From rec.arts.sf.written Fri Sep 11 15:42:01 1992 Path: isy!liuida!sunic!mcsun!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!think.com!paperboy.osf.org!hsdndev!nmr-z!amber.mgh.harvard.edu!loos From: loos@amber.mgh.harvard.edu (William D.B. Loos) Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written Subject: Tolkien Book List Message-ID: <10SEP199201321341@amber.mgh.harvard.edu> Date: 10 Sep 92 06:32:00 GMT Sender: usenet@nmr-z.mgh.harvard.edu (User for USENET news postings) Organization: Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston Lines: 474 News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41 Nntp-Posting-Host: amber.mgh.harvard.edu The following list is complete with respect to books containing material written by J.R.R. Tolkien as of September 1992. It is (intentionally) not complete with respect to secondary and biographical sources, but does contain 1) those which I consider best and 2) those which are generally highly regarded (overlapping but not identical groups). This list is not limited to books in print; indeed, a number of the best are out of print. There is a lengthy introductory note on the state of the accompanying maps as currently presented by the publishers, which I urge you to read if you or anyone you know are about to obtain LotR (Tolkien himself considered the maps to be of primary importance). [The beginning of the actual book listings is marked with a double line of "="'s for skipping ahead purposes.] William D.B. Loos loos@frodo.mgh.harvard.edu =============================================================================== =============================================================================== VARIOUS POINTS 1) No attempt has been made to include in this list either Tolkien's academic journal articles or poems that were published in various literary magazines. For further information, see Appendix C of Humphrey Carpenter's Biography. 2) There have been numerous special editions of both The Hobbit and LotR; only generic editions have been included here. 3) This list is composed primarily of American editions. In general there is an equivalent British edition in each case, usually published by Unwin Hyman (formerly Allen & Unwin). It is very difficult to get British editions in the US (and vice-versa?). 4) In many cases two paper edition have been listed, one from Houghton Mifflin and one from Ballantine. In all cases the Houghton Mifflin editions are trade paperbacks (i.e. larger size) while the Ballantine editions are mass- market paperbacks. 5) The following errors in Books in Print have been corrected. The major one: _The Magical World of the Inklings_ was *NOT* written by J.R.R. Tolkien; rather, it's *about* the Inklings (the Big Four: Lewis, Tolkien, Williams, Barfield). Minor errors: it's the Book of *Lost* Tales, not "Last" Tales; and a number of the books listed are in fact out of print. 6) The following abbreviations have been used: HM == Houghton Mifflin op == out of print A WORD ON MAPS Because of Tolkien's extraordinarily careful attention to details of geography, landscape, and the lengths of the various journeys, the maps have always been extremely important -- without them it would have been impossible either to write the story or to follow it in any detail. The best maps available are those made by Christopher Tolkien (CJRT) for his father. Originally, all US editions contained the same set of maps, but for some reason Ballantine has substituted horrible redrawn maps for the originals in their current printings. Thus, if you or anyone you know is acquiring The Lord of the Rings, make sure you or they get a copy with the original maps. The Editions so graced are 1) either of the current Houghton Mifflin editions or 2) a sufficiently old secondhand printing of the Ballantine edition. The best compromise between cost and quality is probably the Houghton Mifflin trade paperback edition, which has the maps as endpapers -- as such, the maps are large enough to be useful. Given the escalating cost of mass market paperbacks, the difference in price ($9.95 (Houghton Mifflin) vs. $5.95 (Ballantine)) is reasonably small and well worth it (the trade edition is also a nicer edition in general). For those who wish to