Tolkien Journal

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Zine
Title: Tolkien Journal
Publisher: New York Tolkien Society
Editor(s): Dick Plotz (Frodo) (#1-#8), Ed Meskys (#9-#10), Richard C. West (#11), v (#12), Richard C. West (#13-#15)
Date(s): Spring 1965-Summer 1972
Medium: print
Size:
Fandom: Tolkien
Language: English
External Links:
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Tolkien Journal is a gen anthology of reviews, articles and art about J.R.R. Tolkien. For three issues, it was a dual-publication with Orcrist.

Issue 1

Tolkien Journal v.1 n.1 (#1) was published Spring 1965 and is a single sheet of paper, printed only on one side.

the first issue

It consists mainly of club rules and expectations for the journal.

It is online: Tolkien Journal 1 - Page 1, Archived version

Issue 2

v.1 n.2 (#2) was published in "Winterfilth 1965" and contains 3 pages, printed on one side. This issue contains a short bibliography of articles by Alexis Levitin "of interest to Tolkien fans."

first page of issue #2

It is online: Tolkien Journal 2 - Page 1, Archived version

Bob Foster is in the middle of the monumental task of producing another complete Tolkien index. This one will be cross-referenced, for a change. Bob has over 1200 items on index cards.

Esquire Magazine lists J.R.R. Tolkien as one of the hundred best people in the world. We're inclined to agree.

"The Ring-Inscription," analysis by Mark Mandel (Lhaurhir): [excerpt]: These are the only words we know of the pure Black Speech, but Tolkien shows his genius by making these lines so regular that we can analyze from them a number of elements of the Black Speech grammar and vocabulary.

[from the editor]: The Tolkien Society of America has been successful beyond my greatest hopes. I had originally anticipated ab«ut thirty or forty members. I now have 156 names on my mailing list. Of these, close to 100 have written to me, and perhaps 70 did so in response to the original advertisement in the New Republic. I find Tolkien fans wherever I go. One member reports that a book store near Columbia displayed a notice for the Society. I like to find out about these things. Membership ranges throughout the United States, and there are members In Canada and England. The largest group is concentrated about New York, but there are also sizable concentrations in Chicago, Boston, and Los Angeles. As for occupational groups, by far the majority of members are students. Also represented are teachers, artists, writers, and scientists. The students are mostly interested in Anglo-Saxon literature, but there are many psychology and science majors as well. In short, the membership is highly diversified. The meeting on 11 September (18 Halimath) brought 25 members to my house to discuss LotR. Soon afterward, I received a six-page letter from Professor Tolkien himself. Tolkien's friend, poet W.H. Auden, is a member of the Society; he calls himself Gimli. Frankly, I would prefer that all this name-calling stops I don't want to be called Frodo, and I'm sure most members agree on that count.

The attempt to finance the Journal by voluntary contributions has not worked well enough. Despite substantial contributions, more than half of which came from Steve Patt of Baltimore, the Journal has continued to run at a deficit, I have therefore decided, out of necessity, to charge a nominal fee for the Journal (but not for membership, which continues to be free). Starting with the next issue, a subscription to the Journal will cost 50 cents per year. For this low price the subscriber receives four issues of the Journal and notices of all meetings. In addition, all members, whether or not they subscribe to the Journal, will receive an annual notice of one general meeting. The Journal will appear in Afteryule, Astron, Afterlithe and Winterfilth.

