The One hundred and fifty-first Roving Ranger

-:- Strange as news from Bree -:-

Life and Works

The recent Brian Aldiss exhibit at Blackwell Hall/ Bodleian Libraries reminded me of this: Friendships: J.R.R. Tolkien (Si apre in una nuova finestra). Also note - 2025 is the centenary and a large exhibition is forthcoming with the Bod (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

The “30 greatest fantasy books of all time (Si apre in una nuova finestra)” with the Telegraph has The Lord of the Rings in it.

I am helping my fiancée move into her new home so this is a bare-bones edition. Thank you for your understanding. Normal service resumes next week.

Events & Shows

The Swedish Tolkien Society Forodrim is celebrating its 54th jubilee in 2026 - international registrations are now open (Si apre in una nuova finestra). Fun Fact: I’ll be celebrating my own 54th Jubilee in 2026 as well!

The DragonCon Tolkien Photoshoot will happen this weekend (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Facebook; please make sure to say hi to the Pink Nazgûl Club, sporting most excellent Dark Lord Crocs (Si apre in una nuova finestra)]

Your chance to be in The Hobbit in south-east Michigan (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [auditions this weekend]

Fly, you fools! at Edinburgh seems to be qute hilarious (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [What’s on Stage]

Robert Nideffer: 12 Years in Azeroth is at the Whitney Museum (Si apre in una nuova finestra), bringing together ‘Earth, Azeroth, and Middle-earth.’ (Si apre in una nuova finestra)

For all events check out the International Tolkien Fellowship (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [FB] and the Tolkien Guide Calendar (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

Scholarship & Fandom

Tom Hillman has Tolkien: The Monsters and the Fascists (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

Dimitra Fimi has Tolkien Tuesday: Tolkien's nonsense flora and fauna on the Moon (Si apre in una nuova finestra). [Substack]

doubtfulsea has Bogged Down (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

Robin Reid has “An Incomplete Academic Fellowship: Excluding Queer Feminist Women from Tolkien Studies.” (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Substack]

Sara Brown has “Of their women we hear less”: Pride and Prejudice in the tale of ‘Aldarion and Erendis.’ (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Journal of Tolkien Research]

Merchandise & Franchise

Backstage with The Lord Of The Rings’ Gollum, Shelob and the Nazgul (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Youtube; on LotR Musical in Singapore]

Out now - Dobble: Quest for the One Ring (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Asmodee UK]

‘Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Featured 6,000 VFX Shots Over Eight Episodes (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Deadline]

Your chance to a luxury photoshoot with ‘the’ Hobbit House (Si apre in una nuova finestra)™️[Rhode Island, US]

Stuff I did not have on my list for 2025: Quest for the Albatross (Si apre in una nuova finestra). [Steam; pre-release]

Quest for the Albatross is a pixel art golf RPG inspired by Tolkien fantasy! Master a unique spellcasting golf system to outplay rivals, solve ancient puzzles, and uncover the secrets of a world on the brink of destruction. Every stroke brings you closer to destiny!¹

• Fun Fact Did you know the hobbits invented golf (Si apre in una nuova finestra)?

Inter alia

Gates created by Tolkien's great-nephew restored (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [BBC; see Facebook, too (Si apre in una nuova finestra), with photos of Tim Tolkien at work]

'Star Trek: Voyager - Across The Unknown' will turn Voyager's seven-year journey into a rogue-lite survival gam (Si apre in una nuova finestra)e [Space.com]

In South Kerry (Ireland) developers want to build hobbit houses, bringing in an appeal (Si apre in una nuova finestra) after already having been turned down.

The lore behind Columbia’s quirky street names (Si apre in una nuova finestra) [Baltimore Banner; including Tolkien-inspired street names]

• I wrote about one such case in the Netherlands (Si apre in una nuova finestra). [thetolkienist.com]

Dan Price has been living in a tiny “hobbit hole” for 35 years (Si apre in una nuova finestra). [Fair Companies]

• I did a way more substantial piece, including an interview, in 2015 (Si apre in una nuova finestra). [thetolkienist.com]

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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).

Have a look at all Roving Rangers published so far. (Si apre in una nuova finestra)

As this is 2025 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. Some incredibly elusive hints in the text like “journey across the land of Ace (Si apre in una nuova finestra)”, and, of course, Golfimbul (Si apre in una nuova finestra), so their statement “Golf is Combat” is correct. Their Kickstarter isn’t going well, though (Si apre in una nuova finestra). ↩