The Tolkien Coming of Age Club - Page 11 - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Child of the 7th Age · 08-26-2003, 12:38 PM

Whoa, Bird! You stole my book. [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img] That's definitely it.

Anyways, I probably couldn't afford to buy yours with all those "real" dustjackets! I really hunted and lurked to get a bargain on these at e-bay.

If you have any information about my volumes, I'd appreciate it.

My Fellowship is a 16th printing (no date--maybe that was the last one?); Two Towers is 10th impression, 1963; and Return (the one with the real dustjacket) is 10th impression, 1963. So I don't have real old ones. They all have names and/or bookplates at the front except for Fellowship. But they are nice and sturdy and the map is in good shape.

sharon

Birdland · 08-26-2003, 10:49 PM

Sharon - Identifying the various printings is an arcane science, based on tiny clues such as damaged type, italics vs. capital letters, and-so-on. Only the very first printings of the American editons had the date on the title page. This was apparently common for H-M in the 1950s and 60s. The first printing of FotR in 1954 was only 1,500 copies.

I had a very nice correspondence with Steven Frisby, but I have lost the e-mails. If I remember right, mine were 5th, 6th and 7th printings.

Hilde Bracegirdle · 09-02-2003, 05:08 AM

I ran across a hard back copy of The Book of Lost Tales, Part Two over the weekend! Needless to say, it now it in my bookcase. I had believed it out of print in hardback. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Snowdog · 09-10-2003, 10:16 AM

Quote:

I have just picked 18 as the legal coming of age. So how many of you have been reading LotR and other Tolkien books for at least 18 years? Please tell us how long ago you first read the book(s); if you like, your age at that time and what prompted you to read Tolkien.

I dont think I have seen this thread, or have and never opened it. I did a search on my member number to see if I have posted here and it didn't come up with this thread, so here goes...

It was the summer of 1975 when my neighbor and I were out on a walk when he started telling me of this book he was reading. It was called the Hobbit. He told me about Hobbits and how they liked to sit about and eat and smoke. I was mildly interested, and so when he was done he loaned it to me. I read it and liked it, and so he passed his copy of Fellowship when he was done as well. The trouble was I fell in love with the story, and I seemed to read faster than he. So I waited awhile for him to finish Two Towers, and I quickly consumed it all. Well, he had not started Return of the King by the time I was done with Two Towers, so I went to the library and checked out Return of the King.

My senior year in high school started that fall (That will give ya my age [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]) and I was toting and reading Return of the King during lunch and when ever I could, and the cement wall by the flag pole was a nice spot. There I met a girl who was also into the Lord of the Rings, and we got to know each other pretty good. We even had fun with the Tengwar in the appendices, passing notes and such. There was some construction going on nearby the flag pole, and one lunch they poured fresh cement curbs, so we decided to cut a class and we imprinted 'Friends' in Tengwar using our fingers! We did a fair job with only one small mistake being we were in a hurry to finish before being spotted. That curb remained until last winter, when the high school went through a complete renovation and it was destroyed. I visited it just before, and had I known it would be destroyed, I would have sat and chisiled it out and took it home.

So I was into Tolkien before the release of the Silmarillion. I was at a 'line party at a Walden Books for the release of the Silmarillion, for it was the first 'new' Tolkien writings to be released since the 1950's. I suffereed through the Rankin-Bass & Bakshi era, and was again suprised in a grocery store in 1984 to see in one of those checkout counter racks 'Unfinished Tales'! I impulsivly bought it, and the stories re-kindled my love in Tolkien's writings. I have since read the Lord of the Rings complete with appendices, and Unfinished Tales several times. I find the Silmarillion a harder read, and only read it a few times.

***Mithadan*** · 09-10-2003, 10:45 AM

Welcome to our little cabal of the "eldest" Snowdog! Though I first read Tolkien a few years before you, I see that you are about three years my elder *bows*. I'd make a bit more of that, but it's been nearly two years since I was stripped of my title as "eldest" at the Barrow-Downs. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

Linnamalle · 09-10-2003, 01:51 PM

Pleased to meet you, Snowdog! (Great name.) And I like your sig.