"The Ace Books Controversy" by Dick Plotz "(The facts in this article were largely contained in Prof. Tolkien's recent letter to me.)": [excerpt]: As Prof. Tolkien explains it, "(The law) says in effect (that) if any property is left unguarded, by inadvertance or otherwise, a person who appropriates it cannot be called a thief, even if he can be shovrn to have known to whom the property in justice belonged. " It was on this law that Ace relied in publishing their pirated edition. Since the publication of the Ace edition, public opinion and comment have been so un favorable to Ace that they have tried to save face by offering an "honorarium" to Tolkien, They did not, as is widely believed, offer Tolkien a royalty before they commenced publication of the trilogy. The advantages of the Ballantine paperbacks are many. Ballantine has included The Hobbit, while Ace has only LotR, The paper used in the Ballantine edition is of better quality than that used by Ace. Only small portions of the Middle-earth maps are included in the Ace editions; they are complete in the Ballantine. The Ace books were poorly edited; in at least one place an entire line of a poem is omitted. The Ace appendices are useless, for the page references contained therein refer only to the Houghton Mifflin edition.

Prof. Tolkien would like an explanation of the cover of the Ballantine Hobbit, "Can any member of the T.S.A, tell me," he writes, "what a lion and emus are doing in the vignette, or what is the thing with pink bulbs in the foreground? The publishers won't say and merely sob because I don't approve,"

Issue 3

cover of v.2 n.1 by Ann Kruger

Tolkien Journal v.2 no.1 (#3) was published in 1966 and contains 11 pages. Front cover by Ann Kruger

It is online: Tolkien Journal 3 - Cover, Archived version

Issue 4

It is online: Tolkien Journal 4 - Cover, Archived version

Issue 5

Tolkien Journal v.2 no.3 (#5) was published in 1966 and contains 15 pages. Richard Plotz, ed. Front cover by Ann Kruger. It contains 15 pages.

cover of v.2 n.3, Ann Kruger

It is online: Tolkien Journal 5 - Cover, Archived version

  • Tolkien Notes from All Over (2)
  • The Lord of the Rings: A Christian Refounding of the Political Order by Donald Reinken (4)
  • Letters (fictional letters, including a letter of acceptance to Harvard for Bilbo Baggins) (11)
  • In Samarang by Jerome Z. Litt, M.D. (15)
  • The Last Song Sung in Lórien by Bob Foster (15)

Issue 6

Tolkien Journal v.2 no.4 (#6) was published in 1966. Richard Plotz, ed. It contains 15 pages. Front cover by Margie Reasenberg. Back cover by Dave Prestone - "Black Rider."

front cover of v.2 n.4, Margie Reasenberg
back cover of v.2 n.4, Dave Prestone

It is online: Tolkien Journal 6 - Cover, Archived version

[from the editorial]:

We are sad to report the rumored demise of Entmoot, our sister Tolkien magazine. Greg Shaw, its publisher, has reportedly not found the time or motivation to continue his noble effort. It is a great loss if Entmoot will not appear again, for it helped to fill the gap between the Tolkien Society and science fiction fandom.

Hopefully, the gap will be filled, at least occasionally, by I Palantir, the official organ of The Fellowship of the Ring, the oldest extant Tolkien fan organization. I Palantlr appeared recently for the first time since 1964, and only the fourth since the founding of The Fellowship in 1960, Bruce Pelz complains that his hang-up was material, I Palantlr has been a rather more elaborate publication than either Entmoot or the Tolkien Journal. Issue U contained a cartoon-format version of the Journey through Morla, several articles on Tolkien fandom, and a musical comedy "pirated from many" entitled Hello Frodol. Perhaps the best thing about this play Is the cast, which Includes the Beatles as the four hobblts, Rlngo as Frodo; Boris Karloff as Gandalf; Tom Smothers as Sauron; and the Rolling Stones and the Animals as the Nine Nazgul. The Fellowship is a somewhat exclusive organization; membership costs one dollar plus approval by Bruce Pelz. The latter is somewhat difficult to obtain, but for those who have a photographic knowledge of the books, it may be worth a try. Bruce Selz's address is Box 100, 308 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles. Don't a try. Bruce Belz's address is Box 100, 308 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles. Don't write Just for the sake of writing; Bruce won't appreciate it.

