Hobbit stuff

Brian Sibley has a lot of hobbit stuff on his blog, including the fact that his new book is ready to be published. Official movie guide to the Hobbit.

Just heard that there are some 106,000 English language copies of my Official Movie Guide out there waiting to be bought, plus over 232,000 copies of foreign co-editions: which sounds like rather a lot of trees have given up their lives in the interests of Hobbit fandom... What would Treebeard say?

he also has lots of pictures and discusses the linked book, visual companion to the Hobbit.

No, I won't be able to buy them, unless they arrive in the used book kiosk in 9 to 18 months.
Ironically there are a lot of "coffee table" books there, so it is a possibility.


 I always wondered what was that thing on the side of Oin's head: Here is the closeup:

it's an ear trumpet. Heh. Maybe I should bet one for Lolo.

Factoid of the day: usually the ear trumpet is used in video/TV/films for one of three reasons:

• Type 1: Serving an accurate role in a Period Piece, where they reflect the setting.
• Type 2: Used for comedic effect, to make it obvious that the person cannot hear.
• Type 3: Another comedic usage, usually to illustrate how ridiculously old a character is.

Frequently accompanying an I Can't Hear You gag.

so what is Oin doing with it in the movie? (No it's not in the book).

The NZ blog FilmIsAHarshMistress has this information:

Brother of Gloin and uncle to Gimli, Oin (played by New Zealand actor John Callen) is appropriately depicted with similar facial features to his two kinsmen. Apparently hard-of-hearing, he is depicted as carrying an ear-trumpet (a detail not in the books) which may be the basis for his cinematic character...
Oin, tragically, was also part of Balin’s party to retake the Mines Of Moria and was killed by the creature known as the Watcher In The Water (the tentacled monster that attacked the Fellowship sixty years later and tried to take Frodo).....
In the novel, both Oin and Gloin are reknown to be bickering brothers who constantly attempt to shirk their adventuring duties onto each other,

lots of photos at the link too, if you are a fan...

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addendum:

Brian Sibley also notes that the Latin Version of the Hobbit has been released.

'in foramine terrae habitabat hobbitus...'