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   XPost: finet.harrastus.tolkien, rec.sport.pro-wrestling, alt.gal   
   ctically.pointless   
   From: rjs2084@aol.com   
      
   On Sep 21, 7:20 pm, BillV2...@webtv.net (The Void Era Man) wrote:   
   > Celebrate The Hobbit's 75th b'day with 17 lesser known Tolkien facts   
   >   
   > Tweet   
   > It was on this day 75 years ago that a little children's book about a   
   > reluctant Hobbit and his magical adventure first appeared. Today, more   
   > than 100 million copies later, The Hobbit is a touchstone of fantasy   
   > literature, the acclaimed and beloved beginning of a literary empire   
   > that later spawned what many consider the greatest fantasy saga ever   
   > written: The Lord of the Rings.   
   > In the world of genre fiction, J. R. R. Tolkien is a superstar, a   
   > godfather, a legend among legends, and as a result his life and work   
   > have been studied and studied again for decades. But there's always   
   > something new to learn.   
   > In that spirit, we're celebrating 75 years of The Hobbit by sharing 17   
   > facts about Tolkien and his work that you might not have known.   
   >   Click Image to Enlarge   
   > Tolkien was kidnapped as a baby:  Tolkien was born in South Africa,   
   > and apparently one of the family's African servants was so fascinated by   
   > the cute white baby in his midst that he took the young Tolkien home to   
   > show his own family. He returned the child the next morning.   
   > Tolkien used to show up to class in Medieval armor:  Tolkien loved his   
   > day job as a professor at the University of Oxford, so much so that   
   > sometimes when he taught Beowulf to his students, he would begin his   
   > lecture by barging into the room in chain mail and shouting the first   
   > lines of the poem (in the original Old English, of course).   
   > Tolkien may have invented the word "tween":  It's not clear if someone   
   > else may have used the word first, but Tolkien coined the term "tween"   
   > in The Fellowship of the Ring to describe a Hobbit aged between 20 and   
   > 33 (33 being a Hobbit's coming of age). Who knows what he would have   
   > thought of Hannah Montana.   
   > British rock band Led Zeppelin wrote three songs inspired by Tolkien:   
   > Robert Plant, the lead singer, is a noted Tolkien fan. Their 1969 tune   
   > "Ramble On" mentions both Mordor and Gollum, 1971's "The Battle of   
   > Evermore" features a reference to Ringwraiths, and "Misty Mountain Hop,"   
   > also from '71, is set in Tolkien's Misty Mountains.   
   > Tolkien revised The Hobbit to make it a better prequel:  After his   
   > publisher requested a Hobbit sequel, Tolkien began work on the epic that   
   > would become The Lord of the Rings. As he cemented the powers and   
   > mythology of the One Ring, he decided the first book needed to better   
   > reflect his intent. From the second edition on, Bilbo's first encounter   
   > with Gollum was darker and more aggressive to show the Ring as a   
   > corrupting force.   
   > Turns out Tolkien may not have created the word "Hobbit":  Though he's   
   > usually credited with the word, a 2003 edition of the Oxford English   
   > Dictionary notes that it actually appears in a 19th century book on   
   > folklore, in a list of obscure words to describe fairies or little   
   > people.   
   > The first edition cover of The Hobbit was designed by Tolkien:   
   > Tolkien was a prolific illustrator. The black and white maps appearing   
   > in The Hobbit were his, as was the design for the now-iconic cover,   
   > which is still used in some reprints today.   
   > Only 1,500 copies were printed of The Hobbit's first edition:  A copy   
   > inscribed to a friend by Tolkien was sold in 2008 for 60,000 British   
   > pounds. In the 75 years since its publication the book has sold more   
   > than 100 million copies.   
   > The decision to publish The Hobbit was made by a 10-year-old:  When   
   > the manuscript of The Hobbit made its way into the hands of British   
   > publisher Stanley Unwin, he asked his son Rayner to review it. Rayner,   
   > who was 10 at the time, submitted a handwritten book report on the novel   
   > that was enough to convince Unwin to publish it.   
   > Bilbo Baggins' Hobbit hole, "Bag End," was reportedly named after   
   > Tolkien's aunt's farm.   
   > Tolkien actually created three different "breeds" of Hobbit:  In the   
   > prologue of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien notes that all Hobbits are   
   > not the same. Harfoot Hobbits dwelled in mountains, had brown skin, and   
   > were smaller than other Hobbits, without beards. Stoors lived near the   
   > rivers and were described as "broader." The Fallohides lived in the   
   > woodlands, and were described as taller Hobbits with bright skin and   
   > hair.   
   > Thorin got his nickname because he was a badass in battle:  Thorin was   
   > called "Oakenshield" because once, during a battle, he lost his shield.   
   > But Thorin wasn't about to let that slow him down. He pulled a branch   
   > from a nearby tree and used it as a club for his left hand while   
   > swinging his sword with his right.   
   > Sauron appears in The Hobbit:  After The One Ring was cut from his   
   > hand, Sauron was defeated, but he was not gone. He retreated into the   
   > forest, which became known as "Mirkwood" because of the dark energy his   
   > presence created. No one knew this was him, though, so the dark presence   
   > was referred to as "The Necromancer." This necromancer is referenced in   
   > The Hobbit.   
   > Tolkien hated Shakespeare:  Though he was a passionate lover and   
   > teacher of literature, Tolkien had a blind spot for the Bard. He once   
   > said he "disliked cordially" the time he was forced to spend in school   
   > studying Shakespeare's work.   
   > Tolkien wrote The Hobbit's first sentence while grading papers   
   > Tolkien had been writing fiction in some form for a while, but   
   > apparently he didn't plan this story. One day, while grading, he found a   
   > blank page and simply wrote "In a hole in the ground there lived a   
   > hobbit" in a sudden burst of inspiration.   
   > Tolkien never said Hobbits have big feet:  Though many depictions of   
   > the Shire folk would later give them disproportionately large feet,   
   > Tolkien never specified that Hobbits should have unusually large feet.   
   > Though he was very clear about the feet having fur.   
   > Tolkien didn't want The Hobbit published in Nazi Germany:  Though he   
   > was popular in Germany for his academic writing on old Germanic and   
   > Norse cultures, Tolkien was disgusted by Nazi Germany, and called Adolf   
   > Hitler a "ruddy little ignoramus." When it came time for a German   
   > edition of The Hobbit, a German official asked Tolkien to prove that he   
   > was "Aryan" enough, in accordance with Nazi law. Tolkien instead wrote a   
   > letter back expressing regret that he didn't have Jewish ancestors.   
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