Also, Niekas is still going strong. At fifty cents the copy, its probably the best buy in science fiction fandom. It was nosed out at the World Science Fiction Convention by ERBdom. the Edgar Rice Burroughs fanzine, but this was largely due to bloc voting and a special issue of ERBdom. It (Niekas) has Tolkien and Gilbert & Sullivan news as specialties, with the normal run of SF news as well. Write Felice Rolfe...

  • J.R.R. Tolkien (poem) by Julian Davidson (2)
  • The Role of Gollum, article by Alexis Levitin (2)
  • Song of the Fourth Age, article and song ("The Queens Cry or The Swansong of Arwen Undomlel") by Cathleen Collett (6)
  • Middle-earth Crossword - Names and Genealogy by Scott Smith (8)
  • The Fall of Ugluk, poem by Judy Quinn (9)
  • 3 letters from fans (11)
  • List of Reviews of The Lord of the Rings in mainstream media (14)
  • Notice of meeting (15)

Issue 7

Tolkien Journal v.3 no.1 (#7) was published in 1967 and contains 24 pages. Richard Plotz, ed. Titled HAPPY BIRTHDAY J.R.R. TOLKIEN. Front cover by Ann Kruger. Back cover by Tim Kirk.

front cover of v.3 n.1, Ann Kruger
back cover of v.3 n.1, Tim Kirk

The art is by Ann Kruger, Tim Kirk, Dave Prestone, Judy Anker, and Albert Vanderburg.

It is online: Tolkien Journal 7 - Page 1, Archived version

  • Dedication (3)
  • Introduction (3)
  • Smials (4)
  • Good and Evil in The Lord of the Rings by W.H. Auden (5)
  • Tolkien Notes from All Over (8)
  • Tolkien as Scholar and Artist by Clyde S. Kilby (9)
  • Science Fiction Fans Salute Tolkien by Edmund R. Meskys (12)
  • Tolkien Notes from All Over (13)
  • A Birthday Menu for Professor Tolkien by Nancy Smith (14)
  • Letters (15)
  • Birthday greetings from Nan Scott, P.L. Travers, Howard Nemerov, Peter Beagle, Albert Vanderburg, Gilles Gerris, George Allen & Unwin, Houghton Mifflin, Ace Books, Ballantine Books (18)
  • extract of first reader's report on The Hobbit from George Allen & Unwin, 1938 (21)
  • Two pages of extracts from readers' reports from Houghton Mifflin Co. (22)
  • full page ads from Ace Books and Ballantine (24)
  • Green Dragon Two, things for sale from The Tolkien Society (26)
  • from v.3 n.1

    from v.3 n.1

  • from v.3 n.1

    from v.3 n.1

  • from v.3 n.1

    from v.3 n.1

  • from v.3 n.1

    from v.3 n.1

Issue 8

Tolkien Journal v.3 no.2 (#8) was published in 1967 and contains 22 pages.

All art is by Tim Kirk. Richard Plotz, ed. Front cover by Tim Kirk - "Last Homely House at Rivendell." The back cover is also by Kirk: "The Passage at the Dead Marshes."

It is online: Tolkien Journal 8 - Cover, Archived version

front cover of v.3 n.2 by Tim Kirk
back cover of v.3 n.2 by Tim Kirk

It is the last issue edited by Plotz and he includes along letter of explanation.

  • Editorial by Dick Plotz (1)
  • Solution to Scott Smith's Middle-earth crossword puzzle from v.2 n.4, amended in v.3 n.1 (2)
  • The Elder Ages and the Later Glaciations of the Pleistocene Epoch by Margaret M. Howes (includes maps) (3)
  • List of Tolkien Translations (15)
  • Samwise-Halfwise? or Who is the Hero of The Lord of the Rings by Jan Wojcik, S.J. (16)
  • Letter to the editor (actually to W.H. Auden) critiquing his characterization of Sauron and speculating on the latter's origins (19)
  • Invitation to the TSA Meeting on September 2, 1967 at the First Unitarian Church in Brooklyn (advertises, among other things, "Mayhem! Food! Drink! Meet your favorite hobbit. Hear Ed Meskys, long Thain from N.N." as well as encouragement to go to NYCON 3.) (21)
  • "Addendum to Mrs Howes's article" by Mrs Howes (21)

