The One hundred and sixty-second Roving Ranger

-:- Strange as news from Bree -:-

Life and Works

Nov 10, 1963. Hobbits and Heroes (Opens in a new window), which includes extracts of an interview with Tolkien, is published in The Sunday Telegraph.
Nov 11, 1918. The War (Opens in a new window) comes to an end in a cease-fire.
Nov 12, 1952. Tolkien writes Letter 135a (Opens in a new window), on expressing his gratitude for the publisher's decision to publish The Lord of the Rings (Opens in a new window) under a profit-sharing scheme.
Nov 14, 1904. At the age of 34, Mabel Tolkien (Opens in a new window) dies after six days in a diabetic coma.
Nov 15, 1937. Tolkien submits to Allen & Unwin (Opens in a new window) a bundle of manuscripts including The Lay of Leithian (Opens in a new window) ("Long Poem"); Quenta Silmarillion (Opens in a new window), Ainulindalë (Opens in a new window), Ambarkanta (Opens in a new window), and The Fall of Númenor (chapter) (Opens in a new window) ("The Gnomes Material"); The Lost Road (Opens in a new window); and Farmer Giles of Ham (Opens in a new window) and Mr. Bliss (Opens in a new window). They also discuss Beowulf (Opens in a new window).
Nov 16, 1969. Tolkien writes Letter 312 (Opens in a new window), on Miss Ronald’s health, flowers of Middle-earth and others experienced by Tolkien.
Nov 17, 1954. Tolkien writes a letter to Rayner Heppenstall (Opens in a new window), on the rehearsal and recording of the radio play The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth (Opens in a new window) on 3 December.

• Third Age, 2994. Balin (Opens in a new window), Lord of Moria (Opens in a new window), is killed by an Orc archer as he stood to watch in Mirrormere (Opens in a new window). [Nov 10]

(Opens in a new window)

The Roving Ranger and the many other things I am doing are reader-supported publications. To receive additional posts and make it all happen, consider becoming a paid subscriber.

My podcast: A Talk with the Tolkienist [Spotify (Opens in a new window) | YT (Opens in a new window) | RSS feed (Opens in a new window)]

Events & Shows

The Tolkien Studies Area (Opens in a new window) at the PCA Annual Conference has a CfP with a deadline of Nov 30.

The One Man Lord of The Rings (Opens in a new window) is coming to St Ann's Academy in Victoria, Canada.

Somewhere in Kansas there is Growing Middle-Earth - A Tolkien Terrarium Gardening Class (Opens in a new window).

The Hobbit (Opens in a new window) will be staged in February 2026 in Madison, Wisconsin, USA.

Also on May 1 + 2, 2026 (Opens in a new window), in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, USA - in only 60 mins!

Robert Plant's Led Zeppelin Bandmates Had No Idea He Was Referencing Tolkien In The Band's Lyrics (Opens in a new window) [Stephen Colbert Show; Youtube]

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

Scholarship & Fandom

Tom Hillman has Númenor: the Downfall is in the Details (Opens in a new window).

There has been quite a bit of… The Lord of the Crowdfunding: Tolkien-inspired campaigns with Kickstarter, Gamefound, and more (Opens in a new window). [thetolkienist.com (Opens in a new window)]

David Bratman has Muskery (Opens in a new window) and a reaction to it (Opens in a new window).

A Detestable Nation of Orcs: echoes of Eurasian nomads in early Fantasy and the literary ecosystem behind them (Opens in a new window) [Journal of Tolkien Research]

Jeff LaSala has The Uinendili and Political Branding in Tolkien (Opens in a new window).

doubtfulsea has To Bree (Part 1) (Opens in a new window).

Michael Martinez has How Diverse Was Middle-earth In ‘The Lord of the Rings’ (Opens in a new window)?

Miriam Ellis has The Glory of Goldberry's Washing Day (Opens in a new window).

Tom Hillman has "Foul" and "Vile" in The Book of Lost Tales (Opens in a new window).

Stephen C. Winter has “Yet Now They Were Silent, and No Footsteps Rang on Their Wide Pavements, nor Voice Was Heard in Their Halls…” Pippin Journeys Through Minas Tirith, Falling into Decay (Opens in a new window).

Renga in Blue has Ringen: Under the Low Morning Sun (Opens in a new window).

John Garth has For remembrance: Robert Quilter Gilson on the eve of war, 1914 (Opens in a new window) [Steady, paywall]

Merchandise & Franchise

If you have a bit of money to spare - Red Carpet Tours [NZ] is now offering the 7 Day Lord of the Rings Tour (Opens in a new window).

Lord Of The Rings Owner Blocks 'Hobbit' TM Bid (Opens in a new window) [Law360; paywall | this (Opens in a new window) is about a vehicle application (Opens in a new window) by this company (Opens in a new window)]

Inter alia

Star Trek 4 Reportedly Dead as Paramount Moves On From Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto-led Cast (Opens in a new window) [Reactor; a timeline of this with Gizmodo (Opens in a new window)]

A Revised Malazan Reading Order (Opens in a new window) [Wertzone]

Fade to Black: Hollywood’s AI-Era Jobs Collapse Is Starting (Opens in a new window) [Ankler]

Libraries are in an 'AI maximalism' ideological war (Opens in a new window) [404 Media]

Why Elon Musk Needs Dungeons & Dragons to Be Racist (Opens in a new window) [Atlantic; paywall]

xkcd wins again.

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

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

Do use my invite link (Opens in a new window) and start with three months fee-free.
[Transparency note: I get a small referral bonus with no extra costs to you.]

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.