Back in April I shared audio of J.R.R. Tolkien reading from The Lord of the Rings. This rare treat was thanks to the Professor’s enjoyment of recording personal readings of his work on some of the first home-use tape recorders after being introduced to them by a friend in 1952. These short stretches of audio... Continue Reading →
Throwback Thursday: ‘Lucky Catch’, by Norman Rockwell (1955)
Norman Rockwell is an iconic American illustrator, and I love this piece because my father is a Lobsterman and known to be a teller of tall-tales. This reminds me of how I visualized some of those tales as a child. ;-) On this piece, The Saturday Evening Post website has the following to say: Rockwell... Continue Reading →
Throwback Thursday: J.R.R. Tolkien Reads from The Lord of the Rings (Circa 1953)
I just recently discovered this, and had no idea that such a treat for Tolkien fans existed! In 1952 Professor Tolkien encountered one of the first home-use tape recorders via a friend. In short order, it would seem that he fell in love with the device… using it to record readings of his work and... Continue Reading →
Throwback Thursday: J. R. R. Tolkien’s Hand Drawn Map of Middle Earth (1955)
Drawn on graph paper so that he could calculate travel times between locations like countless Dungeon Masters would do decades after his books were published, I love this glimpse into Tolkien's creative process! He put such love and effort into detailing his world. I believe that's why it holds up so very well over time.... Continue Reading →
Throwback Thursday: Varan the Unbelievable – Main Title by Akira Ifukube (1958)
Varan the Unbelievable is a largely forgotten Daikaiju Eiga in the west, even though it was directed by Ishirō Honda (who also directed the original and classic Godzilla) and featured a score by the masterful Akira Ifukube (who scored the original Godzilla and many other films in the series). The film may have it's problems,... Continue Reading →
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