Richard Plotz' letter:

This will be my last issue of the Tolkien Journal, I've been talking with Ed Meskys about the transfer of the TSA, and he seems willing and able to continue the Journal, and possibly the button, book, and poster services, with much more consistency than I have been able to provide, The necessity for change is probably evident to many of you whose button orders, sent in months ago, have not yet been processed. There are many reasons for both the delay and the imminent transfer.

Central to the whole problem is the basic setup of the TSA as I conceived it over two years ago. It was a small, one-man organization, designed for no more than a couple of hundred members. Membership was free, the Journal sustained by contributions, I could recognize every member's name for the first few months. Then came the magazine articles and the paperbacks. Circulation jumped from 100 for the first issue to 250 for the second, Ballantine Books unofficially printed the third issue (400 copies) and the fourth (800) when they could not be covered by voluntary contributions. At no time, in fact, did Ballantine imply any obligation or exert any editorial influence. The decision to support and push the Ballantine paperbacks until Ace paid royalties was mine, made before I had any contact with Ballantine.

But a year ago I was forced to charge membership and subscription fees, which turned out to be less if I used my own printer. Dues were $1.50 at first, and went up to $2.00 early this year, to keep enrolment [sic] down rather than to finance extra costs. But as more people read the Books, more joined. By the end of 1966, there were one thousand dues-paying members; there are another five hundred or so now. The burden is simply too heavy for me to handle, I've enlisted the help of my family, friends, enemies, anyone, but those of who wrote for buttons for someone's birthday in May will find that hard to believe. Imagine this, then; so far this year, I have received nearly ten thousand letters. Generally, mail has come in at the rate of fifty to sixty letters a day, I begin to agree with those who complain that the TSA has become a Sauronic monster.

Unlike some of my harshest critics, though, I do think there is a place for an inclusive organization for Tolkien people, Tolkien's popularity is a bare fact. The Tolkien Society of America had little, if anything, to do with creating that fact. There is no returning to the days when one could write messages on subway walls in Elvish and expect that they would remain confidential. But it is still possible to get immense enjoyment from just reading The Lord of the Rings and talking with a few friends about the hidden ways of Lothlorien. This is the ideal way to know Tolkien, the way of the smial and less. The great need for a large blanket organization, not a smial, is this: there must be one publication that anyone can get, which provides general news and articles.

What would it be like having to buy Tolkien Journals from New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Atlanta to get the full picture? And a small, exclusive, yet geographically widespread organization would quickly become narrow and cultish, like the Baker Street Irregulars.

So we have a large organization, publishing four (?) times a year, selling buttons, books, and posters; a one-room plant, appropriated from a house that is lived in; and a Thain who can't be active and in school at the same time. Solution: disband or transfer.

I thought it would be disband, pay you all off, and threw the field open to the dogs, until a week ago when Ed Meskys called. Seems that Belknap College, where he teaches physics, has a new computer which, among other things, prints mailing lists from IBM cards onto mailing labels would say maintaining the mailing list In proper order was the most harrowing task I had as Thain, and the one I was most reluctant to entrust to lesser hands, aside from editing the Journal. If a machine could do that for Ed, then he, as Thain or whatever, would have that much more time to answer your questions personally or to compile a better Tolkien Journal. Ed hopes to be able to take advantage of other opportunities at Belknap which would enable him to take over most of the functions of the TSA with much less effort. The button-book-poster business may have to go to someone else, but the whole operation will probably be preserved, Meanwhile, I have people working day and night to get your orders to you. That birthday may be long past, but Tolkien is timeless.

