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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

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#YearOfTolkien #HobbitHistory

Finished yesterday night and totally enjoyed it, especially the part regarding the first draft, where Ratecliff went into great details both with Tolkien's writing process and his possible sources of inspiration. I loved to see how the story changed as it was written.

The print is a birthday present from a friend who's not a Tolkien fan, but understands what it means 😍

Daisey Yes! All of the discussion of possible sources of inspiration was incredibly interesting! Also, great photo! 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

Since I finished this, I‘ve dived back into watching The Hobbit... all three films in their extended forms...and I find myself both amazed at how many things Peter Jackson added in, there is a lot of Legolas in the Battle of the Five Armies, and as much as I enjoyed it., I have to agree with Tolkien‘s friend who said, it‘s great, but it‘s not the Hobbit, don‘t change it. 😉🤷‍♀️. Can I get it in both forms 😂

#HobbitHistory
#YearOfTolkien

JazzFeathers You know, there have been passages that made me wonder whether Jackson might have read this book too 😆 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @JazzFeathers He definitely did his research! 😉 5y

Daisey @JazzFeathers Interesting to consider. I can definitely see that possibility. 5y

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wordslinger42 I'm sorry I've been mostly MIA from this readalong 😕 The last four months have been really rough. I'm going to catch up, though, & I already have my copy of Return of the Shadow, so I'm ready for April! 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @wordslinger42 You‘ve been really quiet, so I figured something was going on. I hope whatever is going on gets better soon. 5y

wordslinger42 @Riveted_Reader_Melissa Thank you ❤ 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @wordslinger42 You‘re welcome! 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

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I enjoyed this journey of seeing revisions and history behind the Hobbit. I find Tolkien incredibly interesting! Such a unique mind and imagination. 🤗

Riveted_Reader_Melissa I know, such a great journey, makes me want to read The Hobbit now, in its final form. 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

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This book was absolutely fascinating and enjoyable! It is amazing to see the layers of writing and revising that went into creating The Hobbit, along with a reconsideration of the story after the writing of Lord of the Rings. I loved Rateliff‘s discussion of possible sources of inspiration, and yet again I have added more books to my list to be read someday.

#YearofTolkien #HobbitHistory

eanderson I agree! This has been a very interesting read and makes me love JRR Tolkien even more! 5y

JazzFeathers Planning to finish tonight 😊 l loved it. 5y

Daisey @eanderson @jazzfeathers It really has been great! I‘m looking forward to continuing on with The Return of the Shadow. 5y

JazzFeathers @Daisey l'm still waiting for my copy. But l'm confident that it will be here fir the beginning of April. Right? Right? 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @JazzFeathers Right!! 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

Have a little catching up to do on the treadmill today for #HobbitHistory #YearofTolkien

JazzFeathers I read it yesterday night. I think l might catch up before the readalong for this book is over. Then l'll wait for my new book to arrive. The Return of the Shadow seems to be late... 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

I love the idea of a friend or fellow author having an early edition of a book with handwritten corrections. What a cool copy to look through!

I guess I wasn‘t quite as far behind as I thought since I caught up to the schedule during silent reading with my students today. I wasn‘t sure about enjoying the appendices, but even these are fascinating.

#YearofTolkien #HobbitHistory

Riveted_Reader_Melissa I thought so too! 5y

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Riveted_Reader_Melissa #HobbitHistory #YearOfTolkien 5y

The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

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Ahead of schedule, but I had the time and just read through to the end. Great insight into the writing of the original, so much detail that I could definitely appreciate even more now that we‘ve read The Lost Tales & Silmarillion stories, so much great stuff about the writing process & writing at that period of time that I find particularly interesting. Now I feel like picking up The Hobbit and just reading the original completed tale again.😂

JazzFeathers I'm slowly catching up. Have started the Appendixes last night. And yes, this is a fabulous read, and not just for Tolkien fans, in my opinion. 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @JazzFeathers I agree! 5y

Daisey @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @JazzFeathers I agree. I‘m truly enjoying all of the insight, about Tolkien and the writing process. 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

Oh my...that was a dark little gruesome story full of animal abuse, I can‘t believe it was in a children‘s readers! 😱

