The Open Page: Book & Print News – 10/24/07

1) Along with the good news that there might actually be a Hobbit movie in the works sometime soon, there is now also a three volume boxed set, The History of the Hobbit, written and put together by Tolkein scholar John D. Rateliff. The set includes the complete unpublished draft manuscript, little-known illustrations, previously unpublished maps, and a new edition of the published novel with an introduction by Tolkein’s son, Christopher Tolkein. It offers the complete history of how the story came to be written, from J.R.R. Tolkein’s fireside chats with his sons, to his revising the work, first published in 1937, many years later to accommodate events in his epic  novel, Lord of the Rings. History of the Hobbit also offers extensive annotations and commentaries on the dates of composition, a look at how Tolkein’s professional work and early mythological writings influenced the story, and an examination of the imaginary geography he created.

2) Bestselling supernatural fantasy author Laurell K. Hamilton is coming out with the sixth volume in her Meredith Gentry series, A Lick of Frost. The series features a half-human, half-faerie private detective who has to deal with the schemings of her relatives, the rulers of the Unseelie and Seelie royal courts.

3) Legendary author John Steinbeck dipped into fantasy to create a modernized version of the King Arthur myth entitled The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights, a story with which he was apparently fascinated. Viking Penguin is now bringing out a new edition of the work, with an introduction from YA fantasy author Christopher Paolini. 

4) British fantasy author David Gemmell passed away last July from coronary artery disease. His third and last Troy novel, Fall of Kings, is now being released posthumously, following 2005’s Lord of the Silverbow and 2006’s Shield of Thunder. The manuscript was incomplete at the time of Gemmell’s death, but he left extensive notes and outlines that allowed his wife, Stella, who had been intimately involved with the entire series, to finish the novel. In Fall of Kings, the story of Troy comes to its bloody conclusion as Greek warlords gather outside of the Golden City, and King Priam awaits the arrival of his son Hektor and assistance from his ocean allies, the dread Helikaon.