All these arrangements must be discussed at the meeting, but it seems fairly certain that the next Thain of the TSA will be Edmund R. Meskys (pronounced Meshkeess, to set you on the right foot at the start). You will be pleased with the new service, which cannot be half so atrocious as it is now, even If the computer breaks down. In anticipation of leaving, I'd like to say that I've enjoyed the Tolkien Society of America, that I look forward to helping out in the future in any small capacity that Ed has for me, and I hope you continue to support it as you have in the past, Eru knows it should tax your patience less. Namarie!

  • from v.3 n.2, maps by Mrs. Howes

    from v.3 n.2, maps by Mrs. Howes

  • from v.3 n.2, maps by Mrs. Howes

    from v.3 n.2, maps by Mrs. Howes

  • from v.3 n.2, maps by Mrs. Howes

    from v.3 n.2, maps by Mrs. Howes

  • from v.3 n.2, maps by Mrs. Howes

    from v.3 n.2, maps by Mrs. Howes

Issue 9

Tolkien Journal v.3 no.3 (#9) was published in late summer 1968 and contains 15 pages. It was edited by Ed Meskys. Front cover by Bonnie Bergstom.

front cover of v.3 n.3, Bonnie Bergstrom
back cover of v.3 n.3, Pierre Fournier

The front cover is by Bonnie Bergstrom, and the back cover is by Pierre Fournier. The interior art is by Vaughn Bodē and Tim Kirk.

It is online: Tolkien Journal 9 - Page 1, Archived version

From the editorial:

AT LONG LAST another Tolkien Journal is done! This issue is being finished on 24 July 1968, tho I suppose it will take a few more weeks to get it printed, bound and mailed out. It has been a hectic year since I took the Thainship over from Dick Plotz, but I am developing a system and hope I can get the TJ out on a regular schedule now. I do believe I'll be able to get another TJ out before the end of the year. I have the material for it but need articles and art for the issue after that.

Due to the mechanics of printing it is more economical to publish one 16 page & 1 32 page issue than two 24 page issues. Because I am using a more compact format I believe I get as much material into 16 pages as Dick got into 24 so I will plan on having every fourth issue a special 32 page one with full- color cover. Tentatively it will be the first issue of each volume. I already have a color photograph of the painting I want to use as the first color cover. It is an excellent picture of Bree by a Los Angeles area member. (Incidentally, can you name at least 2 other things' in imaginative literature named Bree!)

Then we will have the Tolkien Conference at Belknap College in Center Harbor New Hampshire on the weekend of Oct 18-20. I have already about 8 speakers and hope for many more.

An exact time table won't be set up until I have a better idea of the total number of papers to be presented. Tentatively, Fri day evening will be set aside for a reception where attendees will get a chance to meet one another. The papers, panel discussions, etc. will run all day Saturday and early Sunday after noon, perhaps overflowing to Friday if there are enough.

[...]

As a part of the Conference we are having, through the courtesy of Marquette University, an EXHIBIT of ORIGINAL TOLKIEN MANUSCRIPTS.

[...]

A few of the younger members have inquired whether they would get anything out of the conference. I think most points of most papers would be understood by any real Tolkien fan. A few will admittedly be beyond them, however.

[...]

REPORT FROM QUEENS COLLEGE

For some time the student & faculty dining halls at Queens College, Flushing NY, have been tempting palates by offering once a week a menu from a different foreign country. In line with this practice, and in observance of Frodo's & Bilbo's birthday, the Queens College Dining Halls presented last Sept 21 the following: Hobbit Mushroom Soup, Sam's Fish & Chips, Coney Stew (beef & rabbit), Troll's Roast Breast of Mutton, Bacon & Mushrooms of the Shire, Prancing Pony Plate (cold meat, ripe cheese & mushrooms), Gandalf's Platter (cold chicken, eggs & pickle), Steak Uruk-hai (steak tartare), Gollum's Delight (pickled herrings), Carrotses, Parsnips, Lembas (shortbread), buttered scones & respberry jam, Seed Cake Balin, Apple Tart Bifur, Pippin's White Cake, Beorn's Honey Cake (Baclava), Apples, Cheeses & Ent Draught (a fruit punch).

