Latest news with #JRR Tolkien
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rare first edition of The Hobbit is up for sale
A 'Holy Grail' first edition of The Hobbit is set to sell for thousands at auction - after being discovered during a routine house clearance. The copy of J. R. R. Tolkien's 1937 work was discovered tucked deep into an old bookcase at a home in Bristol. It is one of only 1,500 copies initially printed in September 1937. Such was its popularity that within weeks all copies had been sold and a second printing was undertaken. The surviving books from the initial print run are now considered some of the most sought-after in modern literature. READ MORE: It's expected to fetch over £10,000 when it is sold by Auctioneum Ltd., an auction house in Bristol and Bath, later this month. The auctioneers said the original owner had passed away and they had been called in to assess the contents. Book specialist Caitlin Riley said: "Nobody knew it was there. It was just a run-of-the-mill bookcase, containing the usual reading and reference books you'd expect to find. "It was clearly an early Hobbit at first glance, so I just pulled it out and began to flick through it, never expecting it to be a true first edition." Caitlin added: "I couldn't believe my eyes. There are a few key details to look out for when spotting one of the first editions, and as I looked into each one, they were all there. "When I realised what it was, my heart began pounding. It's an unimaginably rare find." The book had come from the family library of Hubert Priestley, a famous botanist in the 1930s, and brother to Antarctic explorer and geologist Sir Raymond Edward Priestley. Priestley had strong connections to the University of Oxford where Tolkien was the Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon and a Fellow of Pembroke College, Oxford. Both shared mutual correspondence with fellow author C.S. Lewis, and it is likely that both men knew each other. The first edition is bound in light green cloth and features black and white illustrations by the author; the only printing to do so, as later editions colourised them. "The popularity of The Hobbit has only grown since its first publication," adds Caitlin. "The book was published to huge critical acclaim, and is one of the best-selling stories of all time. "The subsequent Hobbit film series in the mid-2000's only further cemented its appeal, and brought the tale to a whole new audience. "We're expecting world-wide demand for this rare first edition." First edition, first impressions of The Hobbit rarely come up for auction. Out of the 1,500 printed, only a few hundred are believed to still remain. This example carries a pre-auction estimate of £10,000 to £12,000 and goes under the hammer in Auctioneum's Books & Works On Paper Auction on August 6th. The full catalogue can be viewed on their website
BBC News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
JRR Tolkien fans reassured over East Yorkshire statue condition
Residents concerned about the condition of a statue celebrating writer JRR Tolkien's visit to their village have been reassured it will last for years to author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings spent 18 months in Roos, East Yorkshire, recovering from trench fever contracted while serving during World War Gerard Baker said a two-part sculpture of Tolkien and his wife, erected on 6 June, had started to crack due to its "open position in the sunlight".A spokesperson for East Riding of Yorkshire Council said the idea was to depict Tolkien in natural surroundings and a maintenance plan was in place. The wooden sculptures, hand-carved from oak by North Lincolnshire-based artist Allen Stichler, are part of a trail called The Tolkien Triangle, which recognises the impact the area's landscape had on the one of his wife, Edith, depicts her dancing in a nearby wood, which was the basis for a scene in his novel The Baker said he was worried about how long the sculpture stands in direct said: "The sculpture is in a very open space in full sun most of the day."Perhaps it should have been erected in a shadier spot to protect it from sun damage."He is calling on the council to plant trees around the statue to protect it from further damage. "Wood does age", said Mr Baker. "But the rate that this has aged is really unfortunate." The council said seasoning of wood does not typically affect its structural integrity and formed part of the character and charm."As wood is a natural, organic material, it will continue to season and acclimate to its environment," the spokesperson added."The ideation of the project was to depict JRR Tolkien in the naturalist surroundings of the location and we are completely satisfied that the statute will be in situ for many years to come with a maintenance plan in place.'' Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
Forbes
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Today's ‘Wordle' #1489 Hints, Clues And Answer For Thursday, July 17th
How to solve today's Wordle. Looking for Wednesday's Wordle hints, clues and answer? You can find them here: It's Thor's Day which means yesterday was Wordle Wednesday. As I do every Wednesday, I gave you fine puzzle-solving Wordlers an extra puzzle to solve, this time in the form of a riddle. This was the riddle: It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt. It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder It comes out first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter. The answer — from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit — is 'Darkness.' On to the Wordle! How To Solve Today's Wordle The Hint: Type of verb like 'must' or 'can' The Clue: This Wordle has more consonants than vowels. Okay, spoilers below! The answer is coming! . . . Today's Wordle Every day I check Wordle Bot to help analyze my guessing game. You can check your Wordles with Wordle Bot right here. If I'd realized only four words remained after my first guess — CREAM — I wouldn't have gone with MOIST as a second guess. I would have tried to guess the Wordle, and who knows? Maybe I would have gotten it on my second try. Oh well. MOIST left me with just one remaining possible answer: MODAL for the win! Today's Wordle Bot I get 1 point for guessing in three and 0 for tying the Bot. The Bot gets the same. Our July totals inch up to: Erik: 3 points Wordle Bot: 7 points The word "modal" comes from Latin modālis, meaning 'pertaining to a mode,' from modus ('measure, manner, method'). It entered English in the late 16th century, originally in grammar and logic, and later expanded to music, statistics, and more. Let me know how you fared with your Wordle today on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Also be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow me here on this blog where I write about games, TV shows and movies when I'm not writing puzzle guides. Sign up for my newsletter for more reviews and commentary on entertainment and culture.
