The Palantir (Tolkien zine)
| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | The Palantir |
| Publisher: | East Hardenburgh Press |
| Editor(s): | general coordinator: Jo Anne Fatherly, circulation manager: Nicki Fatherly, art director: Dorothy Sasscer, literary director: Cathy Siemann, help: Bethanne Kelly |
| Date(s): | 1978- |
| Series?: | |
| Medium: | |
| Size: | |
| Genre: | |
| Fandom: | Tolkien |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
The Palantir is a Tolkien anthology of fiction, non-fiction and art.
A 1978 Ad
A rarity: a zine that came out ahead of schedule!
THE PALANTIR is a new fanzine for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien and ALL fantasy! The zine features fan artwork, fiction, articles, poetry, etc. The first issue is scheduled for publication in January, 1978. It will carry some excellent artwork, by Melly Frame. Leah Rosenthal, & Jason Keehn, among others. There will also be poetry, fiction, humor, articles, a trivia quiz, and a special feature on Tolkien's Tengwar writing system. To reserve a copy, please send $2 and two SASE's to Dorothy Sasscer [address redacted]. The estimated length of the first issue is 40 pages, reduced offset. We are endeavoring to maintain a high level of quality with THE PALANTIR — we're selling it at what it costs us to print it. However, there are many other costs involved in the publication of a fanzine. If we had some extra money, we could have an even better zine! So if anyone's interested in donating... Contributions —- fantasy-oriented artwork, fiction, humor, articles, poetry, cartoons, etc. are wanted for the second issue. Please enclose SASE with all correspondence, and make all checks payable to Nicki Fatherly/The East Hardenburgh Press. Thank you and may the stars of Elbereth shine upon you! [1]
Issue 1
The Palantir 1 was published in 1978 and contains 42 pages.
The art is by Jason Keehn, Melody Frame, Leah Rosenthal, and [a name as a glyph].
From the editorial:
Everyone has a different idea of what they want a fanzine to be. -sigh- This is a first 'zine for all of us, and we're not exactly sure yet. We hope you'll bear with us. This first issue is mainly a light entertainment issue. It's a nice little 'zine. In the future, however, we hope to get more intellectual -- to print only the finest fiction available, and more in-depth articles. we definitely want to print a lot of humor, though.
In suceeding [sic] issues we hope to create and maintain a high standard of quality. This is only a beginning. The only way the 'zine can reach it's [sic] full potential is with your helpo Please write us and tell us what you think.
In future issues, we want to print fiction (We particularly want original fantasy, although we are also interested in printing fan fiction based on Tolkien's or other writer's work) , articles, reviews, artwork, cartoons, humor, LoC's, ads, and anything else that might be of interest. We would like to maintain some emphasis on Tolkien.
From the editorial, regarding some Tolkien film news:
Lisa Cowan reports that at a recent party of the Tolkien fellowships she talked to the pre-publicity chairman of LOTR, Mr. B. Zuber, and that the word is that Ralph Bakshi is shelving any work on the sequel for at least a year and possibly longer, to work on other projects. So it looks as if it will be a long time before we see any more hobbits on celluloid. More's the pity...
- Editorial (4)
- Middle Earth Technology, article by Jim Michel (6)
- From a Hobbit's Pantry, recipes by Jo Anne Fatherly (9)
- Elementary, My Dear Gollum, fiction by Cathy Siemann (a Tolkien/Sherlock Holmes crossover story, reprinted in The Holmesian Federation #2) (11)
- LOTR movie review by Lisa Cowan (16)
- Chalice, poem by Ellen Rawson (17)
- Tolkien Trivia Quiz by Beverly Glielmi (19)
- Like a Needle in a Haystack, fiction by Irene Shafer (22)
- Quiz Answers (35)
- Galadriel's Song by Ellen Rawson (lyrics by Rawson, words by Tolkien) (36)
- The Tengwar, article by Beverly Glielmi (topic: fictional language) (38)
- Smaug's Hoard (ads) (41)
- Horns of Elfland, poem by Sharon Allen (42)
from issue #1, Jason Keehn
from issue #1, Melody Frame
from issue #1
from issue #1
Reactions and Reviews: Issue 1
The best word for this zine is 'promising.' Reproduction is fair, which is too bad. With a little more clarity, some of the art would have been much more effective.It is a Tolkien/fantasy zine, named after Tolkien's palantiri, the mythical seeing stones from LotR. Keehan, Sasscer, Rosenthal, and Frame all provide the art, all ranging from very good to fair. Many typos appear. There are some better than average poems which surprised me. I think general fantasy and myth is a much better subject for poetry than ST, SW, or BG.
A thorough Tolkien quiz, somewhat banal cooking recipes, original fantasy filk, and ads provide fillers. Nonfiction is represented by a knowledgeable article on Middle-earth technology and an interesting lesson in Tengwar, a Middle-earth tongue.
There is a rushed but quaint Tolkien/Sherlock Holmes story which could have benefited from more expansion, and an interesting story based on the recent and very delightful 'Parsival or a Knight's Tale' by Richard Monaco, which is the longest piece in the zine. It is a troubled story but shows intelligence and a great deal of potential on the part of the writer, Irene Schafer. It has a good title, but the story needs a lot of work and, if developed more, could have been something quite superb. As it is, it's a simple adventure in a noble lord's life -- ANY noble lord since the characters don't matter to the plot.
For a first issue, 'Palantir' shows potential. Its editors are obviously people who want to put out a good product but must make mistakes necessary in their initial tryout.
I can't recommend 'The Palantir' for its price [$3.00] (sorry, guys). Borrow it somewhere. But lookout for upcoming issues. We NEED a fantasy zine, and this one looks like it will develop into a diverse and charming one. [2]
Issue 2
The Palantir 2 is undated (probably published in 1980) and contains 42 pages. It is a "special unicorn issue."
- The Road Goes Ever On (editorial) (1)
- What is a Unicorn by Beverly Glielmi (2)
- Writing Contest Update (4)
- Unicorn by Sharon Allen (5)
- The Last Night by Anji Valenza (7)
- Maris by Ellen Rawson (14)
- The Tolkien Societies in Sweden by Gabriel Stein (15)
- Irrefutable Evidence by Clare Bell (15)
- Book Reviews (19)
- The Rings of Power by Jim Michel (21)
- Dance with Me by Beverley Glielmi (23)
- Grey Lord of Death by Jason Keehn (26)
- Ballads by Ellen Rawson (27)
- The Mythical Beast by Cathy Siemann (29)
- White on Grey by Lisa Cowan (36)
- Smaug's Hoard (37)
- The Bilbo Biweekly (41)
- art by Ingrid Kallick (front cover), Melody Frame, Anji Valenza, MH, Clare Bell, Jason Keehn, Stephen Fox, Leah Rosenthal (back cover), Amy Harlib
References
- ^ from The Clipper Trade Ship #23
- ^ from Scuttlebutt #15