Tag Archives: J. R. R. Tolkien

“The world is not in your books and maps. It’s out there.”

Posted on September 21, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

George Allen and Unwin, Ltd. of London published the first edition of J. R. R. Tolkien’s novel The Hobbit on this date in 1937. It was illustrated with many black-and-white drawings by Tolkien himself. The original printing was only a 1,500 run and sold out by December due to enthusiastic … Continue reading →

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There and Back Again (again)

Posted on August 16, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

I recently stumbled on a post from a random library blog about one of the most beloved books in the English language. The article focused on a wonderful 1966 American edition published in Boston by Houghton Mifflin. It includes Tolkien’s own … Continue reading →

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A Merry Middle Earth Christmas

Posted on December 4, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Now that we have officially entered the Christmas season in the U.S.A., what could be more festive than a claymation special starring Gollum and the Hobbit gang. Christmas in Middle-Earth is the wickedly charming musical brainchild of actor/musicians Brendan Dalton. … Continue reading →

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Bilbo’s Last Song

Posted on March 31, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Bilbo’s Last Song (At Grey Havens) is a poem about leaving Middle-Earth. It first appeared, as seen here, as a poster published in 1974 by George Allen & Unwin Ltd., the original English publisher of his famous novels, with illustrations … Continue reading →

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Not all those who wander are lost

Posted on March 23, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Each year on March 25th fans of J.R.R. Tolkien celebrate Tolkien Reading Day.  Around the world folks reread the books, discuss them with friends, and participate in Middle Earth related literary events. The Tolkien Society established Tolkien Reading Day in … Continue reading →

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Middle Earth Obsession

Posted on January 20, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Like many Travel Between The Pages readers, I’m a big J.R.R.Tolkien fan. I can date my interest in Middle Earth back to a bit of graffiti that I saw on a wall in New York City’s Greenwich Village neighborhood when … Continue reading →

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it’s our plain duty to escape

Posted on November 23, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

“Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisioned by the enemy, don’t we consider it his duty to escape?…If we value the freedom of mind and soul, if we’re partisans of liberty, then it’s our … Continue reading →

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Forthcoming memoir

Posted on October 7, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Commodified fantasy takes no risks

Posted on February 22, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

  “All times are changing times, but ours is one of massive, rapid moral and mental transformation. Archetypes turn into millstones, large simplicities get complicated, chaos becomes elegant, and what everybody knows is true turns out to be what some … Continue reading →

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Reading Tolkien

Posted on October 6, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Like millions of other J.R.R. Tolkien fans I have been transfixed by the new televised adaptation of the Middle Earth saga. Waiting for the next episode to drop, I searched out a wonderful set of recordings of Tolkien reading from … Continue reading →

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