Ligandil wrote:

insurrbution wrote:

I'll post a few images once The Nature of Middle-earth is added to it ? I might have done one or two since joining the site, though I'll show my editions later on.

Even since I joined, I've been very curious on how the collections actually look, so I'm happy I found this thread. I'm still in awe after contemplating what surely some of the best Tolkien collections in the world.

My books are scattered, but I hope by the end of the year I'll be able to gather everything and take a good picture. It's not much, ~100 items, but I'm proud of it.

I'll offer a descriptive preview of how mine is.

I have what I like to refer to as The Main Tolkien Shelf. On this, are the titles that exist in the collector's edition format, but in standard hardback. (There are a few exceptions, such as Letters From Father Christmas and Sir Gawain, which I own in paperback, and are on the Paperback shelf). On that shelf, I have the Middle-earth content in publication order. So, the first title would be The Hobbit, and the 'last' one would be The Fall of Gondolin (I'm thinking of putting Nature after The History of Middle-earth, but before The Children of Hurin, due to its similarity). After The Fall of Gondolin, is Tales From the Perilous Realm - The Story of Kullervo.

My next shelf, is the one of assorted titles that don't have collector's editions.....or, if they did, there wouldn't be room for them on The Main Tolkien Shelf. These include titles such as the Hammond & Scull boxed set, The Annotated Hobbit, Exploring The Hobbit, The History of the Hobbit, etc.

The third and final shelf houses mostly paperback editions (again, in original publication order of what I have, so Sir Gawain would be first, and Aotrou & Itroun would be last for the paperback HarperCollins titles), as well as a few other assorted hardbacks.

We should rename this thread 'Describe your collections for the blind'. Can we get some audio descriptions too? ?

insurrbution wrote:

Ligandil wrote:

insurrbution wrote:

I'll post a few images once The Nature of Middle-earth is added to it ? I might have done one or two since joining the site, though I'll show my editions later on.

Even since I joined, I've been very curious on how the collections actually look, so I'm happy I found this thread. I'm still in awe after contemplating what surely some of the best Tolkien collections in the world.

My books are scattered, but I hope by the end of the year I'll be able to gather everything and take a good picture. It's not much, ~100 items, but I'm proud of it.

I'll offer a descriptive preview of how mine is.

I have what I like to refer to as The Main Tolkien Shelf. On this, are the titles that exist in the collector's edition format, but in standard hardback. (There are a few exceptions, such as Letters From Father Christmas and Sir Gawain, which I own in paperback, and are on the Paperback shelf). On that shelf, I have the Middle-earth content in publication order. So, the first title would be The Hobbit, and the 'last' one would be The Fall of Gondolin (I'm thinking of putting Nature after The History of Middle-earth, but before The Children of Hurin, due to its similarity). After The Fall of Gondolin, is Tales From the Perilous Realm - The Story of Kullervo.

My next shelf, is the one of assorted titles that don't have collector's editions.....or, if they did, there wouldn't be room for them on The Main Tolkien Shelf. These include titles such as the Hammond & Scull boxed set, The Annotated Hobbit, Exploring The Hobbit, The History of the Hobbit, etc.

The third and final shelf houses mostly paperback editions (again, in original publication order of what I have, so Sir Gawain would be first, and Aotrou & Itroun would be last for the paperback HarperCollins titles), as well as a few other assorted hardbacks.

..... ok .....

The time it’s taken to write a descriptive preview, surely a picture or two would’ve been quicker?

As someone who has a passion for languages, I'm extremely happy to show my mini-collection of grammars Tolkien read, studied, or was familiar with. The languages featured are Old Norse, Welsh, Ancient Greek, Old English and Gothic. I indeed plan to study them all. Missing is Eliot's A Finnish Grammar, which I haven't been able to find (if anyone sees it online, please let me know!).

