the Green Hill Country,

Parmastahir

[Samwise]

Cool site.
Like the Rankin/Bass Bilbo on the homepage.

[Valier]

I just saw samwise posted and it reminded me of a little friend that I have. I guess it's part of my LOTR collection. It's a plant. I named it Samwise Gamtree.....Ok Ok I know it's lame to name your plants,but hey I guess I'm lame. I have a small bust of Sam that I got from burgerking awhile back and he sits in the dirt at Gamtree's stem.

[Samwise]

Aw...I think it's cute. Sounds imaginitive to me, not lame.

[Parmastahir]

Happy May to all!

May means a new calendar of the month on my website:

www.angelfire.com/tn3/tolkiencalendars

Have recently added some Finnish Tolkien Society calendars and will soon add a couple from France.

The biggest single change is the format of the site. I put the thumbnails into 10 different lists making the homepage easier to open (faster for those without hi-speed internet access).

Check it all out. Am always happy to hear from anyone!

Away from the Green Hill Country,

Parmastahir

[Parmastahir]

If you are interested, I updated my Tolkien calendar website this weekend...

www.angelfire.com/tn3/tolkiencalendars

Finally created a new Calendar-of-the-Month for June. Won't spoil the surprise by telling you what it is! I have been picking out calendars that are somewhat uncommon, and this one certainly is!

Have added a few "new" calendars (recently discovered or catalogued). You can find out which ones in the "What's New" section of the website.

Lastly, Beren suggested a section where calendars are sorted by country or society rather than chronologically. So I did so for a large number of them (excluding the large number of Ballantine/USA and Allen&Unwin/UK - and their successors - issues).

Hope you enjoy! Comments always welcome - especially if you have a discovery to report. Thanks!

Away from the Green Hill Country,

Parmastahir

[Lalwendë]

davem was pottering round the flea market at lunch time today and he found this little beauty for just £3, that's $5.45 (to be precise). On Amazon it was selling for £115, and its not even available any longer so it would be off to ebay and scary prices under normal circumstances.

I was shocked. I've wanted one of the India paper editions for ages, but never thought I'd get one! And it's lovely! And it's my presentses too.

Thanks be to the good people of this city for wanting to spend 50p on slightly soiled action film DVDs instead of knowing what this book was!

P.S. This is the only edition of LOTR small enough to fit in a pocket because its printed on really fine bible paper.


EDIT

So as not to double post and have bad 'netiqutte' (blee), I've found a link to someone's personal, but utterly fabulous Tolkien collection. A slightly hushed and overawed 'wow' is in order...

[Hookbill the Goomba]

I recently got The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion. I intend to read it in the next few weeks (Now that the DOOM of exams is over). Which means..

Total Book Count = 139

Tolkien Books Count = 47

I now feel really sad. (Patiently awaits some to beat my count with not only flying colours, but colours that exist in five alternate universes) ... (Yes)...

[Child of the 7th Age]

Lalwende -

What a bargain! Lucky Davem and you! I have that book and I definitely didn't pay 115 pounds, but I did pay more than $5.45.

I am threatening to sit down this summer and actually inventory my collection. It would be nice to do a gorgeous website, but I'll be happy with a plain old list so I can remember exactly what I have and what I'd still like to find.

I have frequented a lot of garage and library book sales over the years and have sometimes turned up some good stuff. Anyways I think hunting for books can be as much fun as finding them. Plus, you might start looking for one book on a particular subject and end up finding something else you really love.

Hookbill - sounds as if you've made a great start.

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Hookbill the Goomba

I recently got The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion. I intend to read it in the next few weeks (Now that the DOOM of exams is over). Which means..

Total Book Count = 139

Tolkien Books Count = 47

I now feel really sad. (Patiently awaits some to beat my count with not only flying colours, but colours that exist in five alternate universes) ... (Yes)...

I'd never have time to do anything else for days if I counted the number of books in our house. My dad referred to our house as being like the British Museum a while back as its stuffed to bursting with books, pictures and collections of 'stuff'. I need a nice garage so I can have a library in it, like Tolkien had, while the car sits rusting outdoors.

There are now at least 14 copies/sets of LOTR alone...

Originally Posted by Child

I have frequented a lot of garage and library book sales over the years and have sometimes turned up some good stuff. Anyways I think hunting for books can be as much fun as finding them. Plus, you might start looking for one book on a particular subject and end up finding something else you really love.

I just love looking for second hand books, but we don't have many places that sell them here. Yet some small towns and villages have loads of 2nd hand bookshops, like Wigtown, Lincoln and Robin Hood's Bay. Still, you find beter bargains if you have to trail round random stalls and charity shops, as they don't necessarily know if a book is worth a bit of money (but avoid Oxfam if you want bargains as they are grossly overpriced).

[Parmastahir]

Happy July to Everyone!

I have updated my Tolkien calendar website with a few additions and the Calendar of the Month feature. That calendar is the 1976 issue illustrated by the Brothers Hildebrandt in respect to Tim Hildebrandt who passed away on 11 June. Check it all out at:

www.angelfire.com/tn3/tolkiencalendars

Would be pleased to hear from anyone with comments or a discovery!

Away from the Green Hill Country,

Parmastahir

[Samwise]

I own 4 LOTR-esque calendars, two regular and two page-a-day.

The two page a days are

1 with all kinds of neat facts about ME and its characters places and history
(special because my father gave it to me, and he's no longer here)
and
2 a movie tie-in calendar, with all kinds of movie shots from the 3 films (from which I collect any Hobbit pictures, especially that of Sam)

and the wall calendars

1 The Lord of the Rings Tolkien 2001 calendar Illustrated by John Howe
and
2 Lord of the Rings Return of the King 2004 Movie calendar, which has remained on my wall open to a pic of Sam and Frodo in Mordor (CLOSE UP--makes Li'l Mr. Wood's eyes look REALLY big--as if they couldn't get any bigger) since the beginning of 2005--right next to my replica of Sting.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

At the recent weekend get-together of the German Tolkien Society, I bought the complete LotR recordings by the Tolkien Ensemble.



I'd heard about the various albums so often that I decided to risk buying the complete four CD album - though I'd never heard any of it! It's a fantastic collectible, in a slipcase with a booklet that is actually a full book, complete with the texts and illustrations by - Queen Margrethe of Denmark!! I wasn't aware of the fact that she is a long-time Tolkien fan, and apparently Tolkien himself was familiar with her LotR art and approved of it. It is similar to some of his own.

I have no idea where else this album has been released - the booklet is in both English and German. I haven't gotten around to hearing all four CDs yet, but I've enjoyed them tremendously so far. Not all of the tunes are identical to my own ideas of Middle-earth music, but the singing and the instrumental arrangements are excellent.

There is another long-time Tolkien fan involved - Christopher Lee both sings and narrates on these recordings.