#HobbitHistory
#YearofTolkien

MommyWantsToReadHerBook I'm confused. What story is this referring to? 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @MommyWantsToReadHerBook None of Tolkien‘s, this appendix talks about the claim that Tolkien got the name “hobbit” from an earlier children‘s tale, in it they are called Hobyahs and think more Grim Fairy Tales, the more bloody type of children‘s story. 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @MommyWantsToReadHerBook In it the family dog barks ever night to keep the Hobyahs away from killing the family and the father is so angry that he barks all night that he chops off on of his limbs each morning, until the dog dies, and therefore doesn‘t bark, and the family is eaten and the daughter taken by the Hobyahs. 😱 She is later saved, but still. 🤢 5y

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MommyWantsToReadHerBook Ah now I understand. Gross! And to read if to children! 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @MommyWantsToReadHerBook Right! I figured when the group I was reading this book with got to that part they‘d feel the same way.... and yes, the Australian version is a bit toned down, but not much, but still a 2nd graders reader...no wonder people remembered it as adults, I bet it was traumatizing.....but again I bet people were kinder to their loud animals after reading it. 5y

MommyWantsToReadHerBook @Riveted_Reader_Melissa 😂 hopefully! 5y

Daisey Just read this part today, so violent! Not at all Hobbit like. 5y

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Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries

The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

Haha! This made me think of Word by Word which I read last year with Litsy goes postal.
#HobbitHistory

@tjwill that was the book you sent right?

tpixie @Daisey is this the one you read? Word byWord? (edited) 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa I read

Daisey @tpixie Yes, it's one of the books I've read and it's great! I haven't gotten to this part in History of The Hobbit yet. 5y

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Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Daisey It‘s part of appendix I or II, because that‘s as far as I‘ve read so far! 😂 5y

tpixie @Daisey ♥️♥️♥️ 5y

tjwill Yes it was! I enjoyed that one! 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

“A gift of clothes he left forever” ...wait, that‘s a house elf! 😉

#YearOfTolkien
#HobbitHistory

Riveted_Reader_Melissa Or wee free men #PratchettPosse 😉 5y

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#HobbitHistory
#YearOfTolkien

The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

Two different, but great traditions! Probably why I love them both in different ways.

#HobbitHistory
#YearOfTolkien

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

Even after he has created the whole Shire Calendar to work out some of the date and moon phase issues, he‘s accidentally created new discrepancies. 🤪

#HobbitHistory
#YearOfTolkien

Suet624 Oops. 5y

julesG He was not a professor of mathematics. 😉 5y

JazzFeathers @julesG 's right! Besides, details are creatures of Morgoth and they let mistakes slip in unnoticed all the time 😂 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @JazzFeathers Exactly! 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

See, and this never bothered me...my fantasy brain said Bilbo and dwarves mostly stayed on a straight, even if rarely traveled and poorly maintained, road.....while Strider and his group where hiding for some periods, going off trail, cutting through the forests...slow and stealthy otherwise, because the road wasn‘t safe. 🤷‍♀️

#HobbitHistory
#YearOfTolkien

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

Every time we get to these parts, I think but, but there are special microscopes, and imaging now, they should be able to scan these in and darken up even trace pigments and then we would know the secrets!🤓

#HobbitHistory
#YearOfTolkien

JazzFeathers @Riveted_Reader_Melissa l'm afraid you might have seen too much CSI 😆😉😏 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @JazzFeathers Not CSI, cultural anthropology/archeology 👍 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @JazzFeathers Everytime this comes up I think all of those historical treasures should be scanned in and digitally saved somewhere before any more fades and is lost. 5y

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JazzFeathers @Riveted_Reader_Melissa You know? I've enroled in a European project to trascribe letters by WWI soldiers just for that reason. My work schedule has not allowed me to start yet, but l can't wait to have some spare time and get started. 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @JazzFeathers I know they started a concerted effort for films years ago, because the celluloid was breaking down and they were going to be lost. But I know so many libraries have collections that have to be handled with the utmost care with regards to light exposure, air moisture, even oils from hands... I wish they‘d start an international effort to preserve them in an electronic form...not only to protect them, but could you imagine being... 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa ...able to access things like the Bodleian Library collections online from anywhere. (edited) 5y

JazzFeathers @Riveted_Reader_Melissa My heart!! 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

#YearOfTolkien #HobbitHistory

Although l'm fascinated with the idea to bring The Hobbit closer to The Lord of the Rings and although l really like the changes Tolkien did do, l kind of agree with the person who told Tolkien that the new version was beautiful, but it really wasn't The Hobbit.

