The One hundred and eighty-fourth Roving Ranger

Life & Works

May 4, 1944 While writing on The Lord of the Rings (Abre numa nova janela), Tolkien sees a new character arrive on the scene. He later comments (Abre numa nova janela): "(I am sure I did not invent him, I did not even want him, though I like him, but there he came walking into the woods of Ithilien (Abre numa nova janela)): Faramir (Abre numa nova janela), brother of Boromir (Abre numa nova janela)".
May 5, 1977 J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography (Abre numa nova janela) is first published in the UK.
May 6, 1968 Tolkien writes Letter 303 (Abre numa nova janela), on the importance of Sarehole Mill (Abre numa nova janela).
May 9, 1907 Tolkien receives the book Dictionary in Englysshe and Welshe (Abre numa nova janela).
May 10, 1966 Tolkien writes Letters 287 (Abre numa nova janela) and 288 (Abre numa nova janela), on dealing with fan telephone calls and his commemorative bust (Abre numa nova janela).
May 11, 1922 A Middle English Vocabulary (Abre numa nova janela), Tolkien (Abre numa nova janela)'s first book, is published.

After a longish bout of illness I am returning to the usual schedule - that is, Monday, around 9pm CET.

Thank you for your patience!

Events & Shows

The Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang (TRSB) is happening as we speak (Abre numa nova janela) [Wordpress]

Last chance to register with the Austrian Tolkien Society’s Spring Festival (Abre numa nova janela) [May 13-17; registration available until May 6, 4pm CET]

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

Registration is now open (Abre numa nova janela) for June 19-21, 2026.

For all events check out the Tolkien Guide (Abre numa nova janela).

Scholarship & Fandom

Tolkien scholar Douglas A. Anderson is now with Substack (Abre numa nova janela).¹ Have a look at his first post on Books Dedicated to J.R.R. Tolkien During His Lifetime (Abre numa nova janela).

Stephen C. Winter has “I Summon You to The Stone of Erech!” On the Breaking of Oaths and The Authority of The Heir of Isildur (Abre numa nova janela).

Kelly | The Middle Page has Derry-dol, merry-dol! An Introduction to Tolkien's The Adventures of Tom Bombadil (Abre numa nova janela) [Substack]

[The] Silmarillion; book-collecting minutiae has Copy-Specific: NZ Distributed Clowes, Remaindered (Abre numa nova janela).

The Green Girdle has Courage in the Tale of Beren and Lúthien (Abre numa nova janela).

If you are more comfortable following me and my ventures via WhatsApp - here’s the Travelling Tolkienist Channel (Abre numa nova janela). 📝

Merchandise & Franchise

Promotional products company AODACI (a daughter company to Testa Group (Abre numa nova janela), based in Portugal) has a Tolkien pen - part of a larger range of author-name-based products (like Sartre, Hawthorne, and Lewis). Not quite sure about the ©, though.

[At least they are claiming to commit “to a better, more eco-conscious world.”]

Olivia Wilde addresses comparisons to Lord of the Rings' Gollum after viral interview (Abre numa nova janela): 'I'm not dead' [Entertainment Weekly]

Hobbiton Movie Set Tours has been offering quite a few jobs in recent weeks - like Gardener & Nursery Worker (Abre numa nova janela).

Magic: The Gathering has officially revealed the upcoming Hobbit cards.

See also: ‘Magic: The Gathering Arena’ Developers Tap Into Collective Power, Convoke To Unionize With CWA (Abre numa nova janela) [Cartoon Brew]

Kingdom Come devs respond to Lord of the Rings game rumour: "I cannot disclose details but I can tell it is a huge, immersive RPG" (Abre numa nova janela) [RocketPaperShotgun]

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (Abre numa nova janela) developers Warhorse Studios are refusing to confirm or deny a rumour that they're making a Lord of the Rings game for Embracer. This could indicate one of two things: firstly, they are making a Lord of the Rings game for Embracer. And secondly, they are not making a Lord of the Rings game for Embracer. [DUH!, my emphasis]

Inter alia

Ansible 466 (Abre numa nova janela) has been published.

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

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

Do use my invite link (Abre numa nova janela) 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 (Abre numa nova janela), Bookshop.org (Abre numa nova janela), or Genialokal (Abre numa nova janela), 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 (Abre numa nova janela) : Facebook (Abre numa nova janela) : Bluesky (Abre numa nova janela) : Instagram (Abre numa nova janela) : Threads (Abre numa nova janela) : Mastodon (Abre numa nova janela) - and have a look at all Roving Rangers published so far. (Abre numa nova janela)

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. see his Tolkien Gateway profile (Abre numa nova janela) (“History of the Hobbit”, among other things.) ↩