Wishes Do Come True

I spent all yesterday waiting for delivery of this book, which Amazon assured me was going to arrive before 8 PM. At 8 PM they finally gave in and admitted that it would be arriving late, and I could stop obsessively checking the porch every half hour. I was a little worried. It was the last of my ‘birthday books’ and had cost almost $70; I didn’t want it sitting out all night with possible rain in the forecast or vulnerable to theft. But it was there at 9 AM, delivered this morning, and soon safe in my waiting arms.

“Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth explores the huge creative endeavor behind Tolkien’s enduring popularity. Lavishly illustrated with three hundred images of his manuscripts, drawings, maps, and letters, the book traces the creative process behind his most famous literary works—The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion—and reproduces personal photographs and private papers, many of which have never been seen before in print.” – Amazon.

It is edited by Catherine McIlwaine, Tolkien Archivist at the Bodleian Library, and also contains six essays covering aspects of Tolkien’s life and imagination by the likes of Tom Shippey, John Garth, and Verlyn Flieger. This hardback clocks in at 146 pages, is 9.5 inches wide and 10 inches tall, and a full one and a half inches thick. It is connected to and commemorates the Bodleian Libraries’ summer 2018 exhibition of Tolkien’s life and works and was published on July 25^th of that year – on my birthday!

McIlwaine has also edited Tolkien: Treasures which showcases the highlights of the Tolkien archives held at the Bodleian Library and is kind of a slimmed down, less expensive version of Maker, and she has contributed to the recently published The Great Tales Never End: Essays in Honor of Christopher Tolkien, which is definitely on my radar.

The book itself is a beautiful object. You can’t tell from the picture, but that TOLKIEN on the cover is in gold leaf. Although I have many of the pictures contained therein, scattered around in other books that I own, there are, as stated, many others that have never been published. There is one of Tolkien’s drawings, labeled “The Back of Beyond” which is alone almost worth the price of admission. The reproduction of every picture is of the highest quality and the size reveals details clearer than ever. One can see the texture of the original papers themselves, so it is nearly like handling the genuine artifact. It seems to put you one step closer to Tolkien and his world.

Right now, the book resides on the top shelf of the Inkling Archive, but I believe I will have to demote some lesser work and find a place for Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth in the Tolkien Shrine itself.