The One hundred and eightieth Roving Ranger

The Tolkienist’s Roving Ranger and more nominated for ‘Best Online Content’ with the Tolkien Society Awards | THANK YOU!

Life & Works

April 6, 1963. Tolkien writes a letter to a couple he met on holiday (Si apre in una nuova finestra).
April 7, 1928. The Tablet (Si apre in una nuova finestra) reports about Tolkien's paper "The Chill Barbarians of the North (Si apre in una nuova finestra)".
April 8, 1958. Tolkien writes Letters 206 (Si apre in una nuova finestra), on the “Hobbit Dinner” (Si apre in una nuova finestra).
April 10, 1958. Tolkien writes Letter 208 (Si apre in una nuova finestra), on no "message" in The Lord of the Rings (Si apre in una nuova finestra), & Death in the story.
April 11, 1953. Tolkien writes Letter 137 (Si apre in una nuova finestra), on turning in material for The Lord of the Rings (Si apre in una nuova finestra).
April 12, 1970. Tolkien writes a letter to Tom Shippey (Si apre in una nuova finestra), on “The Author as Philologist”.
April 13, 1937. Tolkien writes Letter 12 (Si apre in una nuova finestra), including a draft of the dust cover for The Hobbit (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

• T.A. (Si apre in una nuova finestra) 3018 (Si apre in una nuova finestra): Samwise Gamgee (Si apre in una nuova finestra) and Ted Sandyman (Si apre in una nuova finestra) are in The Green Dragon (Si apre in una nuova finestra) and gossip about the strange news. [April 12]

The Tolkien Guide has another unboxing video (Si apre in una nuova finestra), this time on The Bovadium Fragments: Together with ‘The Origin of Bovadium’.

The Tolkien Tapestries will be shown at Angers (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Apr 10 - Nov 8]

The single rarest “collectable” item on all things Tolkien is being sold right now for a rather impressive sum.

Events & Shows

After its expansion into the US, German Middle-earth Enterprises licensee Burgschneider is now moving into the UK with the The Brandywine Festiva (Si apre in una nuova finestra)l [press release; Sept 2026]

The Tolkien Society is reviving the festivities in Birmingham, organising the Sarehole Festival (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [May 30-31]

The International Medieval Congress has 26 papers on offer if you search for Tolkien (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Jul 6-9]

The Division at the Humanities of the University of Minnesota Morris held a Hobbit Reading (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Apr 1]

The Stratford’s Festival Hobbit has added a short intro (Si apre in una nuova finestra) as well as a costume fitting for Bilbo (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [YouTube]

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

Matej Cadil has Gardens in Middle‑earth: What Tolkien Teaches Us About Tending a Broken World (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Substack]

Giovanni Carmine Costabile has Tolkien's Joyful Sorrow, the "Gift of Tears" of Medieval Mysticism, and John Donne's Sermon "Jesus Wept" (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Journal of Tolkien Research]

Elfenomeno has an Interview with Pieter Collier, from Tolkien Library (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

Foreshadowed and Foresung has Tolkien’s “Radical” Changes Are Just Changes (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

The Slow LotR Re-read (1): Bilbo as a folklore hero (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Substack]

Stephen C. Winter has “What Do You Fear, Lady?” Éowyn Knows What She Fears as She Seeks For What She Desires (Si apre in una nuova finestra) and “They Go Only Because They Would Not Be Parted From Thee- Because They Love Thee.” Some Thoughts on Éowyn’s Unrequited Love For Aragorn (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

Miriam Ellis has Happy news: The Tolkien Society Announces my design of the Oxonmoot 2026 logo! (Si apre in una nuova finestra)

Thoughts on Tolkien has The Origin of the Elendilmir (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Wordpress]

Dimitra Fimi has The Slow LotR Re-read (2): Gandalf's hat and scarf (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Substack]

doubtfulsea has Goblins and Goblin (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

[The] Silmarillion; book-collecting minutiae has Oft Tedious: AR Book Review (Reprint (Si apre in una nuova finestra)).

The YouTube LEGO channel Justin BoverBricks is working on a Bilbo minifig-sized Smaug - and that looks glorious (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

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

'That's Still Under Bezos' Magical Halo' — The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Reportedly Remains On-Track for 5 Seasons at Amazon as It Becomes TV's First $1 Billion Series (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [IGN]

Amazon MGM Studios Reorgs TV “Worldbuilding” Team, Matthew King and Adrienne O’Riain Depart (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Hollywood Reporter]

‘A full-circle moment’ (Si apre in una nuova finestra): why Stephen Colbert is an enticing fit for Lord of the Rings [Guardian; also Will Stephen Colbert’s Lord of the Rings film be Tom Bombadil’s time to shine?] (Si apre in una nuova finestra)

Aragorn’s Recast In New Lord Of The Rings Movie Officially Confirmed By Andy Serki (Si apre in una nuova finestra)s [ScreenRant]

Peter Jackson to produce yet another frankly unnecessary LORD OF THE RINGS film (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Wertzone]

Veteran Studio Working On New Lord of the Rings Game (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Insider Gaming; this is still an unsubstantiated rumour as of this moment]

Inter alia

The official broadcast for NASA's Artemis II Live Mission Coverage (Si apre in una nuova finestra) is worth your time (at the time of publication is was available but it is now delisted; here is a look back the mission (Si apre in una nuova finestra). Subscribe to NASA!)

Glom of Nit #51: (Pratchett) Biographers nearly killed by mobile library (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Substack]

Cartes imaginaires, the current exhibition at the French National Library (Si apre in una nuova finestra) (where the most successful exhibition ever was Tolkien (Si apre in una nuova finestra)), is showing imaginary maps - from An Ancient Mappe of Fairyland by Bernard Sleigh (Si apre in una nuova finestra)[Steady)]to Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Wikipedia]

Tad Williams on Tropes, Tolkien, and Telling Better Stories (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Page Chewing Podcast]

If edamame and Tolkien is your thing, Tasmania should be on your bucket list - the Hobbit Hort (Si apre in una nuova finestra) is the place to be [Facebook; see also Grown for taste and Hobbit Hort providing fresh vegetables (Si apre in una nuova finestra)]

This edition has been delayed due to illness - thank you for your patience.

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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.