Both student & faculty dining halls were decorated with facsimilies [sic] of LotR book jacket maps. Middle-earth posters and replicas of newspaper and magazine reviews of LotR, all of which were supplied by Ballantine Books. In addition, there were hand-lettered posters bearing such legends as Happy Birthday Bilbo & Frodo,' Frodo Lives' and Go Gandalph [sic] Go. All members of the dining room staff wore Middle-earth buttons (and bemused expressions). Credit for the event goes to Mr. George Bineth, Lecturer in English at the College, and Mrs Kay Kuipets, Director of the College dining halls. They researched LotR thoroughly, along with The Hobbit & Tolkien Reader, for every possible mention of food.

Food-wise, the birthday celebration was a success, at least in the faculty dining hall. A very cursory examination of greasy paper plates on the tables in the student cafeteria revealed more remains of burgers & fries than of anything else. Interestingly, more of the faculty seemed to know what was going on than did the students, most of whose reaction to the novel cuisine was a thumping 'Huh?

It was unfortunate that the Middle-earth menu was offered on the first day of the semester, thus precluding any opportunity to publicize it in advance.

WRITING IN TENGWAR

I get many request, especially from younger members, for information on how to write in Tengwar (the script-like form, as opposed to the Runic Cereth). The information is in the appendicies of LotR but is confusing because there is more than one way of using it and none are perfectly suited for English. It is like an Egyptian asking how to write his language in Roman letters. How should he use the j' for instance? To represent an H sound (as in Spanish), a Y sound (as in German), or a Dz sound (as in English)? Tengwar was was used for Sindarin & Quenya, different languages containing different sounds, and the characters had different values in these languages.. .just like J. Also, there were two 'modes'.. .systems for placing vowel marks. (Tengwar, like Hebrew, is, not a true alphabet for it has no vowel characters. See Diringer's Book, The Alphabet, Philosophical Library). In one the te'nter (vowel iriarks) are placed over the proceeding consonent [sic], in the other over the following. One or the other can be used, but they should NEVER be mixed the way they were on some bad buttons originating on the West Coast.

Thus it takes a lot of determination to write, successfully, using Tengwar. A lot of arbitrary decisions must first be made, and even then one can't just use a chart and say that (always) C goes to F. Among other things, the Tengwar is phonetic while English spelling isn't.

John Closson, who designed the good buttons, is working on the problem of what system would be best for English, and comparing the countless systems that have been proposed. He will eventually write an article for TJ suggesting one uniform system for interested members to use in communicating with one another. (But please don't write to me in Tengwar for I cannot read it & must send it to Bob Foster or Cory Seidman for translation.

Issue 10

front cover of issue #10, Bonnie Bergstrom
back cover of issue #10, A. Harper

Tolkien Journal v.3 n.4 (#10) was published in November 1969 and contains 24 pages. Front cover by Bonnie Bergstrom, back cover by A. Harper.

The art is by Steve Fabian, Tim Kirk, Bonnie Bergstrom, Anne Etkin, Cynthia Goldstone, A. Harper, Katherine MacFarlane, Glen Prim, F. Sibley, and Joni Stopa.

It is online: Tolkien Journal 10 - Page 1, Archived version

It was noted in the editorial that "United Artists does have a film agreement with Professor Tolkien, but I have no more information at this time."

From the editorial:

This issue was delayed because we got bogged down trying to type everything with even right hand margins, and it proved to be just too much work. We had also planned to transcribe the discussion which followed the Tolkien Conference papers but the tapes were too indistinct. We will try again when preparing for the book version of the proceedings. Apologies for the appearance of this issue but some manuscripts were typed a year ago and have gotten rather dirty.

Also, a few corners were cut to get the issue out. TJ #11 is reduced too much because of confusion on typing instructions. Looks should pick up with #12 which is already 3/4 typed.