identify which Ballantine printings are sufficiently old, here are the specifics: The first edition contained three maps: 1) the small map of the Shire which precedes Chapter 1 of _The Fellowship of the Ring_ , 2) the main map of the western lands of Middle-earth which accompanies _The Fellowship of the Ring_ and _The Two Towers_ , and 3) the large-scale map of Rohan and Gondor which accompanies _The Return of the King_ . In 1980 Christopher Tolkien presented an enhanced main map to accompany _Unfinished Tales_ , which included many place-names not on the original. UT also included a previouly unpublished map of Numenor. Now, the current Houghton Mifflin hardcover contains the Shire map in its traditional place, the (original) main map in fold-out form with FR and TT, and the large-scale map in fold-out form with RK. That's fine. The Houghton Mifflin trade paper-cover edition contains the Shire map in its traditional place, the main map as an endpaper (extending over two pages) to FR and TT, and the large-scale map as an endpaper (also extending over two pages) to RK. That's fine, too. The Ballantine edition originally had exactly the same arrangement, with the maps reduced only to the extent required by the smaller size of the books (but still quite adequate, being spread over two pages). Unfortunately, sometime in the 80's Ballantine removed the originals. Their first deranged act was to take Christopher's new main map from UT, reduce it to microscopic size, cut it into quarters, and place the quarters on four separate pages. They've now gone one step beyond even that and have redrawn *all* the above maps. These redrawn maps are among the most horrible and appalling creations I've ever seen. The mountains and trees are too large for the scale; not only do they look silly but they also are placed carelessly, thereby fuzzing the geographical details. The mode of lettering is too large: the place names run over each other, and some are left off altogether. The coastlines and many other places have been copied less carefully than they might have been. Finally, both maps (the main map and the large-scale map) have been squeezed onto one page each, whereas originally each was spread over two. [The redrawn maps are signed "Shelly Shapiro 88".] Worst of all is the Shire map: it's presented in reduced form in the lower lefthand corner of the main map, with most of the features and 90% of the place names left off. This last is especially tragic since Tolkien expended enormous care and effort on the place names of the Shire (it was a grand simulation of the place-names of England) -- a number of them do not appear either in the narrative nor in the appendices. Thus, what were five pages of maps have been reduced to two. Finally, and inexplicably, a similarly redrawn version of the map of Numenor mentioned above is shown on a third page. This last is particularly inane, since this map, taken from Part II of Unfinished Tales, has no connection at all with LotR. The wasted page might have been used for a larger version of the Shire map. What's amazing about the new maps is that they're worthless from *every* point of view. Not only are they aesthetically inferior (which only fanatics might be expected to worry about) but they also destroy the (generally) tight fit between the story and the originals. It's a performance of exceptional ineptitude, even for a book publisher. The situation in the current printing, then, is this. FR and TT contain the three pages of redrawn maps described above; RK still contains the new main map from UT cut into quarters. For those who prefer the cheaper Ballantine editions, anything before 1980 is probably alright. However, if it's not clear from the above description, I urge you strongly to spend a minute examining the Houghton Mifflin editions so you'll know what the maps *should* look like. OTHER MAPS Having covered LotR so carefully, I should also mention the state of the maps in the other works: The Hobbit is fine: both Houghton Mifflin and Ballantine have included the two original maps in double-page format. Unfinished Tales: the Houghton Mifflin trade edition has Christopher's redrawn map on the insides of the covers, which is adequate; the Ballantine edition, on