This column is sort of an extension of my March column, "Tolkien Publications for the Year 2000." Most of the books announced there have already been published, but there are a few no-shows that have been cancelled or pushed further into the future. These include The History of the Hobbit, by John D. Rateliff, and the facsimile of the first edition of The Hobbit, both announced by HarperCollins for British publication. When I hear more about them, I’ll let you know!

Also, the second Greenwood Press title, J. R. R. Tolkien and His Literary Resonances, edited by George Clark and Daniel Timmons, was delayed from its June publication, though the Greenwood web-site now lists the book as available, so it must have come out recently.

HarperCollins in England has added some more Tolkien titles to their list of publications for this fall. Like last year’s Millennium Edition of The Lord of the Rings, there will be a Hobbit Gift Pack, to include a hardcover of The Hobbit, along with a "Map of The Hobbit," six postcards of Tolkien’s artwork for The Hobbit, and a CD recording of Tolkien reading the Gollum chapter of the book, and some poems. All will be included in a presentation box, for £19.99, to be published in October.

Another interesting publication for October will be a deluxe volume of the first five volumes of The History of Middle-earth series–that is, all five books, published in one huge hardcover for £99.99. The title will be The Complete History of Middle-earth, Part One. This I believe this will be followed next year by two further volumes, one covering the writing of The Lord of Rings, and another covering the later Silmarillion materials published in the last volumes of The History of Middle-earth. Thus you can own the twelve volumes of The History of Middle-earth, in a three volumes set!

Other new British publications include a paperback version of the seven volume boxed set of the Millennium Edition of The Lord of the Rings. This was to have been published in September, at £29.99. And in October, a paperback version of the Ted Nasmith-illustrated Silmarillion is scheduled, for £14.99. Then in November comes a hardcover boxed set of the Alan Lee illustrated editions of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, for £69.99. November will also bring a paperback edition of last year’s 50th anniversary edition of Farmer Giles of Ham, at £5.99.

Clay Harper of Houghton Mifflin Company in Boston has given us an advance peek at their Tolkien plans for the U.S. in Spring 2001.

First, Tom Shippey’s J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century should be out in hardcover, probably in March. This is a book of literary criticism, and its appearance in England this fall has caused a stir of controversy!

In April or May, look for the "Second Edition" of The Simarillion, both in hardcover and in trade paperback. This "Second Edition" came out last year in England. It has all of Christopher Tolkien’s corrections in it, as well as a short "Preface to the Second Edition" by him. Additionally, there is a fourteen-page extract from J. R. R. Tolkien’s famous 1951 letter to Milton Waldman, in which he discusses his aims in writing The Silmarillion. It’s a fascinating letter.

Other highlights on the Spring 2001 list include a new cover for Karen Wynn Fonstad’s Atlas of Middle-earth, and two audio cassettes–of Roverandom, and of Farmer Giles of Ham. Both will be read by Derek Jacobi.

As for other publishers, at least one plans a Tolkienian book for the Spring. St. Martin’s Press has scheduled for February publication Hobbits, Elves and Wizards: The Wonders and Worlds of J. R. R. Tolkien’s "The Lord of the Rings", by Michael N. Stanton. It will be a hardcover, priced at $19.95, but I’m not sure yet whether it is some sort of guidebook like Robert Foster’s Complete Guide to Middle-earth, or whether it is something completely different.

turgon@theonering.net