Dear Anna,
Have you heard about the enhanced epub publication of The Hobbit that came out last year? As you know, our cottage though comfortable isn’t that big so neither of us keeps a lot of books here as the Estate Library pretty much has everything one would want to read without actually needing to own it.
The full press release from HarperCollins that alerted me to this edition came with a note from Iain. I am really hoping that The Lord of The Rings gets the same treatment soon! And imagine the entire History of Middle-Earth done in the same manner!
The best aspect of this epub is that it includes some apparently recently discovered audio recordings of Tolkien reading excerpts from The Hobbit, including the dwarves’ party song, the account of their capture by trolls, and Bilbo’s horrifying encounter with Gollum.
I have a sneaking suspicion that there are a lot of recordings of a similar nature in various Archives that will be ‘discovered’ over the next few years as the publisher deems needed. Or when another edition of the enhanced The Hobbit is published.
Damn, Iain’s made me cynical!
Until next time, Gus
Dear Gus,
One of these evenings I’ll lug the gramophone down to the pub (probably the next time I need to refill the growler with porter) and play for you and all present my old LP of Prof. Tolkien reading “Riddles in the Dark.” Recently discovered, indeed!
I’d say that it’d be more accurate to say that the publisher is engaged in stretching the truth to see yet another version of The Hobbit which of course is naturally what publishers do. You did note that Gus pointed out that Iain was cynical about this approach?
I’m guessing that there are many, many hours of audio, and possibly even some video, of the Professor in the Archives of Harper Collins UK. all of which we’ll see released as soon as Harper Collins UK deems financially worthwhile!