Bilbo's is a wonderful adventure, very different from Frodo's... a dopo so it should be.

Daisey Same here! I love The Hobbit as it is! 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa Same! Agree! 5y

JazzFeathers @Daisey @Riveted_Reader_Melissa Probably Tolkien realised that too, that's why he abandoned the revision. 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

Agreed! The styles of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings are different, but both are wonderful stories in their own right.

#YearofTolkien #HobbitHistory

Weaponxgirl Agreed, a shame no one told peter Jackson this when making the hobbit movies. 5y

Daisey @Weaponxgirl True! 🙌 I keep thinking I will learn to appreciate the movies for what they are at some point, but it hasn‘t happened yet. 5y

tpixie YES! 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

I had soup and salad for supper along with more Tolkien. It's been a few days since I read this, so I'm catching up on his attempt to make itineraries for travel times more closely fit with LotR and still make moon phases fit events. I am impressed by the time and effort that this shows, but I'm also ok with two different books written years apart and not planned together not quite matching up completely.

#YearofTolkien #HobbitHistory #ReadandEat

JazzFeathers But he was a perfetionist. I know the imperfection just bothered him too much 😆 5y

Daisey @JazzFeathers True! Reading those notes was confusing enough, and I can‘t even imagine his level of frustration in trying to make it work. 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

I‘m all caught up again....whew 😥

How‘s everyone else making out, slowly catching up?

#HobbitHistory
#YearOfTolkien

Daisey, eanderson, wordslinger42, JazzFeathers, tdrosebud

Daisey I was just getting ready to sit down with my supper and the book when this notification popped up on my screen. Currently on pages for March 2. 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Daisey It won‘t take you long then, they are a bit shorter then the previous rewritten chapter sections. Enjoy! 5y

tdrosebud Ugh, I need a new charger for my Nook and the battery is currently dead. I'm not very far. However I plan to get the next books in print do I don't have to worry about that sort of thing. 5y

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Daisey True! I‘m caught up now! 5y

JazzFeathers I've finished The rewriting chapters yesterday night. Will read as long as l can tonight. Not sure l can catch up when the rest of you are reading, but l think l can make it for the end of the month. @tdrosebud stupid me didn't realis you joined the fellowship! 😶 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @JazzFeathers After the rewritten chapters those next few are fairly short, but again, I left it open with catch-up until the end of the month so no rush, take your time, it‘s all good. 😉 5y

JazzFeathers @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @tdrosebud @Daisey @eanderson @wordslinger42 Say, gals, have you seen the trailer of 'Tolkien'? I'm beside myself. It looks fabulous! 5y

wordslinger42 @Riveted_Reader_Melissa I'm slowly catching up! @JazzFeathers No, I haven't!!! I'll have to check that out! 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @JazzFeathers It does look fabulous! 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

#YearOfTolkien #HobbitHistory

So this is where one of my favourite parts in The Hobbit entered the book: Thorin's remembrance of the destruction of Erebor.
This was one of those passages (Durin's Falk was another) that marked my love for the Dwarves. They are far more complex characters that many readers credito them of.

TK421 I really need to get this book. I can't believe that I haven't picked up a copy yet! 5y

JazzFeathers @TK421 lt is fantastic! Sure, it's not a walk in the park, but there's so much insight in it. 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

#YearOfTolkien #HobbitHistory

Finally!!! I missed nearly one week of Tolkien reading because l needed to read a couple of things for my blog.
Let's go back to the good habits 😁

Daisey Feeling the same here! I picked it back up this evening after a few days again of no Tolkien. 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

I got a behind while finishing up The Tale of Genji, but this morning it‘s time again for Tolkien. I went by the library last night to pick up The Art of The Hobbit. It seems a perfect book to pair with reading the fifth phase in History of The Hobbit. I‘m starting New Chapter II and really enjoying the longer revisions. The short chunks can be a bit harder to place but are still interesting.

