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 (Opens in a new window). Also note - 2025 is the centenary and a large exhibition is forthcoming with the Bod (Opens in a new window).

The “30 greatest fantasy books of all time (Opens in a new window)” 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 (Opens in a new window). Fun Fact: I’ll be celebrating my own 54th Jubilee in 2026 as well!

The DragonCon Tolkien Photoshoot will happen this weekend (Opens in a new window) [Facebook; please make sure to say hi to the Pink Nazgûl Club, sporting most excellent Dark Lord Crocs (Opens in a new window)]

Your chance to be in The Hobbit in south-east Michigan (Opens in a new window) [auditions this weekend]

Fly, you fools! at Edinburgh seems to be qute hilarious (Opens in a new window) [What’s on Stage]

Robert Nideffer: 12 Years in Azeroth is at the Whitney Museum (Opens in a new window), bringing together ‘Earth, Azeroth, and Middle-earth.’ (Opens in a new window)

For all events check out the International Tolkien Fellowship (Opens in a new window) [FB] and the Tolkien Guide Calendar (Opens in a new window).

Scholarship & Fandom

Tom Hillman has Tolkien: The Monsters and the Fascists (Opens in a new window).

Dimitra Fimi has Tolkien Tuesday: Tolkien's nonsense flora and fauna on the Moon (Opens in a new window). [Substack]

doubtfulsea has Bogged Down (Opens in a new window).

Robin Reid has “An Incomplete Academic Fellowship: Excluding Queer Feminist Women from Tolkien Studies.” (Opens in a new window) [Substack]

Sara Brown has “Of their women we hear less”: Pride and Prejudice in the tale of ‘Aldarion and Erendis.’ (Opens in a new window) [Journal of Tolkien Research]

Merchandise & Franchise

Backstage with The Lord Of The Rings’ Gollum, Shelob and the Nazgul (Opens in a new window) [Youtube; on LotR Musical in Singapore]

Out now - Dobble: Quest for the One Ring (Opens in a new window) [Asmodee UK]

‘Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Featured 6,000 VFX Shots Over Eight Episodes (Opens in a new window) [Deadline]

Your chance to a luxury photoshoot with ‘the’ Hobbit House (Opens in a new window)™️[Rhode Island, US]

Stuff I did not have on my list for 2025: Quest for the Albatross (Opens in a new window). [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 (Opens in a new window)?

Inter alia

Gates created by Tolkien's great-nephew restored (Opens in a new window) [BBC; see Facebook, too (Opens in a new window), 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 (Opens in a new window)e [Space.com]

In South Kerry (Ireland) developers want to build hobbit houses, bringing in an appeal (Opens in a new window) after already having been turned down.

The lore behind Columbia’s quirky street names (Opens in a new window) [Baltimore Banner; including Tolkien-inspired street names]

• I wrote about one such case in the Netherlands (Opens in a new window). [thetolkienist.com]

Dan Price has been living in a tiny “hobbit hole” for 35 years (Opens in a new window). [Fair Companies]

• I did a way more substantial piece, including an interview, in 2015 (Opens in a new window). [thetolkienist.com]

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Do use my invite link (Opens in a new window) and start with three months fee-free.
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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).

Have a look at all Roving Rangers published so far. (Opens in a new window)

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 (Opens in a new window)”, and, of course, Golfimbul (Opens in a new window), so their statement “Golf is Combat” is correct. Their Kickstarter isn’t going well, though (Opens in a new window). ↩