Oxford to host an exhibition on Tolkien in 2018

In 2018, a major exhibition about the figure of JRR Tolkien will be held in Oxford that promises to attract thousands of fans and scholars from all corners of the planet. The exhibition will take place at the Weston Library, Oxford Bodleian Libraries, between July 1 and October 28, 2018.

If you are passionate about Tolkien's work, below you will find all the details of this highly anticipated exhibition.

Oxford and JRR Tolkien

Known worldwide for being the author of 'The Lord of the Rings', in life he was also a philologist concerned with the process of language formation and a prestigious Old English and Middle English scholar.

At the age of 19 he came to Oxford to study Classical Languages ​​at Exeter College but switched to English later. After serving in World War I, he returned to the city to work on the New English Dictionary which would later become known as the Oxford English Dictionary.

He also lived for five years in Leeds to work as an English teacher at its university until in 1925 he returned to Oxford to teach at different colleges, where he would remain for the rest of his active life.

What will the exhibition be like?

Under the title "Tolkien, the Creator of Middle-earth", an unprecedented selection of manuscripts, maps, drawings, gadgets and letters from the United States and the United Kingdom will be brought together for the first time since the 1950s. such as the extensive Tolkien Archive of the Bodleian Libraries, the Tolkien Collection of the American Marquette University and various private collections.

The exhibition will take a tour of the literary, creative, academic and domestic worlds that influenced JRR Tolkien as an artist and writer, thus discovering new facets of this esteemed author and allowing the public to connect as never before with his work.

What will we find in it?

• Original manuscripts of The Lord of the Rings along with beautiful watercolors and designs for the covers.
• Drafts of The Hobbit showing the evolution of the story with maps for publication, sketches, watercolors and designs for the covers.
• The Silmarillion will also be on display with original manuscripts of this unfinished work on elven legends.
• A selection of maps of Middle-earth discovered in 2015 that include annotations made by the writer himself and acquired in 2016 by the Bodleian Library.
• Various artifacts, art supplies, and Tolkien's personal library
• Letters and photographs from Tolkien's childhood and his time as a student where he dealt with themes such as loss, war and love.

The exhibition will be accompanied by the edition of an illustrated book called 'Tolkien: The Creator of Middle-earth', on May 25, 2018, which will be the largest collection of JRR Tolkien material published in a single volume. It will have a hardcover illustrated edition and a limited edition for collectors, with facsimiles of Tolkien's paintings, maps and manuscripts. The same day will also be published in pocket format 'Tolkien: treasures'.

Where will it be held?

The Weston Library, Oxford Bodleian Libraries, will host the exhibition on the novelist and philologist JRR Tolkien. Entrance to the exhibition will be free but tickets for a fixed time slot can be obtained online.

A route through Tolkien's Oxford

JRR Tolkien was the creator of Middle Earth, the fantastic universe par excellence in literature. His enormous imagination led him to conceive 'The Hobbit' (1937) and 'The Lord of the Rings' (1954 - 1955). Taking advantage of the visit to the exhibition that will be held from July 1 in Oxford, it would be a good idea to get closer to the places that inspired you to create that world unique and captivating. Here are some of them:

The Botanical Gardens

One of his favorite corners in Oxford. Here was his favorite tree, an Austrian black pine that was felled in 2014 after 215 years of existence.

In The Lord of the Rings, the trees come to life as the Ents and aid the heroes in their quest against the forces of evil.

Merton College

Between 1945 and 1959 Tolkien served as a professor of English language and literature at Merton College. The writer used to sit and write in the open air on an old table in the gardens.

The setting is reminiscent of the place where the council of Elrond took place in Rivendell, from which the famous Fellowship of the Ring emerged.

Ashmolean Museum

It is the first university museum in the world. Within its collection we can find objects from Ancient Egypt, paintings by Titian, Rembrandt, Manet or Picasso, drawings by Leonardo da Vinci or Michelangelo as well as a collection of gold rings with an inscription on their surface. Does it sound familiar to you?

Eagle & Child

In this pub between 1933 and 1962 Tolkien and other members of the literary group The Inklings used to meet for talks on literature and have fun toasting with a delicious pint.