#YearofTolkien #HobbitHistory #BreakfastwithTolkien

Riveted_Reader_Melissa That looks gorgeous! Have fun! 5y

Daisey @Riveted_Reader_Melissa From flipping though, I think I‘ve seen most of the art, but I‘m definitely looking forward to it! 5y

DivineDiana I love the Art Book! 5y

JazzFeathers I've been eyeiong both Art of the Hobbit and Art of The Lord of the Rings. Is it a good book? Should l buy it? 5y

Daisey @JazzFeathers I‘ll probably share a few pages and let you know what I think as I go! So far it looks like one I will want to add to my personal library at some point. 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

Haven‘t been able to read the past few days. Attempting to get caught up on #HobbitHistory #YearOfTolkien Here is to hoping I can get some of my focus back! 🤞 At least it‘s Friday!!! 😋

JazzFeathers Tell me about it! I need to pause for a few days because between work and other commitments l just can't do everything. Bit l miss my Tolkien read at night. 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

Reposting the schedule for the last leg of the #HobbitHistory readalong, thanks to the awesome @Riveted_Reader_Melissa 😄

#YearOfTolkien

JazzFeathers @Daisey @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @eanderson @wordslinger42 Gals, just wanted to let you know that l'm momentarily pausing because l really need to finish 'Cherokee America' as soon as possible. The review and author interview for the blog tour is due for next Thursday and l'm still not halfway through the book 😨 lt's proving to be longer than l thought. Then l'll start the catching up. 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @JazzFeathers No problem, it isn‘t hard reading, and you have until the end of March to catch up...so another whole month. And honestly if you still aren‘t caught up then, we‘ll just push back the next one a week or two. So no worries, this is our fun group, please don‘t stress about it at all. Good Luck with Cherokee America in the meantime, it sounds excellent! 5y

tpixie Great job you all!!! 🥳♥️🥳 you have really accomplished a lot!!! 🥳🥳🥳 5y

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Daisey @JazzFeathers No worries! I set it aside for a few days to finish The Tale of Genji, tried to read the first chapter last night, and fell asleep. March is a really busy school month for me, so I don't know that I'll catch up very soon either. 5y

JazzFeathers Thanks gals. March is a very busy month for me too, especially this year @Riveted_Reader_Melissa Cherokee America is a very good book, but very slow going. I really need to attack it this weekend @Daisey 5y

JazzFeathers @tpixie lt's been such a fantastic journey! Do you fancy to join us when we'll her back to the History of Middle-Earth? 😆😁 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @tpixie Thank you, so nice of you to say! 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Daisey I pushed it back to finish up The Color of Law, a great read, but consuming! LOL 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa And @JazzFeathers and @Daisey We can always just take April off, allow everyone a breather and catchup and start the LOTR Histories in May or even June as our summer reading. I‘m really flexible there, so seriously don‘t worry and we‘ll just pick a time that works for everyone. 5y

JazzFeathers @Riveted_Reader_Melissa OH, l don't need that much time. I've skipped three days and l ready miss my evening time with the Professor 😦 But l might need the entire month of March to catch up. @Daisey what say you? 5y

Daisey @JazzFeathers @Riveted_Reader_Melissa I agree that I don‘t particularly want to take off a whole month. I also make a point to pick it up at least every few days because it‘s some of my current favorite reading, and most of the time I can catch up fairly quickly. I‘d prefer to just see how March goes and make a decision towards the end. 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Daisey Ok, sounds good! 5y

tpixie @JazzFeathers no thanks, I‘ve got too many book commitments, but I‘m so glad you all have stuck through this!! 5y

tpixie @Riveted_Reader_Melissa 🥳🥳🥳😊 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

Playing catch-up today while watching the Hobbit! 🤗
#HobbitHistory #YearofTolkien

JazzFeathers Appropriate 😆 5y

Daisey Sounds like a perfect Sunday afternoon combination! 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

This one will truly take our unexpected party through all the phases of the moon and back again to the very beginning. What would Tolkien have done if he‘d have had more re-writes and had them published in later editions?

The last schedule!

#HobbitHistory
#YearOfTolkien

Daisey, eanderson, wordslinger42, JazzFeathers, tdrosebud

Riveted_Reader_Melissa What‘s next then?

The Return of the Shadow

eanderson Sounds great! I‘m in! 5y

JazzFeathers You are fantastic @Riveted_Reader_Melissa! Yes, l believe the Return of the Shadow should be next. This reminds me l need to get it! 5y

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Riveted_Reader_Melissa @JazzFeathers Yes you do! 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @InLibrisVeritas if you are interested in jumping back in, we should be starting The History of LOTR, with Return of the Shadow in late March/early April! 5y

Daisey Thanks so much! This looks great, and I‘m so looking forward to continuing this and then The Return of the Shadow next. 5y

wordslinger42 Thanks for doing the schedule! It looks great! It will be so strange to finally finish this book, but I'm looking forward to reading The Return of the Shadow!! 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

"The Silmarillion, or the History of the Elves, which no one will publish.'