the other hand, has the same horrible set of maps that FR and TT have. The Silmarillion: the HM hardcover has the map of Beleriand as a foldout; the HM trade edition doesn't have this map at all, which is silly since the Table of Contents lists it as an endpaper (it isn't there); the Ballantine edition, on the other hand, does have it in a suitable form: spread over two pages. Caveat emptor... =============================================================================== =============================================================================== A) Principal Works - The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings The Hobbit. Originally published by Allen & Unwin in 1937 (2nd ed. 1951, 3rd ed. 1966, 4th ed. 1978) and by HM in 1938 (2nd Amer. ed. 1951 [cloth] and 1965 [paper], 3rd Amer. ed. 1966); many editions are currently available, including special 50th anniversary editions; standard ones are: HM, 1966 (ISBN 0-395-28265-9) (paper); Ballantine, 1966 (ISBN 0-345-33968-1) (paper). The Annotated Hobbit. Annotated by Douglas A. Anderson; HM, 1988 (ISBN 0-395-47690-9). The Lord of the Rings. Originally published by Allen & Unwin in 1954-55 and by HM in 1955-56; revised edition in 1965; sometimes published as one volume but generally as three; the 1987 HM editions referred to below are the most recent attempt to correct the many textual errors that have crept in over the years. [See the Note on the Text, by Douglas A. Anderson, at the beginning of FR of that edition.] The Fellowship of the Ring. HM, 1987 (ISBN 0-395-48931-8); HM, 1987 (ISBN 0-395-27223-8) (paper); Ballantine, 1965 (ISBN 0-345-33970-3)(paper). The Two Towers. HM, 1987 (ISBN 0-395-48933-4); HM, 1987 (ISBN 0-395-27222-X) (paper); Ballantine, 1965 (ISBN 0-345-33971-1)(paper). The Return of the King. HM, 1987 (ISBN 0-395-48930-X); HM, 1987 (ISBN 0-395-27221-I) (paper); Ballantine, 1965 (ISBN 0-345-33973-8)(paper). Lord of the Rings. Centennary edition, with 50 illustrations by Alan Lee. HM, 1991 (ISBN 0-395-59511-8) [$60.00]; HM, 1991 (ISBN 0-395-60423-0) [Signed edition (by the artist) -- $250.00]. B) Related Middle-earth Works: Any writing by J.R.R. Tolkien which extends our knowledge of Middle-earth (excluding the History of M-e series). The _Letters_ are included because of the many strange and wonderful insights into M-e that they contain, which indeed is why most people read them. _A Tolkien Compass_ is included because it contains "The Guide to Names in LotR", a fascinating but far too little known compilation, also by JRRT himself. The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. Selected and Edited by Humphrey Carpenter with the assistance of Christopher Tolkien. HM, 1981 (ISBN 0-395-31555-7). The Road Goes Ever On: A Song Cycle. Poems by J.R.R. Tolkien set to music by Donald Swann. HM, 1967, 1978 (ISBN 0-395-24758-6) [op]. Allen & Unwin, 1968, 1978 (ISBN 0-04-784011-0) (British edition). A Tolkien Compass. Including J.R.R. Tolkien's "Guide to the Names in The Lord of the Rings" (prepared for publication by Christopher Tolkien). Edited by Jared Lobdell. Open Court Publishing Company, 1975 (ISBN 0-87548-316-X); Open Court Publishing Company, 1975 (ISBN 0-87548-303-8) (paper); Ballantine, 1980 (ISBN 0-345-28855-6) (paper). The Silmarillion. Edited by Christopher Tolkien. HM, 1977 (ISBN 0-395-25730-I); HM, 1983 (ISBN 0-395-34646-0) (paper); Ballantine, 1985 (ISBN 0-345-32581-8) (paper). Unfinished Tales. Edited by Christopher Tolkien. HM, 1980 (ISBN 0-395-29917-9) [op]; HM, 1982 (ISBN 0-395-32441-6) (paper); Ballantine, 1988 (ISBN 0-345-35711-6)(paper). Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien. HM, 1979 (ISBN 0-395-28523-2) [op]. C) The History of Middle-earth: A careful and exhaustive presentation of J.R.R. Tolkien's unpublished writings as edited by his son Christopher. Note that this is literary scholarship, no more, no less, *NOT* new stories. The Book of Lost Tales, Part One (HoM-e Vol I). HM, 1984 (ISBN 0-395-35439-0) [op]; HM, 1986 (ISBN 0-395-40927-6) (paper); Del Rey (Ballantine), 1992 (ISBN 0-345-37521-1) (paper). The Book of Lost Tales, Part Two (HoM-e Vol II). HM, 1984 (ISBN 0-395-36614-3) [op]; HM, 1986 (ISBN 0-395-42640-5) (paper); Del Rey (Ballantine), 1992 (ISBN 