The books are scattered in different places, so unfortunately I can't take a picture of the 6 of them together, hopefully I'll do it in some months (I just couldn't wait to show them , at least individually). Huge thanks to Trotter for sending info from Tolkien's Library, Aelfwine for the Noreen and Morris references, Urolóke for the Noreen and Gordon references, and of course to Tolkieniano and Findegil for their wonderful reference books!

- Wright, Joseph. A Primer of the Gothic Language. Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, 1899 (2nd ed.).

Tolkien bought this book from a high school friend around 1908-9. His introduction to Gothic was very important to Tolkien: "Tolkien opened it and immediately experienced ‘a sensation at least as full of delight as first looking into Chapman’s Homer’." (Carpenter).

- Wright, Joseph. Comparative Grammar of the Greek language. London: Oxford University Press and H. Frowde, 1912.

Wright was of course one of Tolkien's professors, precisely of Comparative Philology, so without a doubt he was familiar and used this book for his classes.

- Wright, Joseph. Old English Grammar. London: Oxford University Press, 1908.

I think Tolkien would have used/studied from this grammar by Wright as some point. He was at least familiar with it, as appears in Tolkien's Library.

- Morris-Jones, John. A Welsh Grammar, Historical and Comparative. Phonology and Accidence . Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, 1913.

Tolkien bought this grammar after winning the Skeat Prize for English at Exeter College in 1914 (one year after its publication!).

- Gordon, Eric Valentine. An Introduction to Old Norse . Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, 1957 (2nd ed.).

Gordon was Tolkien's friend, colleague and former student. Together they published a new edition of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (1925) and formed the Viking Club at Leeds. Gordon thanks Tolkien in the preface: “For help in preparing the apparatus of the book I am indebited especially to Professor J.R.R. Tolkien, who read the proofs of the Grammar and made valuable suggestions and corrections”. As a bonus, my copy was owned by 1969 Physics Nobel Prize Winner Murray Gell-mann (who had interests in linguistics).

- Noreen, Adolf Gotthard. “Altisländische und altnorwegische Grammatik. Altnordische Grammatik, Vol. I. Halle: Max Niemeyer, 1892.

Quoting Aelfwine from this very forum, "Tolkien would certainly have known and referred to [this book], a standard work during Tolkien's lifetime". Also in Tolkien’s personal Celtic library (per Tolkien's Library).

Ligandil that is a wonderful mini-collection!

northman wrote:

Ligandil that is a wonderful mini-collection!

Thanks, northman! Indeed, it was very interesting to collect the information and then track each of them down. It feels great having these ancient grammars to study some of languages Tolkien mastered. Just missing the Finnish one .

Ligandil wrote:

northman wrote:

Ligandil that is a wonderful mini-collection!

Thanks, northman Just missing the Finnish one .

that looks like a really hard book to find...happy hunting!

Thank you for these posts! Here is a book Tolkien had apparently read, a translation of a Middle English Romance. The story is about a legendary English hero, Bevis of Hampton, who travels widely, battling dragons, saving heroines, and even enduring imprisonment. The story originally written in verse and was translated into a number of languages.

So, I pulled together some of my focus Tolkien collection into a cabinet to see how I could best present them. They came together well (and I added some Weta and Iron Studios garnish.)

I took a few images, but unfortunately there is a lot of reflection in the glass and from the mirrored back. And many books are in slipcases and clamshells. Regardless, I have attached several pictures to show the cabinet as best as I could.

(And sadly I have decided to now move many of these books to secure storage, so this is kind of a farewell set of photos.)

What’s on the shelves:

The first/top shelf are my UK and US 1st Edition/First Impression Lord of the Rings sets.

The second shelf are my UK First Edition/First thru Fourth Impression (including Children’s) Hobbits and Tolkien signed letter.

The third thru fifth shelves are all my US 1938 First Edition Hobbits.

And the bottom shelf are all my UK and US First Edition/First Impression Silmarillions.

Lance