In halted at that point. I could almost taste the betterness.

#YearOfTolkien #HobbitHistory

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Riveted_Reader_Melissa #HobbitHistory #YearOfTolkien 5y

The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

How fascinating, he often “corrected” mistakes by adding new information that made both correct. Oh no, the names aren‘t contradictory at all, he was just named after a far older relative and shared his name, & no, the Gollum story isn‘t wrong, or rewritten, it‘s just what Bilbo first told everyone and this is what he later said after a few years & some pressing. 😉😉😁👌

I love how he worked ”errors” into elements of the story itself.

Daisey Agreed! I found this to be a really ingenious way to revise and correct errors. 5y

Trollkonstnaren That's amazing! Accepting own actions regardless what tbey are. And think about the creativity it requires to go along! 5y

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Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Trollkonstnaren That‘s the mark of a great storyteller... or a serial liar 😂 5y

JazzFeathers @Riveted_Reader_Melissa As if the were two different things 😆 I was going to post this passage too. I love this attitude. And yes, this is the mark of a creative mind, in my opinion. He would have certainly never be on Melkor's side 😂 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @JazzFeathers If he had been, we‘d have all been in trouble. This is one of the times where you have to be thankful he was using his powers for good. 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

I find these self-deprecating remarks about a revised edition entertaining. I also find it fascinating how Tolkien was able to use a fairly minor number of revisions to bring The Hobbit into line with LotR, yet even those work within the parameters of the created world. In the first edition Bilbo's story was told as he wrote it, later that's found to be untrue, and it's therefore being corrected in a new edition.

#HobbitHistory #YearofTolkien

JazzFeathers I love the way he worked out the incongruences. I love the way he kind of mixed together reality and fantasy. 5y

Daisey @JazzFeathers Yes, it‘s a really fun and creative way of making the revisions. 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

Ok, this part made me laugh....Tolkien trying to do edits to his own work, and lost in his own time discrepancies....and that‘s before he starts to work out the phases of the moon issues and the shire calendar bits.

It‘s great to see famous authors with extensive world building, languages, and calendars still get tangled up in consistency issues, and even better to see them working through them.

#HobbitHistory
#YearOfTolkien

Daisey This is a great example of the chaos of revision. 5y

JazzFeathers The more skillful the author, the job he/she puts on themselves. It always amazes me that people seems to think that if an artist has talent, they will work less than the average artist. 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

Every time this comes up, it still amazes me, the idea of him counting letters so that every rewrite will take up the same page space as the original so as to prevent the typesetters from having to reset proceeding pages.

#HobbitHistory
#YearOfTolkien

GingerAntics Wow, that‘s impressive. 5y

wordzie Amen 5y

JazzFeathers It speaks of skills as well as respect for other people's job. 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

This is one of the notes about revising that amazes me every time I see it mentioned. It takes great precision to rewrite and add sections while not changing the beginning and ending of surrounding pages. It also makes me wonder about other authors. How carefully was this skill developed and/or how popular before they could force resetting of many pages?

#YearofTolkien #HobbitHistory

JazzFeathers It is amazing indeed. But l think back then it was probably a requirement. Can you imagine the cost of resetting several pages? I don't think that was an option. But it's something l've never consider before, used as l am to the word processor just doing it as l write. I'm also fascinated with put opportunity to guess Tolkien's intellectual work from what he left on the page. No such option for tomorrow's philologists. 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa I highlighted this same section to post tonight, it amazes me too! 5y

Daisey @JazzFeathers @Riveted_Reader_Melissa I agree it probably was at least somewhat required, but I‘m sure some authors were more conscientious than others. I‘m still guessing this level of precision was not easily achieved or always provided by authors. It will always be impressive to me. 5y

JazzFeathers @Daisey @Riveted_Reader_Melissa Yes, l agree. Authors are often careless of the publisher's requirement. It speaks of Tolkien's ability as well as his respect for other people's job that he put efforts in try to not disrutp that job while trying to achieve what he wanted for his story. 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

#YearOfTolkien #HobbitHistory

Really, the revised version of the conclusion of 'Riddles in the Dark' has such a different to e from the rest of the book, though it does match the heavily Norse-saga-inspired conclusion of the book.
No surprise that this is one of the most famous scenes from the book (and one of the very few scenes l like from the Hobbit movies)

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

Another lazy Sunday morning on which church has been cancelled gave me time to read the last of the notes for the Third Phase of The History of the Hobbit. I found the notes about the changing view of the origin and afterlife of the dwarves most interesting. It‘s amazing to me how much the dwarves changed from the earlier writings through the creation of the dwarf characters in The Hobbit.

