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Two catalogue questions

10 Feb, 2021
2021-2-10 10:00:07 PM UTC

1) In "J.R.R. Tolkien: The Hobbit Drawings, Watercolors, and Manuscripts", there is a letter to G.E. Selby (14 December 1937). According to Tolkien Gateway, the letter "was fully reproduced and transcribed" in this exhibition catalogue. Tolkienbooks.net likewise says: "The letter is reproduced in full in The Hobbit Drawings, Watercolors and Manuscripts (1987)." Hammond, however, says nothing about a reproduction, referring only to p.4, where the transcription is. Having gotten a pdf scan of select pages from the catalogue through my library, including p.4 where the letter appears, it does not look like the statements of Tolkien Gateway and Tolkienbooks.net are accurate: There appears to only be a transcription of the letter and not a reproduction/photograph. However, since I do not have access to the full booklet (I have 14 of its 44 pages), I cannot verify that the reproduction of the letter does not occur on some other page. So, my question is, does anyone know if there is a reproduction of this letter in this catalogue? If so, on what page? If not, is there a photograph reproduction of it (or portion(s) of it) elsewhere, perhaps in one of the auction catalogues? I see that there's a picture of its penultimate page on Tolkien Gateway, but I don't know where this was taken from.

2) The entry "Profiles in History: Catalogue 24" on Tolkien Gateway's bibliography says, "Includes inscription." What do we know about this "inscription"? A photo of it, apparently, can be seen here. It's the rhyme that Gandalf mutters on the way to Minas Tirith, but is this really Tolkien's handwriting? If so, do we know where it was extracted from to find its way onto this Alan Lee illustration?

Thanks again.
10 Feb, 2021 (edited)
2021-2-10 10:25:10 PM UTC
I don't have an answer for you on (1) at this time, I have been looking for that catalogue for ages. Sorry!

For (2) the Profiles in History catalogue does reproduce the actual inscription, in black and white only (it is written in red and blue originally), on page 99 and on the front cover. The photo you have linked is of the front cover of the catalogue. It is definitely Tolkien's handwriting - the auction lot includes the inscribed book itself (the 1972 India paper one volume deluxe edition) and a letter to Tolkien asking for the inscription, and Tolkien writes at the bottom of the letter that he had to write it on a different page because the India paper wouldn't take his ink. The front cover of the catalogue is just a stock photo from Alan Lee, with the inscription from the auction lot superimposed upon it. I asked Alan about this in the past - he had no idea his art was used for the catalogue covers (another piece is on the back cover), he was never asked for permission.
10 Feb, 2021
2021-2-10 11:08:48 PM UTC
Can't find my copy to check at the moment, but I have the sinking feeling that this may be my bad...
11 Feb, 2021
2021-2-11 12:09:42 AM UTC

Urulókë wrote:

he was never asked for permission
Wow, that's wild. Well, thanks for all the info—this is very helpful.

Deagol wrote:

I have the sinking feeling that this may be my bad
lol no worries either way, I mostly just want to make sure there's not another page I should have them scan while I'm at it. Please let me know if and when you find it though.

Also, in case anyone is wondering (as I was), I can confirm that all the other items contained in Drawings, Watercolors, and Manuscripts that are listed as "less well known items" (i.e., numbers 2–4 on the Tolkienbooks.net page) have now been reproduced elsewhere (viz., in Art of the Hobbit and Artist & Illustrator).
11 Feb, 2021
2021-2-11 1:43:27 AM UTC
"So, my question is, does anyone know if there is a reproduction of this letter in this catalogue?"

I looked in my copy; there is no reproduction of the letter, just the transcript (made to look like a letter).
11 Feb, 2021
2021-2-11 1:51:18 AM UTC
Fabulous – thanks!
11 Feb, 2021
2021-2-11 9:16:47 AM UTC

Philomythos wrote:

Also, in case anyone is wondering (as I was), I can confirm that all the other items contained in Drawings, Watercolors, and Manuscripts that are listed as "less well known items" (i.e., numbers 2–4 on the Tolkienbooks.net page) have now been reproduced elsewhere (viz., in Art of the Hobbit and Artist & Illustrator).

You can check the art items on TAI
11 Feb, 2021 (edited)
2021-2-11 2:59:26 PM UTC
Yes, an excellent resource that I make much use of! But you never know what the reproductions actually look like without looking at them. I knew that these items should be identical to those published in the places I mentioned, but I couldn’t know exactly how they were presented in the catalogue until I saw it. Often a reproduction occurs in multiple publications but has some variation or is only partially reproduced, etc. So I always like to check first-hand if possible. The comment above was meant to confirm that no such variation is found in these cases. It can be happily ignored by those with no need for such confirmation.
11 Feb, 2021
2021-2-11 6:18:08 PM UTC
Follow-up, semi-related question: Again in the Tolkien Gateway bib, there's an entry "1998: Sotheby's English Literature and History 17 December 1998. Includes dedication." Does anyone know what this "dedication" is, or at least what the lot number is? (I tried to find this info on the net and in the Companion & Guide with no luck.)
29 Jul, 2023
2023-7-29 8:54:11 AM UTC

Philomythos wrote:

Follow-up, semi-related question: Again in the Tolkien Gateway bib, there's an entry "1998: Sotheby's English Literature and History 17 December 1998. Includes dedication." Does anyone know what this "dedication" is, or at least what the lot number is? (I tried to find this info on the net and in the Companion & Guide with no luck.)

2 Years Later - but here it is:

11_64c4d36c7f4bb.jpg 2560X1920 px

11_64c4d399d0639.jpg 1400X1865 px
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