0-345-37522-X) (paper). The Lays of Beleriand (HoM-e Vol III). HM, 1985 (ISBN 0-395-39429-5); HM, 1988 (ISBN 0-395-48683-1) (paper). The Shaping of Middle-earth: The Quenta, The Ambarkanta, and The Annals (HoM-e Vol IV). HM, 1986 (ISBN 0-395-42501-8). The Lost Road and Other Writings: Language and Legend Before 'The Lord of the Rings' (HoM-e Vol V). HM, 1987 (ISBN 0-395-45519-7). The Return of the Shadow: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part One (HoM-e Vol VI). HM, 1988 (ISBN 0-395-49863-5). The Treason of Isengard: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part Two (HoM-e Vol VII). HM, 1989 (ISBN 0-395-51562-9). The War of the Ring: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part Three (HoM-e Vol VIII). HM, 1990 (ISBN 0-395-56008-X). Sauron Defeated: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part Four (HoM-e Vol IX). HM, 1992 (forthcoming -- due in Fall 1992). D) Children's Stories These could arguably have been placed with the "Short Works". My reasons for making a separate section: 1) they are children's stories in a way that the other short works are not and 2) for convenience -- each has appeared in one form, whereas the other short works exist in a multitude of combinations. Bilbo's Last Song. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes. HM, 1990 (ISBN 0-395-53810-6). Dragonfly Books, 1992 (ISBN 0-679-82710-2) (paper). (Published originally as a poster in 1974 by Allen & Unwin and by HM). The Father Christmas Letters. Edited by Baillie Tolkien. HM, 1976 (ISBN 0-395-24981-3) [op]; HM, 1977, 1991 (ISBN 0-395-59698-X) (paper). Allen & Unwin, 1976 (ISBN 0-04-823130-4) (British edition). Mr. Bliss. HM, 1983 (ISBN 0-395-32936-1) [op]. Allen & Unwin, 1983 (ISBN 0-04-823215-7). (Facsimile edition reproduced from Tolkien's illustrated manuscript.) Oliphaunt (Beastly Verse Board Book). Illustrated by Hank Hinton. Calico Books (Contemporary Books, Inc.), 1989 (ISBN 0-8092-4353-9). (An illustrated version of the well-known poem.) E) Short Works: Various shorter pieces, all of them fiction except for 'On Fairy Stories', a lecture, and 'The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm's Son', which includes scholarly commentary. All appeared during Tolkien's lifetime and thus presumably were completed to his satisfaction. A variety of combinations exists; the list below is not complete. [FGH] Farmer Giles of Ham [TL] Tree and Leaf ('On Fairy Stories' and 'Leaf by Niggle') [HBBS] The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm's Son [ATB] The Adventures of Tom Bombadil [SWM] Smith of Wooton Major Farmer Giles of Ham. HM, 1950, 1978 (illustrated by Pauline Baynes) (ISBN 0-395-07121-6) [op] ; HM, 1991 (illustrated by Roger Garland) (ISBN 0-395-57645-8). The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm's Son, in Essays and Studies by members of the English Association, New Series Volume VI, 1953, pp 1-18. (London, John Murray). The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Verses From the Red Book. HM, 1963 (illustrated by Pauline Baynes); HM, 1991 (illustrated by Roger Garland) (ISBN 0-395-57647-4). Tree and Leaf. HM, 1965, 1989 (ISBN 0-395-50232-2). (The 1989 edition includes the poem 'Mythopoeia'.) The Tolkien Reader. Ballantine, 1966 (ISBN 0-345-29881-0) (paper). [Contains HBBS, TL, FGH, and ATB.] Smith of Wooton Major. HM, 1967 (illustrated by Pauline Baynes) [op] ; HM, 1991 (illustrated by Roger Garland) (ISBN 0-395-57646-6). Smith of Wooton Major and Farmer Giles of Ham. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes. Ballantine, 1969 (ISBN 0-345-33606-2) (paper). Poems and Stories. