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

• T.A. (Opens in a new window) 3018 (Opens in a new window): Samwise Gamgee (Opens in a new window) and Ted Sandyman (Opens in a new window) are in The Green Dragon (Opens in a new window) and gossip about the strange news. [April 12]

The Tolkien Guide has another unboxing video (Opens in a new window), this time on The Bovadium Fragments: Together with ‘The Origin of Bovadium’.

The Tolkien Tapestries will be shown at Angers (Opens in a new window) [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 (Opens in a new window)l [press release; Sept 2026]

The Tolkien Society is reviving the festivities in Birmingham, organising the Sarehole Festival (Opens in a new window) [May 30-31]

The International Medieval Congress has 26 papers on offer if you search for Tolkien (Opens in a new window) [Jul 6-9]

The Division at the Humanities of the University of Minnesota Morris held a Hobbit Reading (Opens in a new window) [Apr 1]

The Stratford’s Festival Hobbit has added a short intro (Opens in a new window) as well as a costume fitting for Bilbo (Opens in a new window) [YouTube]

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

Registration is now open (Opens in a new window) for June 19-21, 2026.

For all events check out the Tolkien Guide (Opens in a new window).

Scholarship & Fandom

Matej Cadil has Gardens in Middle‑earth: What Tolkien Teaches Us About Tending a Broken World (Opens in a new window) [Substack]

Giovanni Carmine Costabile has Tolkien's Joyful Sorrow, the "Gift of Tears" of Medieval Mysticism, and John Donne's Sermon "Jesus Wept" (Opens in a new window) [Journal of Tolkien Research]

Elfenomeno has an Interview with Pieter Collier, from Tolkien Library (Opens in a new window).

Foreshadowed and Foresung has Tolkien’s “Radical” Changes Are Just Changes (Opens in a new window).

The Slow LotR Re-read (1): Bilbo as a folklore hero (Opens in a new window) [Substack]

Stephen C. Winter has “What Do You Fear, Lady?” Éowyn Knows What She Fears as She Seeks For What She Desires (Opens in a new window) 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 (Opens in a new window).

Miriam Ellis has Happy news: The Tolkien Society Announces my design of the Oxonmoot 2026 logo! (Opens in a new window)

Thoughts on Tolkien has The Origin of the Elendilmir (Opens in a new window) [Wordpress]

Dimitra Fimi has The Slow LotR Re-read (2): Gandalf's hat and scarf (Opens in a new window) [Substack]

doubtfulsea has Goblins and Goblin (Opens in a new window).

[The] Silmarillion; book-collecting minutiae has Oft Tedious: AR Book Review (Reprint (Opens in a new window)).

The YouTube LEGO channel Justin BoverBricks is working on a Bilbo minifig-sized Smaug - and that looks glorious (Opens in a new window).

If you are more comfortable following me and my ventures via WhatsApp - here’s the Travelling Tolkienist Channel (Opens in a new window). 📝

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 (Opens in a new window) [IGN]

Amazon MGM Studios Reorgs TV “Worldbuilding” Team, Matthew King and Adrienne O’Riain Depart (Opens in a new window) [Hollywood Reporter]

‘A full-circle moment’ (Opens in a new window): 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?] (Opens in a new window)

Aragorn’s Recast In New Lord Of The Rings Movie Officially Confirmed By Andy Serki (Opens in a new window)s [ScreenRant]

Peter Jackson to produce yet another frankly unnecessary LORD OF THE RINGS film (Opens in a new window) [Wertzone]

Veteran Studio Working On New Lord of the Rings Game (Opens in a new window) [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 (Opens in a new window) is worth your time (at the time of publication is was available but it is now delisted; here is a look back the mission (Opens in a new window). Subscribe to NASA!)

Glom of Nit #51: (Pratchett) Biographers nearly killed by mobile library (Opens in a new window) [Substack]

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

Tad Williams on Tropes, Tolkien, and Telling Better Stories (Opens in a new window) [Page Chewing Podcast]

If edamame and Tolkien is your thing, Tasmania should be on your bucket list - the Hobbit Hort (Opens in a new window) is the place to be [Facebook; see also Grown for taste and Hobbit Hort providing fresh vegetables (Opens in a new window)]

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 (Opens in a new window), Bookshop.org (Opens in a new window), or Genialokal (Opens in a new window), 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 (Opens in a new window) : Facebook (Opens in a new window) : Bluesky (Opens in a new window) : Instagram (Opens in a new window) : Threads (Opens in a new window) : Mastodon (Opens in a new window) - and have a look at all Roving Rangers published so far. (Opens in a new window)

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.