The One hundred and eighty-fifth Roving Ranger

Life & Works

May 11, 1926 #OTD 100 years ago - J.R.R. Tolkien & C.S. Lewis meet for the first time. Lewis lated noted in his diary:

“a smooth, pale, fluent little chap — can’t read Spenser because of the forms — thinks the language is the real thing in the school — thinks all literature is written for the amusement of men between thirty and forty — we ought to vote ourselves out of existence if we were honest — still the sound-changes and the gobbets are great fun for the dons. No harm in him: only needs a smack or so.”¹

May 12, 1933 Tolkien writes Letter 68 (Si apre in una nuova finestra), on the way to Mordor (Si apre in una nuova finestra) in The Lord of the Rings (Si apre in una nuova finestra).
May 13, 1937 Tolkien writes Letter 13 (Si apre in una nuova finestra), on Houghton Mifflin’s interest in publishing The Hobbit (Si apre in una nuova finestra) and having US artists do illustrations for it; he agrees under the condition that he could “veto anything from or influenced by the Disney studios (Si apre in una nuova finestra) (for all whose works I have a heartfelt loathing).”
May 15, 1945 Tolkien writes Letter 99 (Si apre in una nuova finestra), expressing his sympathy for Mrs. Williams' loss.
May 18, 1912 Tolkien pays his Oxford Union Library fees (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

Northmoor Road Middle-earth meets Modern Living (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Essential Install]²

Funnily enough The place Tolkien lived in in Leeds is up for sale (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [yes, they have the Blue Plaque to prove it (Si apre in una nuova finestra)].³

The way the internet is going reliable information will be more difficult to find every day - so a curated newsletter like the Roving Ranger is more needed than ever. Share it, let people know! Thank you 😊

Events & Shows

The Tolkien Society’s Sarehole Festival is looking for volunteers (Si apre in una nuova finestra)[May 30-31; via Facebook]

Spain’s EstelCon has its date and loads of news on its updated website: Sept 24-27 (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

Lure of Middle-earth has set its next date: Feb 12-14, 2027 (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

The University of Exeter Tolkien Society has a movie marathon (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [May 17; Instagram]

Taruithorn, the Oxford Tolkien Society, is offering a Quenya presentation (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [May 13] and next week they’ll go punting [Instagram]

Switzerland’s Fantasy Basel (Si apre in una nuova finestra) will see Lukas Ritzel (Eredgiliath regulars table, Lucerne) and podcast Typisch Ravenclaw talk about Tolkienian topics, including A NEW HOBBIT TRANSLATION (Si apre in una nuova finestra)! [May 15-16]

The Greek Tolkien Society is doing what a lot of fans love to do - a pub quiz! (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [May 17; Instagram; Lucky Sparrow Club, Athens]

Oxford Lifelong Learning (Si apre in una nuova finestra) has none other than John Garth offering two summer courses - Tolkien: The Great War and the Beginnings of Middle-Earth (Si apre in una nuova finestra) and Building Middle-Earth: Tolkien's Geography and the Power of Place (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

Sentieri Tolkieniani (Si apre in una nuova finestra) is taking place June 12-14 [Macello, Italy]

Cartoons on the Bay, the Italian International Animation and Transmedia Festival by Rai Com, will host a Tolkien exhibition (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [May 27-30]

The Unitarian Universalist Church of the Desert will have “People as Things: Pratchett, Tolkien, Le Guin and the Problem of Evil” (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [May 24; available online]

FanExpo in Philly has Dark Side Burlesque at the FAN EXPO: A Tolkien Burlesque Show (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Mai 30; my fav is Onyx Ondyx as Gollum]

Into the Shire: Desert Hobbit Workshop (Si apre in una nuova finestra) is happening in Flagstaff, Arizona, USA [May 16, etc.]

In Kansas City, Missouri, USA, an event report: Grade 6 Journeys into World of "The Hobbit." (Si apre in una nuova finestra)

Please note I am the Guest of Honour of this year’s Lustrum of the Dutch Tolkien Society, Unquendor.

Registration is now open (Si apre in una nuova finestra) for June 19-21, 2026.