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes. Allen & Unwin, 1980 (ISBN 0-04-823174-6) (Deluxe Edition). [Contains ATB, HBBS, TL, FGH, and SWM.] F) Scholarly Works: Such scholarly work of Tolkien's as has appeared in book form. Tolkien in his own lifetime produced only the _Middle English Vocabulary_ and the editions of _Sir Gawain and the Green Knight_ and the _Ancrene Wisse_. The others were edited by Christopher Tolkien or other former students. The book of _Essays in Memoriam_ contains only one piece by Tolkien but this seems a suitable place to list it. _Songs for Philologists_ strictly speaking is not a work of scholarship, but it is certainly of that flavor. This is the category it comes closest to fitting; since only about 15 copies are in existence it hardly matters where it is listed. It contains poems by Tolkien and colleagues in Old, Middle, and Modern English, Icelandic, and Latin, plus the only existing poem in Gothic (by Tolkien). Some have been reprinted, most notably the one that became Sam Gamgee's Troll Song. Three of Tolkien's Old English poems and the one in Gothic are printed with translations in an appendix to _The Road to Middle-earth_ by T.A. Shippey (see Section J). Songs for Philologists. J.R.R. Tolkien, E.V. Gordon, and others. Privately printed in the Department of English at University College, 1936. A Middle English Vocabulary. Clarendon Press, 1922. (Designed for use with Kenneth Sisam's _Fourteenth Century Verse and Prose_, Clarendon Press, 1921; subsequently published as a glossary to Sisam.) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Edited by J.R.R. Tolkien and E.V. Gordon. Clarendon Press, 1925. (2nd edition revised by Norman Davis, 1967). Ancrene Wisse: The English Text of the Ancrene Riwle. Edited by J.R.R. Tolkien. Oxford University Press, 1962. Early English Text Society, Original Series No. 249. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo. Translated by J.R.R. Tolkien; edited by Christopher Tolkien. HM, 1975 (ISBN 0-395-21970-1) [op]; Ballantine, 1980 (ISBN 0-345-27760-0) (paper). Allen & Unwin, 1975 (ISBN 0-04-821035-8). The Old English Exodus. Text, translation, and commentary by J.R.R. Tolkien; edited by Joan Turville-Petre. Oxford University Press, 1981 (ISBN 0-19-811177-0). Finn and Hengest: the Fragment and the Episode. Edited by Alan Bliss. HM, 1983 (ISBN 0-395-33193-5). The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays. Edited by Christopher Tolkien. HM, 1984 (ISBN 0-395-35635-0). J.R.R. Tolkien, Scholar and Storyteller: Essays in Memoriam. Edited by Mary Salu and Robert T. Farrell. Cornell University Press, 1979 (ISBN 0-8014-1038-X). [op] G) Biographical Works: Books about Tolkien's life rather than his literary or scholarly work exclusively. Tolkien: A Biography; by Humphrey Carpenter. HM, 1977 (ISBN 0-395-25360-8) [op]; HM, 1988 (ISBN 0-395-48676-9) (paper); Ballantine, 1985 (ISBN 0-345-32729-2) (paper). The Inklings: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and Their Friends; by Humphrey Carpenter. HM, 1979 (ISBN 0-395-27628-4). [op] J.R.R. Tolkien, Architect of Middle-earth; by Daniel Grotta. Running Press, 1976 (ISBN 0-89471-034-6); Running Press, 1978 (ISBN 0-89471-035-4) (paper). A Tolkien Family Album; by John and Priscilla Tolkien. HM, 1992 (ISBN 0-395-59938-5). H) Secondary Works I -- Middle-earth Lore: These books are compilations of various kinds of information about Middle-earth. How helpful any given one may be depends on the needs of the individual reader. In general they are labors of love by people who genuinely care about Middle-earth and thus are generally well done. Some are enjoyable even when unneeded and more than one is impressive merely from the truly phenomenal amount of detailed study it represents. Two works on the following (incomplete) list (Strachey, Foster) have been referred to positively by Christopher Tolkien in his various commentaries and a third (Allan) by several people knowedgable in Middle-earth languages. I can personally attest to the quality of the others. The Atlas of Middle-earth; by Karen Wynn Fonstad. HM, 1981 (ISBN 0-395-28665-4) [op]; HM, 1991 (revised edition) (ISBN 0-395-53516-6) (paper). A Tolkien Bestiary; by David Day. Crescent Books, 1979 (ISBN 0-517-47325-9). [op] The Languages of Tolkien's Middle-earth; by Ruth S. Noel. HM, 1974, 1980 (ISBN 0-395-29129-1) [op]; HM, 1980 (ISBN 0-395-29130-5) (paper). An Introduction to Elvish: and to other tongues and proper names and writing systems of the Third Age of the Western Lands of Middle-earth as set forth in the published writings of Professor John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. Edited and compiled by Jim Allan from his own researches and from those of Nina Carson [and others]; as authorized by the Mythopoeic Linguistic Fellowship, a discussion group of the Mythopoeic