Early next year, Oloris Publishing will release Glorious Warriors and That Which They Defend: War and Politics in Middle-earth by Timothy R. Furnish, Ph.D.  Applying Primary (Real) World analysis to Tolkien’s Secondary one, this work will survey and analyze: the policies and governments of Elves, Dwarves and Men, with particular attention to the latter (focusing on Gondor/Arnor and succession strife); the fighting modes, tactics and strategies of not just the Free Peoples but also Orcs and invading Men (Easterlings and Southrons); case studies of selected battles from each Age; asymmetrical warfare and COIN (counter-insurgency) as it was waged in Middle-earth; other important military topics such as sieges, naval warfare, logistics and command & control; and, finally, the ideologies of warfare in Tolkien’s world, across space, time and racial boundaries, as well as the “feigned historicity” of such fictional combat and institutions.

This book should prove fascinating to fans of The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and The Silmarillion, but also to anyone interested in military history, real or fictional, as well as to gamers in The Lord of the Rings Online and related MMORPGs.

To enhance Dr. Furnish’s detailed analysis of this aspect of Middle-earth’s history, Oloris are seeking artists specialising in one or more of the following areas:
•   conceptual artwork of armour and weaponry
•   depictions of battle scenes
•   map illustration

Interested parties are invited to contact the submissions editor at submissions [at] olorispublishing [dot] com with samples, scans or photographs from their portfolio for consideration, along with a brief description of their previous artistic experience.

Oloris Publishing is an independent publishing house dedicated to publishing exceptional works of fiction and non-fiction that will deeply engage readers across a variety of genres. To learn more visit their website HERE

Columbia University’s Rare Book & Manuscript Library has announced Betty Ballantine’s gift of a collection of books and papers relating the work of her and her late husband Ian in their long and distinguished careers in publishing.

The gift includes a nearly complete run of Penguin titles in pristine condition, along with a full set of Ballantine and Bantam paperbacks, in equally fine condition, as well as an archive of the Ballantines’ work as an independent publishing team after the sale of their company to Random House.

Ballantine Books revolutionized the paperback industry, sparking a new mass market in publishing. They were one of the earliest publishers of science fiction paperbacks; they published the first authorized paperback editions of J.R.R. Tolkien‘s books in the ’60s.

The Ballantines sold their business to Random House in 1973 but continued as independent agents, editors, and publishers for another twenty years.

The gift of books and archives strengthens the Rare Book & Manuscript Library’s considerable resource collection in the areas of publishing and book history.

Read the full news item HERE

The much-anticipated inaugural book from Oloris Publishing, Seer: A Wizard’s Journal, is now available. Jef Murray’s first full-length title is a collection of essays, poems, and short stories that are richly illustrated with art from Murray’s extensive body of work. Seer: A Wizard’s Journal was released on 31 May 2012.

Jef Murray is an internationally known artist and essayist. His works have appeared in such publications as Silver Leaves, Amon Hen, Mallorn, Beyond Bree and Mythprints. His artwork has been featured in video courses and television specials on J.R.R. Tolkien.

In the acknowledgements, Murray relates how the book came to be: after Mark Ostley (Director of Operations for Middle-Earth Network) read the story Pendragon he suggested that a book be published.

“I recollect telling him that I’m not a writer,” relates Murray, “but I rummaged through old files and newsletters and discovered that I had, almost inadvertently, penned so many poems, polemics and parables over the years as to make even me reconsider.”

In spite of being reluctant at first, Murray quickly became enthusiastic. Since Oloris Publishing is committed to collaborating with the writer and encourages full participation of the author, it is truly the author’s voice that the reader experiences. Murray was involved with the project every step of the way.

The result – a collection of stories and poems that offer encouragement and stir within the reader a renewed longing for mystery. Magic rings, magic books, and the magic of nature’s beauty all work together to rekindle that which is lost by “growing up.”

Seer: A Wizard’s Journal takes the reader on a journey through the seasons, encountering a variety of people and situations that can be met only with a wizard by one’s side. Wait for a mysterious visitor in The Watchman, discover elves in The Promise, view portraits that change lives in Pendragon… and learn to see again with the eyes of a child.

Copies are now available at Oloris Publishing. Oloris Publishing is the independent publishing arm of Middle-Earth Network.

Fantasy Short Stories is a new publication established with the aim of publishing the best short stories in Heroic, Epic, and High Fantasy, and with plenty of Swords and Sorcery thrown in. The publisher states: “Although many of our authors may be unknown to you, we aim to set high standards for publication, and to discover some great new talent in the world of fantasy fiction.

Fantasy Short Stories will provide a safe haven for all lovers of proper fantasy: we wave garlic maces in the face of all urban vampires. If you want tales of magic, dragons and sword-play then Fantasy Short Stories is for you. We love the work of writers such as George R.R. Martin, Michael Moorcock, Lord Dunsany, J.R.R. Tolkien, Gene Wolfe, Jack Vance, Roger Zelazny, Joe Abercrombie, Ursula Le Guin, Robin Hobb and David Gemmell, and hope that you do too.”

The stories contained in Fantasy Short Stories Issue 1 are described HERE. Fantasy Short Stories Issue 1 is available on Smashwords for $4.99; via Amazon for Kindle, and Amazon.co.uk.

If you would like to contribute to Fantasy Short Stories, they are looking for fantasy stories up to 10,000 words, offering token payments of $10. Guidelines HERE.

HarperCollins has acquired exclusive worldwide publishing rights from Warner Bros Consumer Products for tie-in books to the two highly anticipated films, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again, directed by Peter Jackson and productions of New Line Cinema and MGM.

