May

31

Excerpt of Exploring The Hobbit Released; A New Hobbit Site Launched

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Tolkien’s American publishers, are starting to gear up for the 75th Anniversary celebration of The Hobbit, and they are providing a glimpse into my book as part of the fun!  You can check out the excerpt from my book here (http://www.mythgard.org/exclusives/book-excerpt/) and head over to Houghton Mifflin’s new Hobbit Facebook app (http://apps.facebook.com/readthehobbit/Home).  They’ve just started up that app, and I’ll be working with them on more content in the next few months.  If you have suggestions for something you’d like to see, let me know!

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May

28

Faerie and Fantasy 27

Professor Olsen wraps up “Smith of Wooten Major”, and his students propose a controversial new interpretation of the text. Find the file here, or listen on The Tolkien Professor’s feed on iTunes.

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May

20

Faerie and Fantasy 26

Faerie and Fantasy 26 is available! This time Dr. Olsen tackles J.R.R Tolkien’s “Smith of Wootton Major” and takes a look at the realm of Faerie. Find it and all the episodes of the Faerie and Fantasy class here, or listen on iTunes.

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May

14

Rare J.R.R. Tolkien Interview Found

The BBC archives have just released something truly remarkable for any fans of Tolkien:  a rare video interview from 1968!  In the clip from In Their Own Words, J.R.R. Tolkien talks about everything from nature to his love of beer – and, of course, his books.  A treat to start off your Monday, we hope!

Watch part two and read more over at The Good Report.

(Thanks to Patricia Ralston for posting this over at Mythgard’s Facebook page.)

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May

13

We’ve Been Nominated!

2012 Parsec AwardsThe Tolkien Professor podcast series has been nominated for a 2012 Parsec Award!

What are these awards, you ask?  According to the founders, a Parsec Award is given to exemplary speculative fiction, fantasy and scifi podcasts in a variety of subcategories each year.  Dr. Olsen and the team are thrilled to learn that we’ve been given a nod and are happy to join the rank of 2012’s contenders for the Fan/News category.

Thanks to all of you who may have suggested The Tolkien Professor!

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May

08

Faerie and Fantasy 25

The long awaited next installment of Faerie and Fantasy 25 is available! Download it here, or listen on iTunes.

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May

03

Riddles in the Dark: Episode Eight

Dr. Olsen and Dave Kale sat down for an emergency recording of Riddles in the Dark following “The CinemaCon Controversy”, as it’s come to be known.  Take a listen to Episode Eight for their takes on what was seen in the most recent footage!

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