For all events check out the Tolkien Guide (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

Scholarship & Fandom

It’s been a pleasure writing Fingolfin’s Findings LXXXII: The ALA's Celebrity READ poster campaign (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Steady]

Good luck to the person to get this job: One Calleva Centre Postdoctoral Researcher: C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien: A Scholarly Reappraisal (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

Magdalen College proposes to appoint a Postdoctoral Researcher to work on the project C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien: A Scholarly Reappraisal, led by Professor Simon Horobin (Magdalen College) and Professor Giuseppe Pezzini (Corpus Christi College), based at the Calleva Research Centre. The post will commence on 1 October 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter and will be for three calendar years.

This project aims to undertake a reassessment of the scholarly legacy of one of Magdalen College’s foremost fellows, the English literary scholar C.S. Lewis, in the context of his professional, intellectual and personal relationships with his friend and colleague J.R.R. Tolkien.

Dimitra Fimi has The Slow LotR Re-read (4): Bilbo's decluttering (Si apre in una nuova finestra) as well as part 5: the “true story” of Bilbo’s ring (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Substack]

John Garth has On encountering yourself in the wild (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Steady; partial paywall]

Robin Reid has the CFP: “Tolkien, Barfield and the Inklings: Questions of Influence” (Si apre in una nuova finestra) (F2F) [Substack]

Miriam Ellis has Glorfindel upon the other side: one of Tolkien's most glorious glimpses in The Lord of the Rings (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

Brad Eden has The library of Michael H.R. Tolkien (1920-1984): dispersal, reconstruction and partial bibliography (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Journal of Tolkien Research]

These days even the Harvard Law School has something ‘Tolkienian’ to say: A last lesson from ‘Lord of the Rings.’ (Si apre in una nuova finestra)

The Lord of the Rings trilogy in concert - anthems for a world in peril (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Observer]

Abigail Nussbaum has reached Rivendell on her Great Tolkien Reread (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Blogspot]

Andrew Higgins has Exploring Invented Languages (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Substack]

Stephen C. Winter has “I Am Forgetting Them!” Merry Thinks of Frodo and Sam in The Midst of His Loneliness (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

Ramblings on my Bookshelves has J R R Tolkien and C S Lewis in Puffin (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Wordpress.com]

If you are more comfortable following me and my ventures via WhatsApp - here’s the Travelling Tolkienist Channel (Si apre in una nuova finestra). 📝

Merchandise & Franchise

“The new era” of Middle-earth merchandise & franchise is making a huge push this week.

Peter Jackson, recipient of the Palme d’Or [more about him (Si apre in una nuova finestra)]

Amazon MGM Studios has set the premiere date for season 3 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power - Nov 11, 2026 (Si apre in una nuova finestra). [press release; see also Jeff LaSala’s Rauron’s Return (Si apre in una nuova finestra)]

Asmodee announces its first slate of partner publishers in the Middle-earth Enterprises™ (MEE) category management program (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [press release]

LEGO has started promotion for one of its biggest sets yet: Minas Tirith (Si apre in una nuova finestra). [preview photo: © Lego]

[Oh, and you are getting GROND as well!]

• Age: 18+

• RRP: £579.99 / €649.99 / $649.99

• Pieces: 8,278

• Dimensions: over 23.5 in. (59cm) high, 24.5 in. (62 cm) wide, and 14.5 in. (37 cm) deep

• Availability:
  LEGO Insiders Early Access: 1st June 2026

  For all: 4th June 2026

Collectibles company Pure Arts’ The Lord of the Rings Nazgul King Art Mask Exclusive Edition (Si apre in una nuova finestra) will only set you back €1.349,00 [Youtube promo (Si apre in una nuova finestra)]

If you are a gambler you you can go for The Lord of The Rings 25th Anniversary Series 2 Blind Bag Figural Bag Clip (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [content is random; developer Monogram has also done War of the Rohirrim (Si apre in una nuova finestra)]⁴

The Royal Albert Hall welcomed a very special guest (Si apre in una nuova finestra) for its Wicki concerts of the film trilogy soundtracks [Instagram]

Tolkien and his Medieval Sources (Si apre in una nuova finestra) - a course with Medievalists.net (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [get a 15% discount for a limited time (Si apre in una nuova finestra)]

Mountain Runner Events (Si apre in una nuova finestra) in South Africa is hosting the Hobbit Trail Runs (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

Ian McKellen: ‘Of course Gandalf would beat Dumbledore in a fight’ (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Guardian]

Still More Magic: The Gathering Plagiarism (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Plagiarism Today]⁵

Andy Serkis: The Hunt for Gollum ‘Absolutely Will Be Like’ How They Made Lord of the Rings (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Den of Geek]

TORn has Colbert on writing a new LOTR movie: “every moment has been a joy so far. (Si apre in una nuova finestra)”

You can Read An Excerpt From ‘The Inklings Detective Agency’ by John R. Kelly (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Nerd Daily]

Free League Publishing continues to provide fans with great RPG materials.