Society. Bran's Head Books Ltd., 1978 (ISBN 0-905220-10-2). [US -- op ; England -- in print] Journeys of Frodo: An Atlas of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings; by Barbara Strachey. Ballantine, 1981. The Complete Guide to Middle-earth,; by Robert Foster. HM, 1971, 1978 (ISBN 0-345-27520-9) [op]; Ballantine, 1974, 1979 (ISBN 0-345-32436-6) (paper). J) Secondary Works II -- Critical Works: A small sampling of the voluminous body of critical works which have attempted to address the "Lord of the Rings phenomenom". Except for the last two, the ones listed are those studies which I have read *and* which I have reason to think are above average (which is to say, they don't miss the mark entirely). The last two: the Knight book (which may indeed be interesting though only one quarter about Tolkien, the other three-quarters being about Lewis, Williams, and Barfield) is included because it's listing was so garbled in Books in Print (Tolkien is *NOT* the author); the Johnson book (a bibliography) is included to help those who have a taste for such things to pursue the literature (it takes us up through c. 1985). A word on _The Road to Middle-earth_. I recommend it unreservedly -- there's no question that it's the best study of Tolkien available, being primarily philological and medievalist rather than literary in perspective. Shippey, a friend of both Tolkiens, father and son, is himself a philologist and medievalist who holds the chair at Leeds University that Tolkien once held himself. The Road to Middle-earth; by T.A. Shippey. HM, 1983 (ISBN 0-395-33973-1). [op] Splintered Light: Logos and Language in Tolkien's World; by Verlyn Flieger. Eerdmans, 1983 (ISBN 0-8028-1955-9) (paper) [op]. (a facsimile version of the original hardcover is available for an outrageous sum.) Tolkien and the Silmarillion; by Clyde S. Kilby. Harold Shaw, 1976 (ISBN 0-87788-816-7). [op] Master of Middle-earth: The Fiction of J.R.R. Tolkien; by Paul Kocher. HM, 1972 (ISBN 0-395-14097-8) [op]; HM, 1972 (ISBN 0-395-17701-4) (paper). J.R.R. Tolkien: Myth, Morality, and Religion; by Richard L. Purtill. Harper & Row, 1984 (ISBN 0-06-066712-5). [op] The Magical World of the Inklings; by Gareth Knight. Element Books, UK (Tempest Books, US), 1990 (ISBN 1-85230-169-4) (paper). J.R.R. Tolkien: Six Decades of Criticism; by Judith A Johnson. (Bibliographies & Indexes in World Literature Series No. 6). Greenwood Press, 1986 (ISBN 0-313-25005-7). From alt.fan.piers-anthony Mon Jun 8 19:16:19 1992 Path: isy!liuida!sunic2!mcsun!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!news From: jdawson@cs.utexas.edu (John Dawson) Newsgroups: alt.fan.piers-anthony Subject: Tolkien RULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 ? ... Date: 7 Jun 1992 01:47:52 -0500 Organization: CS Dept, University of Texas at Austin Lines: 108 Message-ID: References: <167FCE377.WCHE@vm.poly.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: langtry.cs.utexas.edu Summary: Surely you're joking? WCHE@vm.poly.edu writes: > Why is Piers Anthony getting his own group? What about THE greatest >fantisy writer of all time? Who, you might ask? J.R.R. Tolkien of >course!!!!!!!! "Lord of the Rings" RULES!!!!!!!!! When I first read this, I got a chuckle out of it; I thought for sure you were just kidding. People who post that many exclamation marks are usually doing it deliberatly to be silly and spoof what they are talking about. Thinking about this some more I've decided you're serious. Why would you say he is the greatest fantasy writer of all time? The only grounds I would rank him as the best of all time for, even in a tie, would be because he was doing it before everybody else was. I'm not much of a subscriber to the philosophy that our ancestors were so superior to anything being done today. I've heard literary people make claims that Homer was the greatest epic writer who ever lived (these are naturally the ones who hold to the idea that Homer was an actual person), or that Shakespeare was the greatest writer in any language who ever lived, or that Milton was supreme for some reason. Some people say that music today isn't as good as it used to be; nobody can compare to Bach, or Beethoven, or Elvis Presley, or Led Zeppelin, or