I'm curious: Besides the Downs, what other expressions of Middle-Earth bubble up in your life from time to time?

Hilde Bracegirdle · 09-10-2003, 05:27 PM

Welcome master Snowdog! Nice to see you've found the thread.

Liriodendron · 09-10-2003, 05:58 PM

Hi Snowdog! [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

Alphaelin · 09-10-2003, 11:40 PM

Hi, Snowdog! and welcome to the thread. We must have gotten hooked on LOTR about the same time - I bought my paperback edition in '74.

I'm currently reading The Fellowship to my youngest, while encouraging my teenager to finish TTT - she only became interested in the books after seeing Orlando Bloom, lol.

Your sig reminds me of this quote from George Bernard Shaw: "Youth is wasted on the young."

[ September 11, 2003: Message edited by: Alphaelin ]

Ealasaide · 09-11-2003, 08:38 AM

Greetings, all!
Hilde Bracegirdle told me about this thread when I first came to the BD back in May (as Ealasaid without an "e" on the end). It's taken me this long to find it!

I first read LotR back in 1975 or so when I was in Junior High. All I can remember is being completely absorbed in it until I finished it from cover to cover, to cover, to cover! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] When I came home from school everyday, I went straight to my room & read for hours until I was finished. Then I was depressed because there wasn't any more. So, I tried to write my own Tolkein-inspired stories with mixed (and frequently laughable) results. As you can see, I've never grown out of it & am still writing Tolkein-inspired stories with mixed (and frequently laughable) results, lo, these many years later! [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

Hilde Bracegirdle · 09-11-2003, 10:20 AM

Hi Ealasaide! Looks like the gang's all here...well almost! And actually, quite a few of your early works were quite wonderful stories. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Linnamalle · 09-11-2003, 10:56 AM

Where do we find them?

Hilde Bracegirdle · 09-11-2003, 11:09 AM

I hope you kept them Ealasaide, I wish I had kept those drawings I had done back then!

Liriodendron · 09-11-2003, 01:29 PM

I still have an acrylic canvas I painted (when 14) of the block print from my Hobbit book called "The trolls". I made the forest very woody and dark, with the red glowing fire, but I made the trolls florescent green, about the color of the green thumb icon on this post! [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img] The trolls look good, I guess I wanted them to stand out. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] I also stuck little Bilbo in there, right by the fire. Making him beardless was hard, but I did stay true to the books description in the rendering of a hobbit. If I ever get that digital camera, I'll post it! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] [img]smilies/cool.gif[/img]

Hilde Bracegirdle · 09-11-2003, 03:21 PM

I'd love to see it Liriodendron! I used to draw mostly my own characters, nothing so complicated as a scene that I can recall.

Earendil Halfelven · 09-11-2003, 05:57 PM

Is this where all the old people come to talk about the good ol' days of "Frodo Lives" bumper stickers? [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img]

(Sorry, as an 18 year old, I couldn't help it)

***Mithadan*** · 09-11-2003, 06:28 PM

No, this is where Site Administrators hang out waiting for foolish youngsters to intrude. Let's see.... Shall I ban Earendil or merely disable his ability to post? Or maybe I should consider his post a joke and just laugh. Hmmmm.

Ok. Ha ha ha ha. [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img]

Samwise · 09-11-2003, 07:40 PM

Oh, Liriodendron, I'd really like to see it too! Having no artistic talent myself, I enjoy taking peeks at others'. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Liriodendron · 09-11-2003, 08:19 PM

I had a button that said "Frodo Lives" [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] my bumper sticker said...ERA NOW [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img] Hopefully, I'll get a digital camera for Xmas and post my Hobbit pcture! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

Samwise · 09-11-2003, 08:32 PM

Can't wait to see the picture!
Oh, dear, like to have one of those buttons, but I don't think they were around when I was...never mind. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

*Looks at post at which Mr. Mithadan commented....* Disrespectful kids....*grumble grumble....* [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img] [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img] [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

In exactly two months my hobbit self will be of age!!! WOOOHHOOOOO! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] Wish Mr. Frodo could be here... [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img]

Ealasaide · 09-11-2003, 09:00 PM

Unfortunately, I went through a cleaning frenzy in my mid-twenties and threw out almost everything I had written as a kid. I really, really regret it now. Even the truly awful stories would have been fun to read over again now.

