Tolkien Gleanings #417
* Forthcoming in 2026 from Spain, a new Tolkien-friendly scholarly journal Legendaria: Revista de estudios sobre el mito y lo fantastico. Currently inviting first-issue…
“proposals for original and unpublished articles [for a substantial new journal using] double-blind peer review system to guarantee the highest academic quality of the published content.”
No deadline as yet, it seems, but the submissions form is still live as I write. This form is in Spanish only, so I assume they want proposals in Spanish. The first issue is planned for later in 2026, and I’m pleased to hear that it will be open-access. The journal is to be published by Legendaria Ediciones which… “has published more than a dozen books about Tolkien, including compilations of essays, monographs on his life and work, informative works and illustrated guides to places, characters and times in Middle-earth.”
* Does your lingering lack of a linguistic lifeline leave you less than loquacious among the literati? The new White City podcast episodes may help, The Languages of Middle-earth Part 1 and Part 2. Download links are hidden under the “… More” button.
* The American Spectator magazine has a review of The War for Middle‑Earth J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Confront the Gathering Storm, 1933-1945 (2025). Freely available online.
* A substantial partial ‘free extract’ of a book review of The Medieval Mind of C.S. Lewis: How Great Books Shaped A Great Mind. From the latest issue of the paywall journal Christianity & Literature.
* Another substantial partial ‘free extract’ of a review of the book Melisma: Wordless Song in Medieval Chant, from the latest Music Library Association Notes.
* The Journal of Artistic Creation and Literary Research (University of Oviedo, Spain) plans a special issue themed around ‘Lands of Fear: Gothic and Horror in Literature, Art, and Culture’, and now has a call for papers. Proposals for interviews, artworks and book reviews are also welcomed. Deadline: 31st October 2026.
* The University of Glasgow’s student Journal of Fantasy Research appears to be set to produce a second issue, the last being Volume 1 Issue 1 which was issued back in 2022. They appear to be currently inviting submissions with a 1st July 2026 deadline, from… “undergraduate and postgraduate students (and those who have graduated within the last year) from any higher education institution”.
* A fine new artwork, “Farewell Frodo” by breath-art, on DeviantArt.
* And finally, local booster blog Explore Bournmouth has a short but informative new blog post on “Tolkien’s Peace: A Life in Bournemouth”. This being the large and formerly sedate seaside-town on the south coast of England. Specifically, the delightfully-named Branksome Chine was Tolkien’s chosen bit of the Bournemouth coast, well to the west of the town’s seafront and away from the broiling day-trippers. Tolkien wrote of the new home…
“There’s a very nice garden – & lots of roses — & a gate leading into Branksome Chine & to the sea.” (letter, July 1968).
Sadly the Explore Bournmouth article has no images of the place, so I’ll provide two, via eBay postcards given a light makeover. The path through Branksome Chine to the beach, after the sun has set, and the families have departed. Also the beach itself, with an elderly gent walking back home at dusk.
