Feature J R R Tolkien
£61.8m Tolkien’s sales
through BookScan UK since records began in 1998
6.7 Million units sold
through BookScan UK to date
22.4 Million units sold
through BookScan US to date
As Bodleian Library Publishing reveals details of its Tolkien exhibition tie-in, Tom Tivnan looks at the Middle Earth publishing empire
Straight Tolkien U
www.thebookseller.com
NDOUBTEDLY, WITH THE eagerness of hobbits siting down to elevenses or a horde of orcs issuing from the Black Gate of Mordor, Lord of the Rings fans will descend upon Oxford Univer- sit next summer as the institution’s Bodleian Library kicks off the biggest-ever exhibition of J R R Tolk- ien archive material. Launching on 1st June, Tolkien: Maker of Middle Earth will combine the Bodleian’s extensive Tolkien archive with material from Marque- te Universit in Wisconsin, plus items from private collectors.
The exhibition will be awash with rare and rarely-seen Tolkieni- ana, including draſt manu-
scripts of The Hobbit, paintings by the author, a map of Middle Earth annotated by the writer, and admiring leters from famous fans, including W H Auden and Joni Mitchell. As impressive as the exhibition will be, Bodleian Library Publishing (BLP) is doing its level best to bring the archive material to an even wider audience. BLP’s head of publishing Samuel Fanous said the main companion volume, also called Tolk- ien: Maker of Middle Earth, is for “devoted fans and complete beginners” alike. He added: “At over 400 pages, the book contains more original Tolkien mate- rial than any other publication to date. It will be hugely important to Tolkien fans but is also an excellent intro- duction to those beginning their exploration into the
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