We should have new bumper stickers made that say "LotR Geezer...and proud of it!" or something of that sort.

Hilde -- you are too kind! I seem to remember most of my stuff from the old high school days as being rather melodramatic and pretentious. I couldn't seem to decide who I wanted to be more: Dumas, Tolkein, or Tolstoy!

Your drawings on the other hand were wonderful! I think I may still have one or two of them.. I'll have to search my parents' attic & see what I can dig up! [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img]

Pardon my low-brow sense of humor, but did anyone see South Park the other night? It was the episode titled "Return of the Fellowship to the Two Towers". Oh, I laughed my butt off! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Alphaelin · 09-12-2003, 12:08 AM

Quote:

I used to draw mostly my own characters,

Ooo! Ooo! I can draw stick figures! Seriously, I have always looked at artists in wonder, having no talent myself.

A LOTR parody on South Park and my hubby didn't tell me?? Wicked, wicked man. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Estelyn Telcontar · 09-12-2003, 02:08 AM

Welcome to the Club, Snowdog - and all others whom I have forgotten to greet! (You know how it is with the memory when you get older! [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] ) You've come just in time to help us move to a new thread - this one has gotten so long that it takes an inordinate time to load - a nice testimony to the Fellowship of the Geezers. So grab your walkers, everyone - a moving company will bring the rocking chairs along - and come on over to The Tolkien Coming of Age Club 2! Please do not post here - this thread will be closed.

08-26-2003, 12:38 PM	#401
Child of the 7th Age Spirit of the Lonely Star Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 5,133	Whoa, Bird! You stole my book. [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img] That's definitely it. Anyways, I probably couldn't afford to buy yours with all those "real" dustjackets! I really hunted and lurked to get a bargain on these at e-bay. If you have any information about my volumes, I'd appreciate it. My Fellowship is a 16th printing (no date--maybe that was the last one?); Two Towers is 10th impression, 1963; and Return (the one with the real dustjacket) is 10th impression, 1963. So I don't have real old ones. They all have names and/or bookplates at the front except for Fellowship. But they are nice and sturdy and the map is in good shape. sharon __________________ Multitasking women are never too busy to vote.

09-10-2003, 10:45 AM	#405
*Mithadan* Spirit of Mist Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Tol Eressea Posts: 3,381	Welcome to our little cabal of the "eldest" Snowdog! Though I first read Tolkien a few years before you, I see that you are about three years my elder bows. I'd make a bit more of that, but it's been nearly two years since I was stripped of my title as "eldest" at the Barrow-Downs. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] __________________ Beleriand, Beleriand, the borders of the Elven-land.

09-10-2003, 01:51 PM	#406
Linnamalle Haunting Spirit Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: WtR 458: wheeee! Rivendell at last!! Posts: 52	Pleased to meet you, Snowdog! (Great name.) And I like your sig. I'm curious: Besides the Downs, what other expressions of Middle-Earth bubble up in your life from time to time? __________________ They spoke no more of the small news of the Shire far away; nor of the dark shadows and perils that encompassed them, but of the fair things they had seen in the world together, of the Elves, of the stars, of trees, and the gentle fall of the bright year in the woods.