the Beatles. I say, Balls! Hogwash! There is plenty of good writing that's been written in the last twenty years; the only difference is that it hasn't had a chance to be venerated for centuries yet. And there's plenty of good *ORIGINAL* music out there, too; it just doesn't get into rotation on the radio. This really burns me up. I used to like oldies stations, but after listening to them for a few years it occurred to me, "They are playing the same damn music they have been now for the past thirty years." I finally realized how totally stagnant they are and gave up on them. For a while, I listened to AOR. That's Album-Oriented Rock, and it's those stations that play Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd and Boston and the Allman Brothers and Bad Company and Eric Clapton and the list goes on and on. They claim to play "new" music by bands like Guns 'n' Roses, which are recording today but are rehashing the same damn stuff over and over. I don't want to go into any tirade about GNR specifically, or any of the other rehash bands. They are competent musicians, and the music is good, except considered in the context of being a rehash of stuff from "The Masters" twenty years ago. My old roommate has worked as a DJ on an AOR station and talked to other AOR DJ's, and they have tried to play new music by new artists producing different music. When they do, they get calls, lots of them, from people calling in and saying "What's this crap, man, just play more Led Zeppelin!!!!!! Stairway To Heaven is the best song ever written!!!!!!!!!!" If the DJ's try to play something different, the audience dwindles, profits shrink, and the DJ's get ordered to play more Led Zeppelin. (As an aside, I almost fell out of my chair laughing in the scene in Wayne's World when they started to play Stairway to Heaven and the guy yells "READ THE SIGN" and the camera pans over to the "ABSOLUTELY NO STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN ALLOWED" (whatever) sign.) Led Zeppelin was great. At the time, what they did was relatively new. But they have spawned off generations of musicians who idolize them and what they did and want to make more music just like it. It's hard for new musicians to do different things because if they stray from the mold they starve. This situation sucks! AOR sucks! These days I prefer listening to almost anything but the worst sampled top-40 synth rap pretty girl harmony drum machine schlock than AOR. The people that listen to AOR probably laugh at their parents for listening to oldies stations, but in twenty years their kids will be laughing at them. Back to Tolkien. Tolkien did stuff that was great, especially given the lack of precedent for it. But I think the people who worship him do so generally because he is *J.R.R.*TOLKIEN* the deity and their parents told them he was great, not because of the quality of his work. They are venerating him because he's an Old Dead Dude and therefore superior to what we have today since the world today sucks. The analogy to AOR isn't very good I admit; you don't see authors today trying to mold their fantasy to be just like him or face total poverty. (That is, poverty even greater than they would otherwise face.) Or do they? Tolkien laid out his scheme of elves and hobbits and dwarves and lots of other things, and they are pretty much the basis for all fantasy today. The modern idea of an elf is of a thin diminutive magical creature, very refined, usually long-lived or immortal, etc. etc. etc. It would be interesting to know how Tolkien's work has shaped the meaning of "elf" and "dwarf" and "dragon". It's hard to imagine the word elf referring to a dark stocky creature today, but if Tolkien hadn't written the virtual encyclopaedia of fantasy, perhaps we just wouldn't have much information on what the word "elf" really refers to. I guess this really isn't that harmful; it's not a crime to define what words mean. If you want to write a story about some weird beastie, you can still write it, you just probalby won't call the beastie an elf. Are there any non-historical grounds on which to claim Tolkien is the greatest fantasy writer ever? -- jdawson@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (John Dawson) SF/misc