Also from the editorial:

TJ #11 will be combined with ORCRIST #3 and TJ #12 with MYTHL) RE 5, The former is no problem for ORCRIST has virtually no subscribers but is sold on a single issue basis and the merger will be be permanent. Every ORCRIST will be a TJ which will bring you about 2 extra magazines a year, and very good ones at that. MYTHLORE is another problem for there are perhaps 100 overlapping subscriptions, and the book-keeping will be very difficult. There might be a permanent merger here, too, but many details would have to be worked out.

From the essay by Bisenieks:

Middle-earth is not our private preserve any more. It has become too visible, and some people are as dismayed by the fact as they would be by an invasion of ores. Tolkien's work has captured at one stroke the readership of Kahlil Gibran, J.D. Salinger, and Mad Magazine. The makers of posters and records have exploited the trend. And critics and commentators, from the anonymous pundits of

Time upward, have put in a word, not always very polite, about work and readers both. No wonder some of us dislike this burst of publicity. We like to think that our interest in The Lord of the Rings is both individual and judicious: the critics will not acknowledge this. I don't think that a private delight has been spoiled for me, and I have found the criticism -- even the worst of it -- instructive and even entertaining. If some of it is unfair comment, it is best to be aware of such. Know Your Enemy. I teach literature, and fantasy has for some time been my number one problem in criticism. What is literature for, and how can it be relevant to life even when it is fantastic?

Issue 11

front cover of issue #11 Tim Kirk

Tolkien Journal v.4 n.1 (#11) (same as Orcrist #3. It was published in Jan 1970 and contains 24 pages. Editor: Richard West, Art Editor: Glen GoodKnight, front cover: "The Hornberg in Helm's Deep" -- Tim Kirk. Dedication: For Deborah Webster: critic, composer, poet: "who has heard the horns of elfland."

The art is by George Barr, Bonnie Bergstrom, Steve Fabian, Tim Kirk, Bruce McMenomy, Diana Paxson, and Bernie Zuber.

It is online: Tolkien Journal 11 - Page 1, Archived version

  • Introduction (editorial) (2)
  • The Genre of The Lord of the Rings by Alexis Levitin (4)
  • Contemporary Medieval Authors by Richard C. West (essay on J.R.R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and T. H. White) (9)
  • Hobbits: Common Lens for Heroic Experience by David M. Miller (11)
  • Tolkien and Coleridge by Clyde S. Kilby (Rime of the Ancient Mariner) (16)
  • At the Back of the North Wind: George MacDonald: A Centennial Appreciation by Glenn E. Sadler (20)
  • An Annotated Bibliography of Tolkien Criticism, Supplement Two by Richard West (22)

Issue 12

Tolkien Journal v.4 n.2 (#12)

It is online: Tolkien Journal 12 - Page 1, Archived version

Issue 13

Tolkien Journal v.4 n.3 (issue #13) (same as Orcrist #4) was published in 1970. Richard C. West, ed., Art Editor: Ivor A. Rogers, front cover: Bilbo and giant spider -- Pete Poplaski, back cover: Nazgul in flight -- Laura Haglund. Dedication: In Memoriam: Francis Christensen: "He was gold that did not rust".

