The One hundred and eighty-fifth Roving Ranger

Life & Works

May 11, 1926 #OTD 100 years ago - J.R.R. Tolkien & C.S. Lewis meet for the first time. Lewis lated noted in his diary:

“a smooth, pale, fluent little chap — can’t read Spenser because of the forms — thinks the language is the real thing in the school — thinks all literature is written for the amusement of men between thirty and forty — we ought to vote ourselves out of existence if we were honest — still the sound-changes and the gobbets are great fun for the dons. No harm in him: only needs a smack or so.”¹

May 12, 1933 Tolkien writes Letter 68 (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), on the way to Mordor (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) in The Lord of the Rings (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).
May 13, 1937 Tolkien writes Letter 13 (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), on Houghton Mifflin’s interest in publishing The Hobbit (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) and having US artists do illustrations for it; he agrees under the condition that he could “veto anything from or influenced by the Disney studios (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) (for all whose works I have a heartfelt loathing).”
May 15, 1945 Tolkien writes Letter 99 (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), expressing his sympathy for Mrs. Williams' loss.
May 18, 1912 Tolkien pays his Oxford Union Library fees (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).

Northmoor Road Middle-earth meets Modern Living (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [Essential Install]²

Funnily enough The place Tolkien lived in in Leeds is up for sale (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [yes, they have the Blue Plaque to prove it (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)].³

The way the internet is going reliable information will be more difficult to find every day - so a curated newsletter like the Roving Ranger is more needed than ever. Share it, let people know! Thank you 😊

Events & Shows

The Tolkien Society’s Sarehole Festival is looking for volunteers (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)[May 30-31; via Facebook]

Spain’s EstelCon has its date and loads of news on its updated website: Sept 24-27 (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).

Lure of Middle-earth has set its next date: Feb 12-14, 2027 (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).

The University of Exeter Tolkien Society has a movie marathon (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [May 17; Instagram]

Taruithorn, the Oxford Tolkien Society, is offering a Quenya presentation (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [May 13] and next week they’ll go punting [Instagram]

Switzerland’s Fantasy Basel (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) will see Lukas Ritzel (Eredgiliath regulars table, Lucerne) and podcast Typisch Ravenclaw talk about Tolkienian topics, including A NEW HOBBIT TRANSLATION (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)! [May 15-16]

The Greek Tolkien Society is doing what a lot of fans love to do - a pub quiz! (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [May 17; Instagram; Lucky Sparrow Club, Athens]

Oxford Lifelong Learning (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) has none other than John Garth offering two summer courses - Tolkien: The Great War and the Beginnings of Middle-Earth (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) and Building Middle-Earth: Tolkien's Geography and the Power of Place (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).

Sentieri Tolkieniani (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) is taking place June 12-14 [Macello, Italy]

Cartoons on the Bay, the Italian International Animation and Transmedia Festival by Rai Com, will host a Tolkien exhibition (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [May 27-30]

The Unitarian Universalist Church of the Desert will have “People as Things: Pratchett, Tolkien, Le Guin and the Problem of Evil” (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [May 24; available online]

FanExpo in Philly has Dark Side Burlesque at the FAN EXPO: A Tolkien Burlesque Show (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [Mai 30; my fav is Onyx Ondyx as Gollum]

Into the Shire: Desert Hobbit Workshop (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) is happening in Flagstaff, Arizona, USA [May 16, etc.]

In Kansas City, Missouri, USA, an event report: Grade 6 Journeys into World of "The Hobbit." (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)

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

Registration is now open (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) for June 19-21, 2026.

For all events check out the Tolkien Guide (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).

Scholarship & Fandom

It’s been a pleasure writing Fingolfin’s Findings LXXXII: The ALA's Celebrity READ poster campaign (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [Steady]

Good luck to the person to get this job: One Calleva Centre Postdoctoral Researcher: C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien: A Scholarly Reappraisal (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).

Magdalen College proposes to appoint a Postdoctoral Researcher to work on the project C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien: A Scholarly Reappraisal, led by Professor Simon Horobin (Magdalen College) and Professor Giuseppe Pezzini (Corpus Christi College), based at the Calleva Research Centre. The post will commence on 1 October 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter and will be for three calendar years.

This project aims to undertake a reassessment of the scholarly legacy of one of Magdalen College’s foremost fellows, the English literary scholar C.S. Lewis, in the context of his professional, intellectual and personal relationships with his friend and colleague J.R.R. Tolkien.

Dimitra Fimi has The Slow LotR Re-read (4): Bilbo's decluttering (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) as well as part 5: the “true story” of Bilbo’s ring (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [Substack]

John Garth has On encountering yourself in the wild (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [Steady; partial paywall]

Robin Reid has the CFP: “Tolkien, Barfield and the Inklings: Questions of Influence” (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) (F2F) [Substack]

Miriam Ellis has Glorfindel upon the other side: one of Tolkien's most glorious glimpses in The Lord of the Rings (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).

Brad Eden has The library of Michael H.R. Tolkien (1920-1984): dispersal, reconstruction and partial bibliography (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [Journal of Tolkien Research]

These days even the Harvard Law School has something ‘Tolkienian’ to say: A last lesson from ‘Lord of the Rings.’ (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)

The Lord of the Rings trilogy in concert - anthems for a world in peril (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [Observer]

Abigail Nussbaum has reached Rivendell on her Great Tolkien Reread (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [Blogspot]

Andrew Higgins has Exploring Invented Languages (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [Substack]

Stephen C. Winter has “I Am Forgetting Them!” Merry Thinks of Frodo and Sam in The Midst of His Loneliness (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).