#YearofTolkien #HobbitHistory #BreakfastwithTolkien

JazzFeathers Loved that part too. From what it's said in here, l think more than ever that writing The Hobbit changed Tolkien's perception of the Dwarves. Because we paused reading HoME just before the LotR volumes, l always think Tolkien had already written everything we read there, when in fact some ideas in the Hobbit are older than the ones we read in The Lost Road. It's puzzling, sometimes. The case of the 'new Dwarves' is one such case. 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

#YearOfTolkien #HobbitHistory

The first draft of The Hobbit is over. That was a great journey. Now l can't wait to read about the revision... especially those that were never published.

Daisey Same here! 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

#YearOfTolkien #HobbitHistory

Of course! How else would they come true? Surely you don't disbelieve the prophecies because you have a share in bringing them about yourself? After all you don't really suppose, do you, that all your adventures and all your wonderful escapes were managed by you yourself, do you? You are a very fine person, Mr Baggings, and l am very fond of you; but you are only quite a little fellow in a wide world.

eanderson 💕 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa My favorite book ending. 😉 5y

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The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun

The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

I think I‘m going to have to add the story of Sigurd and Fafnir to my constantly growing TBR, and I think there is a version by Tolkien. I find every reference and comparison of Bilbo and Smaug to this story fascinating.

Happily, I caught up on yesterday and today‘s chapters with supper tonight.

#YearofTolkien #HobbitHistory

Daisey Also, have you seen this? https://bookriot.com/2019/02/12/tolkien-biopic-trailer/ 5y

Bookwomble There is 😊

Daisey @Bookwomble Thanks! I thought that was it but didn‘t take the time to look it up until later. 5y

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JazzFeathers @Daisey l've ment to read the story of Sigurd since l was a kid. Maybe the time has come 😄 Also a friend of mine sent me the trailer first thing this morning. I'm totally captivated. Can't wait to see it! 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Daisey That trailer looks fabulous! I can‘t wait! 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @JazzFeathers @Daisey Maybe we should read it together. Maybe after the History of LOTR‘s books? Or did you want to read it sooner? 5y

Daisey @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @JazzFeathers I‘d love to add it to our list to read together, but I‘m in no rush. 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

#YearOfTolkien #HobbitHistory

These last few chapters are very rough to read. They are full of false starts and changes of wording. I'd love to see the actual manuscript. It is quite obvious that Tolkien was writing very fast to come to the end of the story. So many details are missing from the story we know.

Always fascinating to see the mind of the storyteller at work 😊

TK421 I love that picture of Beorn in the Battle of Five Armies. That is how I always pictured it in my head. The terrible third Hobbit movie really botched the importance of his involvement in the battle. 5y

JazzFeathers @TK421 You know, l found the second film so boring, l've never bothered to watch the third, so l don't know anything about the Battle of the Five Armies. 5y

TK421 It was terrible. The eagles and Beorn were almost an afterthought. They WAY over dramatically depicted Thorin's "heroic" death. 5y

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Daisey I just read this section today. It is fairly rough, but I do love seeing the writing process. 5y

JazzFeathers @TK421 😨 5y

JazzFeathers @Daisey The first chapters were really very clean. These are kind of a mess... but l love them! 5y

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wordslinger42

The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

I am hurrying to get caught up with you (again), #hobbithistory folks! I feel like reading this book has been a game of catch-up for me, but I'm enjoying reading about how the story grew and changed over time!

