Mith: Added date link

2011-06-11T10:53:45Z

Added date link

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:53, 11 June 2011
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	\| #=187		\| #=187
	\| to=H. Cotton Minchin		\| to=H. Cotton Minchin
−	\| date=Undated, [[1956#April\|April]], [[1956]] – Written at the top: "More or less as sent 16 April"	+	\| date=Undated, [[1956#April\|April]] [[1956]] – Written at the top: "More or less as sent [[16 April]]"
	\| subject=The rushed map for [[The Return of the King\|Volume III]], the missing volume		\| subject=The rushed map for [[The Return of the King\|Volume III]], the missing volume
	}}{{letter\|187}}		}}{{letter\|187}}

Gamling: Created page with "{{letter infobox | #=187 | to=H. Cotton Minchin | date=Undated, April, 1956 – Written at the top: "More or less as sent 16 April" | subject=The rushed map fo…"

2011-04-27T21:05:15Z

Created page with "{{letter infobox | #=187 | to=H. Cotton Minchin | date=Undated, April, 1956 – Written at the top: "More or less as sent 16 April" | subject=The rushed map fo…"

New page

{{letter infobox
| #=187
| to=H. Cotton Minchin
| date=Undated, [[1956#April|April]], [[1956]] – Written at the top: "More or less as sent 16 April"
| subject=The rushed map for [[The Return of the King|Volume III]], the missing volume
}}{{letter|187}}
==Summary==
As research students always discover, said Tolkien, however long they are allowed and careful their work, there is always a rush at the end. So it was with ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' and the maps. His son, the [[Christopher Tolkien|C.T or C.J.R.T]] of modest initials, was called in. Neither had had an entirely free hand. When it became apparent that the "general map" was insufficient for the final Book, Tolkien devoted many days (the last three virtually without food or sleep) to re-scale the large map and then Christopher worked 24 hours straight to produce the final map just in time. Inconsistent spelling was due to Tolkien, who had decided, for consistency, to spell Elvish names with a 'C' rather than a 'K' even though his son insisted that no one would ever pronounce ''Cirith'' correctly.

To Tolkien and his son the most absorbing interest was Elvish tongues, nomenclature based on them, and the alphabets. He had planned a "specialist volume" which would be largely linguistic, having an index of names with etymological interpretations that would provide a large Elvish vocabulary. He had worked at it for months until it was clear that its size and cost would be ruinous. The “production department” also cut out his "facsimiles" of the three pages of the ''[[Book of Mazarbul]]'', without which the opening of Book Two, Chapter 5<ref>{{FR|II5}}</ref> was defective and made the Runes of the [[The Lord of the Rings Appendices|Appendices]] unnecessary.

Tolkien revealed what many wanted in an extra volume: Minchin wanted maps, others wanted geological indications (more difficult and perilous, said Tolkien, since he had very little knowledge), many wanted Elvish grammars, phonologies, specimens, some wanted metrics and prosodies. Musicians wanted tunes and musical notations. Archaeologists wanted ceramics and metallurgy. Botanists wanted more details of Tolkien's Middle-earth trees and flowers. Historians wanted the social and political structure of [[Gondor]] while others wanted information about the [[Wainriders]], the [[Harad]], Dwarvish origins, the [[Oathbreakers|Dead Men]], [[Beornings]], and the missing wizards. It would be a big volume, said Tolkien.
{{references}}
{{letters}}

Letter 187 - Revision history

Mith: Added date link

Gamling: Created page with "{{letter infobox | #=187 | to=H. Cotton Minchin | date=Undated, April, 1956 – Written at the top: "More or less as sent 16 April" | subject=The rushed map fo…"