Tolkien Calendar 2018
Category: Books,Arts & Photography,History & Criticism
Tolkien Calendar 2018 Details
About the Author John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973) was a major scholar of the English language, specializing in Old and Middle English. Twice Professor of Anglo-Saxon (Old English) at the University of Oxford, he also wrote a number of stories, including most famously The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954-1955), which are set in a pre-historic era in an invented version of the world which he called by the Middle English name of Middle-earth. Read more
Reviews
The Tolkien Calendar for 2018 commemorates the 2017 publication of Beren and Luthien, one of J.R.R. Tolkien's most personal tales. Beren was a mortal man wandering in the forests of Beleriand. He saw the beautiful Elf maiden Luthien, daughter of King Thingol, dancing in a clearing and fell in love. The tale of the couple's devotion led them through innumerable perils and is part of the larger cycle of stories which make up The Silmarillion. One of the roots of the tale is the love Tolkien had for his wife Edith, who one beautiful day in the spring of 1917 danced for him in a forest glade in Yorkshire. The memory of that dance survived many revisions of Tolkien's lovers' tale, and is still remembered on his and Edith's shared tombstone, which bears the names Beren and Luthien.Alan Lee's beautiful paintings do full justice to Beren and Luthien's story, and make for a magnificent calendar. Nine of the paintings included in the calendar were published in the book, and their larger versions enhance their beauty and allow viewers to see more details. Three paintings are new: a depiction of the Elven city of Nargothrond, a magnificent and ominous portrayal of the gates of Morgoth's citadel, and a scene from the Wolf-hunt of Doriath. Some of the paintings depict earlier versions of the tale, including one of Tevildo, Prince of Cats, who later evolved into Morgoth's chief lieutenant Sauron. All of Lee's paintings have a misty, ethereal sense about them which complement Tolkien's words and make him one of my favorite Middle-earth artists.The calendar is printed on heavy stock. The monthly grids run from Sunday to Saturday and include important "our world" dates and phases of the moon. There is an introduction by Alan Lee on the first page of the calendar, and the last page contains short biographies of Tolkien and Lee. This is a calendar that will make a beautiful addition to any room in your house.
