The One hundred and eighty-fourth Roving Ranger

Life & Works

May 4, 1944 While writing on The Lord of the Rings (Opens in a new window), Tolkien sees a new character arrive on the scene. He later comments (Opens in a new window): "(I am sure I did not invent him, I did not even want him, though I like him, but there he came walking into the woods of Ithilien (Opens in a new window)): Faramir (Opens in a new window), brother of Boromir (Opens in a new window)".
May 5, 1977 J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography (Opens in a new window) is first published in the UK.
May 6, 1968 Tolkien writes Letter 303 (Opens in a new window), on the importance of Sarehole Mill (Opens in a new window).
May 9, 1907 Tolkien receives the book Dictionary in Englysshe and Welshe (Opens in a new window).
May 10, 1966 Tolkien writes Letters 287 (Opens in a new window) and 288 (Opens in a new window), on dealing with fan telephone calls and his commemorative bust (Opens in a new window).
May 11, 1922 A Middle English Vocabulary (Opens in a new window), Tolkien (Opens in a new window)'s first book, is published.

After a longish bout of illness I am returning to the usual schedule - that is, Monday, around 9pm CET.

Thank you for your patience!

Events & Shows

The Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang (TRSB) is happening as we speak (Opens in a new window) [Wordpress]

Last chance to register with the Austrian Tolkien Society’s Spring Festival (Opens in a new window) [May 13-17; registration available until May 6, 4pm CET]

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

Tolkien scholar Douglas A. Anderson is now with Substack (Opens in a new window).¹ Have a look at his first post on Books Dedicated to J.R.R. Tolkien During His Lifetime (Opens in a new window).

Stephen C. Winter has “I Summon You to The Stone of Erech!” On the Breaking of Oaths and The Authority of The Heir of Isildur (Opens in a new window).

Kelly | The Middle Page has Derry-dol, merry-dol! An Introduction to Tolkien's The Adventures of Tom Bombadil (Opens in a new window) [Substack]

[The] Silmarillion; book-collecting minutiae has Copy-Specific: NZ Distributed Clowes, Remaindered (Opens in a new window).

The Green Girdle has Courage in the Tale of Beren and Lúthien (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

Promotional products company AODACI (a daughter company to Testa Group (Opens in a new window), based in Portugal) has a Tolkien pen - part of a larger range of author-name-based products (like Sartre, Hawthorne, and Lewis). Not quite sure about the ©, though.

[At least they are claiming to commit “to a better, more eco-conscious world.”]

Olivia Wilde addresses comparisons to Lord of the Rings' Gollum after viral interview (Opens in a new window): 'I'm not dead' [Entertainment Weekly]

Hobbiton Movie Set Tours has been offering quite a few jobs in recent weeks - like Gardener & Nursery Worker (Opens in a new window).

Magic: The Gathering has officially revealed the upcoming Hobbit cards.

See also: ‘Magic: The Gathering Arena’ Developers Tap Into Collective Power, Convoke To Unionize With CWA (Opens in a new window) [Cartoon Brew]

Kingdom Come devs respond to Lord of the Rings game rumour: "I cannot disclose details but I can tell it is a huge, immersive RPG" (Opens in a new window) [RocketPaperShotgun]

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (Opens in a new window) developers Warhorse Studios are refusing to confirm or deny a rumour that they're making a Lord of the Rings game for Embracer. This could indicate one of two things: firstly, they are making a Lord of the Rings game for Embracer. And secondly, they are not making a Lord of the Rings game for Embracer. [DUH!, my emphasis]

Inter alia

Ansible 466 (Opens in a new window) has been published.

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) - 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.

1. see his Tolkien Gateway profile (Opens in a new window) (“History of the Hobbit”, among other things.) ↩