We're thrilled to announce that not one, not two, but three upcoming Middle-earth roleplaying releases will be launched on June 2.

The June lineup includes Hands of the White Wizard (Si apre in una nuova finestra) for The One Ring™, the official tabletop roleplaying game based on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien; Trials of Saruman (Si apre in una nuova finestra), its 5E counterpart for The Lord of the Rings™ Roleplaying; and Hobbit™ Tales (Si apre in una nuova finestra), a supplement for The One Ring™ featuring five ready-to-play adventures across the four farthings of the Shire.

Inter alia

For those of you with an interest in language, dictionaries, and the OED in particular - there is now a podcast about it: Lexipoddery (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Spotify]

The New York Times has done it again - damaging decent, often desperately needed criticism’s reputation in one fell swoop: Rick Beato Versus the NY Times (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Ted Gioia’s Substack]

Christopher Lockett has The Implausibility of Galactic Empires (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Substack]

Data centers are ruining the planet in many, many ways: The AI Hard Drive Shortage Is Making It More Expensive and Harder to Archive the Internet (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [404 Media; see also There’s a reason data centers don’t look like castles, the Shire, or a spa (Si apre in una nuova finestra) (Fast Company)]

ICE Agents Have List of 20 Million People on Their iPhones Thanks to Palantir (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [404 Media]

Do also read Vanishing Culture: A Report on Our Fragile Cultural Record (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Internet Archive]

GRRM is happy to share The Mad King Meets the Stage – Tickets on Sale Now (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Not a Blog]

Should you consider finally giving up on things like Goodreads - do have a look at LibraryThing (Si apre in una nuova finestra). They do amazing work and you can put your own collection for free on the internet with TinyCat (Si apre in una nuova finestra). You can find my library here (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

I asked about the original artist drawing the hobbits in the D&D 1st edition.

And as always… Tom Gauld ftw.

Thinking about starting a newsletter, podcast, Patreon, Substack etc.?

Then do consider using Steady (Si apre in una nuova finestra) - it is an exceptionally easy to use option for all needs. Built originally for an independent journalists’ collective, Krautreporter (Si apre in una nuova finestra), it is run by creative minds for creative minds. Think Patreon, just better. It is based in Germany, free of enshittification (Si apre in una nuova finestra) and nazis.

Do use my invite link (Si apre in una nuova finestra) and start with three months fee-free.
[Transparency note: I get a small referral bonus with no extra costs to you.]

According to German law I have to inform you all links to enterprises, artists, products etc. are [unpaid advertisements.] Some purchase links may earn me a small commission from Blackwell's (Si apre in una nuova finestra), Bookshop.org (Si apre in una nuova finestra), or Genialokal (Si apre in una nuova finestra), the (independent) bookshops of my personal trust (one with a Tolkien connection!)

If you are interested in my other Tolkien-related work please have a look:
The Tolkienist Blog (Si apre in una nuova finestra) : Facebook (Si apre in una nuova finestra) : Bluesky (Si apre in una nuova finestra) : Instagram (Si apre in una nuova finestra) : Threads (Si apre in una nuova finestra) : Mastodon (Si apre in una nuova finestra) - and have a look at all Roving Rangers published so far. (Si apre in una nuova finestra)

As this is 2026 I would like to note that this newsletter is 100% human-made, curated by me, Marcel R. Bülles. This also holds true for everything I write with my blog and here at Steady. Also, the minimum time of curating this newsletter ranges from 8-12 hours every week. Please consider supporting me so I can continue offering the Roving Ranger - thank you.

1. h/t All my road before me: the diary of C.S. Lewis, 1922-1927, p. 393. ↩

2. h/t Andrew Wells, FB. ↩

3. h/t Nick Kingsley (Si apre in una nuova finestra), Tolkien Society FB group. ↩

4. h/t MGCoco (Si apre in una nuova finestra), Bluesky. ↩

5. h/t Trotter from the Tolkien Guide (Si apre in una nuova finestra) team. ↩