09-10-2003, 05:58 PM	#408
Liriodendron Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Indiana Posts: 527	Hi Snowdog! [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] __________________ http://www.lizmargason.com

09-10-2003, 11:40 PM	#409
Alphaelin Wight Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Tottering about in the Wild Posts: 130	Hi, Snowdog! and welcome to the thread. We must have gotten hooked on LOTR about the same time - I bought my paperback edition in '74. I'm currently reading The Fellowship to my youngest, while encouraging my teenager to finish TTT - she only became interested in the books after seeing Orlando Bloom, lol. Your sig reminds me of this quote from George Bernard Shaw: "Youth is wasted on the young." [ September 11, 2003: Message edited by: Alphaelin ] __________________ Not all those who wander are lost . . . because some of us know how to read a map.

08-26-2003, 10:49 PM	#402
Birdland Ghastly Neekerbreeker Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: the banks of the mighty Scioto Posts: 1,751	Sharon - Identifying the various printings is an arcane science, based on tiny clues such as damaged type, italics vs. capital letters, and-so-on. Only the very first printings of the American editons had the date on the title page. This was apparently common for H-M in the 1950s and 60s. The first printing of FotR in 1954 was only 1,500 copies. I had a very nice correspondence with Steven Frisby, but I have lost the e-mails. If I remember right, mine were 5th, 6th and 7th printings.

09-02-2003, 05:08 AM	#403
Hilde Bracegirdle Relic of Wandering Days Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: You'll See Perpetual Change. Posts: 1,480	I ran across a hard back copy of The Book of Lost Tales, Part Two over the weekend! Needless to say, it now it in my bookcase. I had believed it out of print in hardback. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

09-10-2003, 05:27 PM	#407
Hilde Bracegirdle Relic of Wandering Days Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: You'll See Perpetual Change. Posts: 1,480	Welcome master Snowdog! Nice to see you've found the thread.

09-11-2003, 08:38 AM	#410
Ealasaide Shadow of Tyrn Gorthad Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: The Fencing Lyst Posts: 810	Greetings, all! Hilde Bracegirdle told me about this thread when I first came to the BD back in May (as Ealasaid without an "e" on the end). It's taken me this long to find it! I first read LotR back in 1975 or so when I was in Junior High. All I can remember is being completely absorbed in it until I finished it from cover to cover, to cover, to cover! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] When I came home from school everyday, I went straight to my room & read for hours until I was finished. Then I was depressed because there wasn't any more. So, I tried to write my own Tolkein-inspired stories with mixed (and frequently laughable) results. As you can see, I've never grown out of it & am still writing Tolkein-inspired stories with mixed (and frequently laughable) results, lo, these many years later! [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

09-11-2003, 10:20 AM	#411
Hilde Bracegirdle Relic of Wandering Days Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: You'll See Perpetual Change. Posts: 1,480	Hi Ealasaide! Looks like the gang's all here...well almost! And actually, quite a few of your early works were quite wonderful stories. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

09-11-2003, 10:56 AM	#412
Linnamalle Haunting Spirit Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: WtR 458: wheeee! Rivendell at last!! Posts: 52	Where do we find them? __________________ They spoke no more of the small news of the Shire far away; nor of the dark shadows and perils that encompassed them, but of the fair things they had seen in the world together, of the Elves, of the stars, of trees, and the gentle fall of the bright year in the woods.

09-11-2003, 11:09 AM	#413
Hilde Bracegirdle Relic of Wandering Days Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: You'll See Perpetual Change. Posts: 1,480	I hope you kept them Ealasaide, I wish I had kept those drawings I had done back then!

09-11-2003, 01:29 PM	#414
Liriodendron Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Indiana Posts: 527	I still have an acrylic canvas I painted (when 14) of the block print from my Hobbit book called "The trolls". I made the forest very woody and dark, with the red glowing fire, but I made the trolls florescent green, about the color of the green thumb icon on this post! [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img] The trolls look good, I guess I wanted them to stand out. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] I also stuck little Bilbo in there, right by the fire. Making him beardless was hard, but I did stay true to the books description in the rendering of a hobbit. If I ever get that digital camera, I'll post it! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] [img]smilies/cool.gif[/img] __________________ http://www.lizmargason.com

09-11-2003, 03:21 PM	#415
Hilde Bracegirdle Relic of Wandering Days Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: You'll See Perpetual Change. Posts: 1,480	I'd love to see it Liriodendron! I used to draw mostly my own characters, nothing so complicated as a scene that I can recall.

