The Tolkien Society
| Fan Club | |
|---|---|
| Name: | The Tolkien Society |
| Dates: | 1969-present |
| Founder(s): | Vera Chapman |
| Leadership: | |
| Country based in: | UK |
| Focus: | J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion |
| External Links: | The Tolkien Society |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
The Tolkien Society is a UK society founded in 1969 by Vera Chapman (Belladonna Took) "to further interest in the life and works of J.R.R. Tolkien".[1] It was one of the first Tolkien fanclubs and is probably now the oldest Tolkien-only club. J.R.R. Tolkien remains the society's honorary president.[2] Local subgroups are called smials.
History
In 1969, stung by the appropriation of Tolkien's works by the wilder fringes of the hippie movement, [Vera Chapman] placed an advertisement in the magazine, "New Statesman," announcing the formation of the Tolkien Society of Great Britain. At the inaugural meeting she became its secretary, a position she held for six years, seeing the the community grow from a group small enough to fit in her flat to a firmly established society. In 1972, she met J.R.R. Tolkien at a publisher's party and persuaded him to become the society's honorary president.[2]
Publications
The society publishes a bimonthly non-fiction newsletter, Amon Hen (founded 1972), and an annual zine, Mallorn (founded 1970), which include critical essays as well as original fiction and poetry. The Peter Roe Memorial Booklets was published irregularly. The society also published Speculation on the Silmarillion.
Meetings
The society organises meetings several times a year, the main one being the annual Oxonmoot, held in Oxford in September. It also organises occasional conferences; past conferences include:
- J.R.R. Tolkien Centenary Conference (1992) - jointly with the Mythopoeic Society
- Tolkien 2005 - WayBack machine link here and here. Archived progress reports with cover art can be found here.
- The Return of the Ring (2012) - (link)
Other Activities
The society organises the annual Tolkien Reading Day held on 25 March (the day Sauron was defeated) since 2003.[3]
References
- ^ About the Tolkien Society (accessed 1 October 2011)
- ^ a b The Tolkien Society: Vera Chapman (accessed 6 September 2012)
- ^ The Tolkien Society: Tolkien Reading Day (accessed 9 September 2012)