“Inspired by the two films based on The Hobbit, the HarperCollins companion books are a fantastic way for fans of the world of Middle-earth to immerse themselves in the film experience,” said Karen McTier, Executive Vice President of Domestic Licensing and Worldwide Marketing for Warner Bros Consumer Products. “HarperCollins has a strong history with the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, and we know that the detailed tie-in books will bring The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again to life in an in-depth and imaginative way.”

The Hobbit, first published by George Allen & Unwin in 1937, has been a perennial bestseller since starting life with a very modest 1,500-copy print run. Since then, it has gone on to sell many millions of copies in more than 50 languages, and in this 75th anniversary year of its publication, is set to captivate another generation of readers. HarperCollins acquired the publishing rights to The Hobbit and its sequel The Lord of the Rings when it bought Unwin Hyman publishers in 1990, revitalizing the books’ sales and steering their publishing and book licensing through the unprecedented heights of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy in 2001-2003.

Author, biographer and broadcaster Brian Sibley, who recently won the BBC Audio Drama Award for his dramatization of The History of Titus Groan, has returned to New Zealand to write the behind-the-scenes Official Movie Guides, while novelist and former Tolkien editor Jane Johnson is writing essential Visual Companions to introduce filmgoers to the remarkable world of the two films, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again. Bestselling New Zealand author and photographer Ian Brodie is writing the Location Guide which highlights the spectacular locations in New Zealand that have provided the settings for the films. In addition, HarperCollins will be breaking new ground with a range of children’s books in the form of annuals, movie storybooks and feature titles, as well as a new series of lavish hardbacks written and designed by the award-winning team at Weta, who are working closely with the production team to guarantee that these books will be bursting with insider information and stunning visual imagery.

For its April meeting this year the Birmingham Science Fiction Group is proud to welcome Robert Blackham, noted Tolkien expert, who will be showing his new presentation about Tolkien’s experiences in the World War. Bob returns to the BSFG following his successful and popular presentation in 2009.

Bob is the author of several books about J.R.R.Tolkien, including The Roots of Tolkien’s Middle-Earth, Tolkien’s Oxford, The Pitkin Guide to Tolkien and Tolkien and the Peril of War. Bob’s presentations always give a fascinating insight into Tolkien’s experiences, as well as suggesting possible inspirations that would later turn up in Middle-Earth.

The meeting is on 13 April 2012 at the Briar Rose Hotel on Bennett’s Hill, Birmingham; this venue is just 5 minutes walk from New Street Station and handy for all bus routes. The meeting opens its doors at 7:30 pm.

The group itself has many members of all ages, and between them the membership has an enormous wealth of knowledge of literary SF, as well as film, television, etc. If you want to know about a particular author or book, the BSFG may be able to help you! Just let them know you are a first timer when you turn up and any member will be happy to introduce you to the committee and make you feel as welcome as we can…

If you live anywhere in or around the West Midlands, the BSFG is the group for you! For further information, and a copy of our monthly newsletter, please email: BHAMSFGROUP@YAHOO.CO.UK

World Fantasy Convention 2013 is pleased to announce that Academy Award- and World Fantasy Award-winning illustrator Alan Lee will be its Artist Guest of Honour in Brighton. Alan Lee began his career working as a commercial artist, contributing work to dozens of paperback book covers, including reissues of The Fontana Book of Great Ghost Stories edited by Robert Aickman and R. Chetwynd-Hayes. After moving in the mid-1970s to a small village on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon, he shared a studio with Brian Froud and together they created the groundbreaking illustrated book Faeries.

The success of this picture book gave the artist the freedom to spend several years bringing the Celtic myth of The Mabinogion to life, and he went on to create the delicate watercolour illustrations for Castles by David Day, Michael Palin’s The Mirrorstone (in collaboration with Richard Seymour), The Moon’s Revenge by Joan Aiken and Merlin Dreams by Peter Dickinson, along with numerous book cover designs.

However, Alan Lee is best known for his association with perhaps the greatest fantasy author of all time, illustrating the 1,200-page centenary edition of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Artist and author soon became inextricably linked through such collaborations as Tolkien’s World: Paintings of Middle-Earth, the 1993 J.R.R. Tolkien Calendar (and many subsequent editions), Realms of Tolkien: Images of Middle-Earth, a new edition of The Hobbit, The Children of Húrin, Tales from the Perilous Realm and David Day’s non-fiction study Tolkien’s Ring.

The artist’s work for Rosemary Sutcliff’s Black Ships Before Troy received the prestigious Kate Greenaway Award in 1993 for distinguished work in the illustration of children’s books in the UK. In 1998 he won the World Fantasy Award for Best Artist.

Alan Lee has also enjoyed an equally successful career as a conceptual designer for movies, and his credits include Legend, Erik the Viking, the Jane Yolen-scripted Merlin and the Dragons, the 2005 King Kong and the 1998 TV mini-series Merlin.

Director Peter Jackson contacted the artist to work on his acclaimed cinematic trilogy of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. After being nominated for The Two Towers the year before, in 2004 Alan Lee won an Oscar for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration for his work on The Return of the King. The artist is currently based in New Zealand, where he is working again with Jackson on the eagerly-anticipated prequels The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again.

“I’m very flattered to be asked to be Artist Guest of Honour,” says Alan Lee, “and happy to accept the invitation. I’m meant to be finishing on The Hobbit movies some time this year. My work on the The Lord of the Rings films went on for six years beyond what I was originally anticipating, but even if I am still involved I can arrange my annual trip back to England to coincide with the convention. I look forward to seeing everyone in 2013!”

Alan Lee joins previously announced Author Guests of Honour Richard Matheson and Richard Christian Matheson, along with Master of Ceremonies China Mieville, in the picturesque and vibrant seaside town of Brighton, on the south coast of England, over the weekend of 31 October – 3 November 2013.

Full details and booking information on the website HERE