Ramblings on my Bookshelves has J R R Tolkien and C S Lewis in Puffin (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [Wordpress.com]

If you are more comfortable following me and my ventures via WhatsApp - here’s the Travelling Tolkienist Channel (Öffnet in neuem Fenster). 📝

Merchandise & Franchise

“The new era” of Middle-earth merchandise & franchise is making a huge push this week.

Peter Jackson, recipient of the Palme d’Or [more about him (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)]

Amazon MGM Studios has set the premiere date for season 3 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power - Nov 11, 2026 (Öffnet in neuem Fenster). [press release; see also Jeff LaSala’s Rauron’s Return (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)]

Asmodee announces its first slate of partner publishers in the Middle-earth Enterprises™ (MEE) category management program (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [press release]

LEGO has started promotion for one of its biggest sets yet: Minas Tirith (Öffnet in neuem Fenster). [preview photo: © Lego]

[Oh, and you are getting GROND as well!]

• Age: 18+

• RRP: £579.99 / €649.99 / $649.99

• Pieces: 8,278

• Dimensions: over 23.5 in. (59cm) high, 24.5 in. (62 cm) wide, and 14.5 in. (37 cm) deep

• Availability:
  LEGO Insiders Early Access: 1st June 2026

  For all: 4th June 2026

Collectibles company Pure Arts’ The Lord of the Rings Nazgul King Art Mask Exclusive Edition (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) will only set you back €1.349,00 [Youtube promo (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)]

If you are a gambler you you can go for The Lord of The Rings 25th Anniversary Series 2 Blind Bag Figural Bag Clip (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [content is random; developer Monogram has also done War of the Rohirrim (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)]⁴

The Royal Albert Hall welcomed a very special guest (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) for its Wicki concerts of the film trilogy soundtracks [Instagram]

Tolkien and his Medieval Sources (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) - a course with Medievalists.net (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [get a 15% discount for a limited time (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)]

Mountain Runner Events (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) in South Africa is hosting the Hobbit Trail Runs (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).

Ian McKellen: ‘Of course Gandalf would beat Dumbledore in a fight’ (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [Guardian]

Still More Magic: The Gathering Plagiarism (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [Plagiarism Today]⁵

Andy Serkis: The Hunt for Gollum ‘Absolutely Will Be Like’ How They Made Lord of the Rings (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [Den of Geek]

TORn has Colbert on writing a new LOTR movie: “every moment has been a joy so far. (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)”

You can Read An Excerpt From ‘The Inklings Detective Agency’ by John R. Kelly (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [Nerd Daily]

Free League Publishing continues to provide fans with great RPG materials.

We're thrilled to announce that not one, not two, but three upcoming Middle-earth roleplaying releases will be launched on June 2.

The June lineup includes Hands of the White Wizard (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) for The One Ring™, the official tabletop roleplaying game based on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien; Trials of Saruman (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), its 5E counterpart for The Lord of the Rings™ Roleplaying; and Hobbit™ Tales (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), a supplement for The One Ring™ featuring five ready-to-play adventures across the four farthings of the Shire.

Inter alia

For those of you with an interest in language, dictionaries, and the OED in particular - there is now a podcast about it: Lexipoddery (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [Spotify]

The New York Times has done it again - damaging decent, often desperately needed criticism’s reputation in one fell swoop: Rick Beato Versus the NY Times (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [Ted Gioia’s Substack]

Christopher Lockett has The Implausibility of Galactic Empires (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [Substack]

Data centers are ruining the planet in many, many ways: The AI Hard Drive Shortage Is Making It More Expensive and Harder to Archive the Internet (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [404 Media; see also There’s a reason data centers don’t look like castles, the Shire, or a spa (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) (Fast Company)]

ICE Agents Have List of 20 Million People on Their iPhones Thanks to Palantir (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [404 Media]

Do also read Vanishing Culture: A Report on Our Fragile Cultural Record (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [Internet Archive]

GRRM is happy to share The Mad King Meets the Stage – Tickets on Sale Now (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) [Not a Blog]

Should you consider finally giving up on things like Goodreads - do have a look at LibraryThing (Öffnet in neuem Fenster). They do amazing work and you can put your own collection for free on the internet with TinyCat (Öffnet in neuem Fenster). You can find my library here (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).

I asked about the original artist drawing the hobbits in the D&D 1st edition.

And as always… Tom Gauld ftw.

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

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

Do use my invite link (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) 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 (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), Bookshop.org (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), or Genialokal (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), 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 (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) : Facebook (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) : Bluesky (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) : Instagram (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) : Threads (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) : Mastodon (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) - and have a look at all Roving Rangers published so far. (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)

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. h/t All my road before me: the diary of C.S. Lewis, 1922-1927, p. 393. ↩

2. h/t Andrew Wells, FB. ↩

3. h/t Nick Kingsley (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), Tolkien Society FB group. ↩

4. h/t MGCoco (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), Bluesky. ↩

5. h/t Trotter from the Tolkien Guide (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) team. ↩