#YearOfTolkien

JazzFeathers It has been hard going for me too, what with the crazy hours at work and all that. But l'm enjoying it a lot. I already loved The Hobbit, but now l have even more appreciation. There is so much good stuff in here. 5y

wordslinger42 @JazzFeathers I've enjoyed it so much, too!! I think it will make reading The Hobbit even more meaningful now that I've learned so much about how Tolkien changed the story over time! 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

#YearOfTolkien #HobbitHistory

So interesting to read this first draft of the Battle of the Five Armies, which was clearly written swiftly, following the action. I love episodes with many characters. They are not easy to write, but when they come to full decriptions (as this battle eventually will) they are fantastic!

wordslinger42 I'll be reading about the battle today! I'm only a couple days behind now! 5y

JazzFeathers @wordslinger42 Yayyyy!!! I think we are more or less all caught up, aren't we? @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Daisey @eanderson 5y

eanderson Sure am!!! 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa I‘m actually a little ahead 🤫 5y

Daisey @JazzFeathers @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @eanderson @wordslinger42 I'm caught up as of this section, but I have not read today's chapter yet. 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

#YearOfTolkien #HobbitHistory

I'm very happy Tolkien decided to go this route. I'll admit that the initial idea that Bilbo would kill Smaug was exciting, but in this version Bilbo really gets to show his valour, which is linked to his values, the values of his people: fairness, loyalty, peace. A good life.
Tolkien took a new turn here in comparison to his legendarium. I'm so happy he did.

Riveted_Reader_Melissa I completely agree there! It was a huge change, and one that made it all the more special and memorable! 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

#YearOfTolkien #HobbitHistory

Really liked this recasting of the story with the introduction of the dragon-seekness grabbing the Dwarves... and pretty everyone else. It's a great development considering how Tolkien originally planned it.
I also like the fact that Tolkien didn't shy away from a total reworking when the opportunity showed up.

I'm a couple of days behind, but l hope to catch up during this catch-up weekend 😊

Bookwomble I've read that Tolkien rarely edited his work, preferring to scrap and start again from scratch if he wasn't happy with his writing. Perfectionism! 5y

JazzFeathers @Bookwomble l wouldn't know. He certainly edited quite a deal of the concluding part of The Hobbit from what we are reading now. The beginning, instead, was very clean and generally already closer to the book as we know it. Generally. 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

I managed to get in just a few pages for each of my readalongs this morning before leaving the hotel. I‘m in the middle of #Genji35 and just finished the chapter “King Bard” for #HobbitHistory.

Lindy You‘re doing great! Thanks for reporting in. 😊 5y

JazzFeathers I hope to read King Bard tonight. Let's go after this catch up! 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

Just a little behind... catching up before yoga though! 😋

Daisey I‘m behind on both my readalongs right now and hoping to find a bit of extra reading time today as well. 5y

Books88 I love me some yoga 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

#HobbitHistory #YearOfTolkien

This has the feeling of a quick jot down as ideas were shifting in Tolkien's mind. The ending of the story was morphing. So fascinating to witness it.

Nute That artwork is fantastic! 5y

JazzFeathers @Nute True, eh? 5y

Daisey I‘m absolutely loving seeing these morphing ideas as he worked through the story! 5y

JazzFeathers @Daisey True, eh? And l'm loving reading, or even trying to guess the reasons why he made those changes. 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

Today‘s section is titled “The Arkenstone as Silmaril” and explores yet another interesting possibility to consider.

#YearofTolkien #HobbitHistory

JazzFeathers It's kind of funny. When l read The Hobbit the second time (after reading The Silmarillion) l did think the Elvenking might be Thingol, but l never thought the Atkenstone might be a Silmaril. 5y

Daisey @JazzFeathers I hadn‘t considered this when I read through The Hobbit itself, but honestly it‘s easier for me to think about as a real possibility. 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

I realized that it‘s been over a week since my last Tolkien related post. 😳 I‘ve been reading almost daily, but I haven‘t shared anything. Today I started the commentary for “While the Dragon‘s Away . . .” and found it fascinating as usual. I had to go back and reread the poem “The Hoard” and find the illustration of Smaug. Pondering the connections between his stories after having read them is so enjoyable. 🐉

#YearofTolkien #HobbitHistory

JazzFeathers That's true, eh? Especially because Tolkien (maybe more than so many other authors) really created a world that in a way or another links all his stories... l want to say, all his work. 5y

Daisey @JazzFeathers I think the references to Beowulf, the OED, and other things he translated or read do make an argument for connectivity between all of his work. 5y

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The History of the Hobbit | John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, John D. Rateliff

#HobbitHistory #YearOfTolkien

In a way, l'm sorry Tolkien didn't go the way he first wrote the story. It would have been nice to see Thorin King Under the Mountain. He's such an awesome character.
But then, part of his awesomeness comes from the complexity Tolkien infused into him with the new ideas that entered the conclusion of the story. So l'll for give him 😊

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