One for Die-Hard LOTR Fans

I used to be a huge Tolkien fan, loving his work for the intricate world creation that lay behind it all.  I first read Lord of the Rings back when I was about 11 and re-read it several times in my early teens.  After that it subsided a little.  It's a phase I think one goes through (like PG Wodehouse).

I've just spent some time looking for a quotation that goes something like 'All boys at the age of 13 should think that Lord of Rings is the greatest book ever written: no-one should think that at the age of 20'.  I can't get it right or remember who wrote it (Salman Rushdie?).  After getting the "Oh fuck, not another elf!" quotation wrong the other week (it wasn't C.S. Lewis in the Eagle, it was Hugh Dyson at a reading in Lewis' rooms), I don't want to go out on a limb on this one.  Does anyone remember anything like that?

I love the BBC radio adaptation and was pleased when the films came out and initially enjoyed them.  Then I realised that they were erasing my mental vision of Middle Earth, which hadn't quite tallied with Jackson's.  I'm disappointed that his vision now seems to be ubiquitous.

One survivor of the Jacksonian take-over is Mithrial Miniatures, based with Prince August in Ireland.  They've been producing Tolkien figures and vignettes since 1987 (over 600) and are very nice, if a little pricy.

Isn't this nice?

The reason I'm posting this is that they have a loyalty club (I'm not a member!) and are having this rather cool deal at the moment:

Just a final reminder that the opportunity to take part in this unique event is almost over. The event ends at 16.00 BST on August 14th. This is your chance to have your portrait added to one of our miniatures. All you need to do is join the fellowship club, if you have not already, and take part in the August suggestion thread on our forum.

The basic rules for the suggestions are:

1. You can only suggest ONE single figure.
2. It has to be from our Mithril License so it has to be sourced from the Hobbit or the Lord of the Rings books.
3. It must be a generic figure from Middle-earth. So no named character.
4. It must be from one of these three races: Human, Elf or Dwarf.
5. If you choose a Dwarf, you MUST also have a beard in real life.
6. It can be any profession that fits into the Middle-earth storyline.
7. You must be a Fellowship member to take part.

It's silly, but I'm rather taken with Rule 5 and that's what's prompted this post.

Beardies Speak Out

Wizzard

This afternoon I was able to catch up with reading the Saturday newspapers.

The Daily Telegraph carried interviews with two giants of our time.  Have a look - they're worth reading.

Terry Practchett interview

Rowan Williams interview

Archbishop