It is online: Tolkien Journal 13 - Page 1, Archived version

  • "Introduction" (editorial) p. 2
  • "Tolkien and Spiders" -- Bob Mesibov (pp. 3-5)
  • "Errata to Orcrist no. 3" -- The Editor (p. 5)
  • "Progress Report on the Variorum Tolkien" -- Richard C. West (pp. 6-7)
  • "A Dose of Double Dactyls" -- Diverse Hands (pp. 8-10) [Royce Buehler, Carleton W. Carroll, Paulette Carroll, Duane Dobry, William F. Orr, Richard C. West]
  • "Letters" from Lloyd Alexander (16 January 1969) and Bonniejean Christensen (3 December 1968)
  • "Power in The Lord of the Rings" -- Alexis Levitin (pp. 11-14)
  • "Report from the West: Exploitation of The Hobbit" -- Bonniejean Christensen (pp. 15-16) [Don and Fred Bluth musical, Down in Middle Earth]
  • "An Ace Mystery: Did Tolkien Write His Own Retraction?" -- Bonniejean Christensen (p. 16)
  • "The Insurrection of the Toolies from Twee" -- Joe Snow (pp. 17-18)
  • "Satire" -- Paulette Carroll (pp. 19-20) [Free University course on fantasy]
  • "A Proposal for a Doctoral Dissertation in the Department of Comparative Literature at the University of Wisconsin-Madison" -- Deborah Webster Rogers (pp. 21-23) [dissertation on J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis; proposal accepted 19 May 1970]
  • Illustrations by: Laura Haglund, Pete Poplaski, Ivor Rogers and Deborah Webster, Sr.

Issue 14

Tolkien Journal v.4 v.4 (#14) Same as Orcrist 5. It was published in 1971. Richard C. West, ed., Art Editor: Ivor A. Rogers, front cover: "Mirkwood" -- etching by George D. Asdell, back cover: "At the Sign of the Prancing Pony" -- illustration by Deborah Webster, Sr. Dedication: For Duane and Peggy Jo Dobry: "Shire-folk from the science culture."

It is online: Tolkien Journal 14 - Page 1, Archived version

  • Errata to Orcrist no. 4 by The Editor (p. 2)
  • Introduction (editorial) (p. 2)
  • Eschata for Charles Williams by Jared Lobdell (p. 3)
  • The Critics, and Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis: Reviews by Richard C. West [reviews of:
  • William Ready, The Tolkien Relation (Regnery, 1968) (4)
  • Lin Carter, Tolkien: A Look Behind THE LORD OF THE RINGS (Ballantine, 1969)
  • Gracia Fay Ellwood, Good News from Tolkien's Middle Earth: Two Essays on the Applicability of THE LORD OF THE RINGS (Eerdmans, 1970)
  • Neil D. Isaacs and Rose A. Zimbardo, eds. Tolkien and the Critics: Essays on J.R.R. Tolkien's THE LORD OF THE RINGS (University of Notre Dame Press, 1969)
  • Mark R. Hillegas, Shadows of Imagination: The Fantasies of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams (Southern Illinois University Press, 1969)
  • Catharine R. Stimpson, J.R.R. Tolkien (Columbia University Press, 1969)
  • Peter Kreeft, C.S. Lewis: A Critical Essay (Eerdmans, 1969)
  • Nathan Comfort Starr, C.S. Lewis's TILL WE HAVE FACES: Introduction and Commentary (Seabury Press, 1968)
  • William Luther White, The Image of Man in C.S. Lewis (Abingdon Press, 1969)
  • Clyde S. Kilby, A Mind Awake: An Anthology of C.S. Lewis (Harcourt, Brace, and World, 1969)
  • C. S. Lewis, Narrative Poems, ed. Walter Hooper (Geoffrey Bles, 1969)
  • C. S. Lewis, Selected Literary Essays, ed. Walter Hooper (Cambridge University Press, 1969)
  • The Lay of Beren and Luthien -- musical setting by Laura Haglund (10)
  • An Interpretation of Gollum -- Stephen A. Gottlieb (11)
  • Moot Point" -- letter from Edward Felipe (5 March 1971) (13)
  • An Annotated Bibliography of Tolkien Criticism, Supplement Three" -- Richard C. West (pp. 14-15)
  • Other, untitled illustrations by: Danny Frolich (pp. 7, 11, 13); Laura Haglund (p. 5); Pete Poplaski (pp. 8, 9, 12); Ivor Rogers (p. 4)

Issue 15

Summer 1972

It is online: Tolkien Journal 15 - Page 1, Archived version

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