09-11-2003, 05:57 PM	#416
Earendil Halfelven Wight Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: the dark recesses of the mind Posts: 223	Is this where all the old people come to talk about the good ol' days of "Frodo Lives" bumper stickers? [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img] (Sorry, as an 18 year old, I couldn't help it) __________________ In nomini domine saboath sui filique ite ad infernos.

09-11-2003, 06:28 PM	#417
*Mithadan* Spirit of Mist Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Tol Eressea Posts: 3,381	No, this is where Site Administrators hang out waiting for foolish youngsters to intrude. Let's see.... Shall I ban Earendil or merely disable his ability to post? Or maybe I should consider his post a joke and just laugh. Hmmmm. Ok. Ha ha ha ha. [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img] __________________ Beleriand, Beleriand, the borders of the Elven-land.

09-11-2003, 07:40 PM	#418
Samwise Faithful Spirit Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: #3 Bagshot Row, Petaluma, Ca Posts: 2,299	Oh, Liriodendron, I'd really like to see it too! Having no artistic talent myself, I enjoy taking peeks at others'. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] __________________ Giving thanks unto the Father...In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins.~Colossians1:12a,14 * * * * * * * I am Samwise son of Hamfast, if by hoe or trowel I can get these weeds out of your garden, I will.You have my shears!;)

09-11-2003, 08:19 PM	#419
Liriodendron Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Indiana Posts: 527	I had a button that said "Frodo Lives" [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] my bumper sticker said...ERA NOW [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img] Hopefully, I'll get a digital camera for Xmas and post my Hobbit pcture! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] __________________ http://www.lizmargason.com

09-11-2003, 08:32 PM	#420
Samwise Faithful Spirit Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: #3 Bagshot Row, Petaluma, Ca Posts: 2,299	Can't wait to see the picture! Oh, dear, like to have one of those buttons, but I don't think they were around when I was...never mind. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] Looks at post at which Mr. Mithadan commented.... Disrespectful kids....grumble grumble.... [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img] [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img] [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] In exactly two months my hobbit self will be of age!!! WOOOHHOOOOO! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] Wish Mr. Frodo could be here... [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img] __________________ Giving thanks unto the Father...In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins.~Colossians1:12a,14 * * * * * * * I am Samwise son of Hamfast, if by hoe or trowel I can get these weeds out of your garden, I will.You have my shears!;)

09-11-2003, 09:00 PM	#421
Ealasaide Shadow of Tyrn Gorthad Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: The Fencing Lyst Posts: 810	Unfortunately, I went through a cleaning frenzy in my mid-twenties and threw out almost everything I had written as a kid. I really, really regret it now. Even the truly awful stories would have been fun to read over again now. We should have new bumper stickers made that say "LotR Geezer...and proud of it!" or something of that sort. Hilde -- you are too kind! I seem to remember most of my stuff from the old high school days as being rather melodramatic and pretentious. I couldn't seem to decide who I wanted to be more: Dumas, Tolkein, or Tolstoy! Your drawings on the other hand were wonderful! I think I may still have one or two of them.. I'll have to search my parents' attic & see what I can dig up! [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img] Pardon my low-brow sense of humor, but did anyone see South Park the other night? It was the episode titled "Return of the Fellowship to the Two Towers". Oh, I laughed my butt off! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

09-12-2003, 02:08 AM	#423
Estelyn Telcontar Princess of Skwerlz Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles) Posts: 7,500	Welcome to the Club, Snowdog - and all others whom I have forgotten to greet! (You know how it is with the memory when you get older! [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] ) You've come just in time to help us move to a new thread - this one has gotten so long that it takes an inordinate time to load - a nice testimony to the Fellowship of the Geezers. So grab your walkers, everyone - a moving company will bring the rocking chairs along - and come on over to The Tolkien Coming of Age Club 2! Please do not post here - this thread will be closed. __________________ 'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...'