Collecting Tolkien Books - Tolkien Collecting Resources and References
Anyone willing to collect books by Tolkien simply must have this book. It covers every known detail about the publication of his books.
It might in the beginning seem boring, a book full of publishing details, but it is actually an interesting historical account of tolkien's trials and tribulations getting his works out to the public.
It shows us how hard it was to get your books published and to get it done proper. You'll see how Tolkiens proven masterwork The Lord of The Rings was believed to be a failure
Since no one expected the book to do well, appropriate
plans were not made to deal with the incredibly high demand for
the book. Although Allen &Unwin had success with the Hobbit, and
should have expected at least equivalent success with the Lord of
the Rings, they could not have anticipated the frenzy of demand
that developed, especially in the American mass market.
Although Hammond's mission in a bibliography is confined to publishing
details, the story seeps through, and sections read like a journalist's
account of a sailor making his way through the churning seas of
publishing.
Next to the story the book is the perfect guide when you are going
to buy books or try to find out which books our out there.
This item will be available on 2 October 2006 and you should really pre-order this one! These are the works i am waiting for! They are designed to be the essential reference works for all readers and students, these volumes present the most thorough analysis possible of tolkien's work within the important context of his life.
The Reader's Guide includes brief but comprehensive alphabetical entries on a wide range of topics, including a who's who of important persons, a guide to places and institutions, details concerning tolkien's source material, information about the political and social upheavals through which the author lived, the importance of his social circle, his service as an infantryman in World War I -- even information on the critical reaction to his work and the "Tolkien cult."
The Chronology details the parallel evolutions of tolkien's works and his academic and personal life in minute detail. Spanning the entirety of his long life including nearly sixty years of active labor on his Middle-earth creations, and drawing on such contemporary sources as school records, war service files, biographies, correspondence, the letters of his close friend C. S. Lewis, and the diaries of W. H. Lewis, this book will be an invaluable resource for those who wish to gain a complete understanding of tolkien's status as a giant of twentieth-century literature.
On Line Sources
One of the biggest online sources when trying to find some scarce or rare books is AbeBooks.com. Even if you are not going to buy any books there, it is till very usefull to go and check what prices the book you are going to buy elsewhere is at abebooks. Abebooks is very complete and offers even the very scarce items like first editions of The hobbit, Lord of The Rings, Letters from Tolkien. Once in a while you bump inti rare Tolkien pieces, but then remind you will have to pay for them! Abebooks sellers are very professional and know their prices very well. But then again, they are very thrustworhty and you almost never get dissapointed.
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