If you've run out of steam shopping for the Tolkien nerds on your gift list – and you don't mind having your gift arrive a tad late and wrapping up an IOU and sticking it under the tree–may we suggest these savvy, Hobbit-themed gifts:
1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Chronicles: Art & Design, by Daniel Falconer, Introduction by Richard Taylor and Foreword by Dan Hennah. $39.99.
This sumptuously illustrated book, a collaboration between Weta Workshop and Harper Design/HarperCollins, includes peeks into the design of the first of The Hobbit movies, with over 1,000 color and black-and-white conceptual drawings and paintings, plus images from the set designs, sculptures, and photographs.
You'll see drawings by artists John Howe and Alan Lee, as well as others who worked at the special effects house Weta Workshop. From detailed sketches of Bag End to designs for bearded female dwarves, this is the ultimate insiders guide to the world of art behind The Hobbit.
2. Official Weta Workshop Hobbit collectibles. $99 to $449.00
Weta Workshop and the Weta Cave, their shop, may be located in Peter Jackson's "Wellywood" movie empire in New Zealand, but you can still shop online to snag much of the cool merch. Fancy Balin's Mace? It only costs $249.00.
Or your own "One Ring," made from gold-plated tungsten carbide (but without Elvish runes engraving) will run you $99.00. If the Tolkien nerd in your family must have "The Contract of Bilbo Baggins," this "prop replica" can had for $449.00. Or, fans might dig an" exact replica of the scarf worn by Gandalf the Grey." This "Magical Scarf of Gandalf the Grey" ($99.00) was created by Stansborough, the New Zealand weavers who made the original item for the costume department.
3. Hobbit Feet Socks. $11.99.
Made from cotton, nylon, and elasthane, these smart-looking socks over at ThinkGeek have individual toes and a design on the top that resembles the famous hairy hobbit feet.
4. Epic Beards from The Hobbit T-shirt. $19.99 - $21.99
Wear all 15 of the beards of The Company at once with this lovely T-shirt. The image shows the mighty facial hair styles of all 13 dwarves, Gandalf and Bilbo (who we all know is actually beardless).
Over at ThinkGeek are a few other cool Hobbit gift ideas, from hairy-footed hobbit slippers to mini plush dolls.
5. The Art of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull. $40.00.
Tolkien geeks often complain: How dare Jackson deign to visualize such a rich literary work, when images conjured in the reader’s mind are more powerful than any CGI brain candy? And yet, as The Art of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien proves, Tolkien himself aimed to visualize much of his Middle-earth. A not-too-shabby artist, Tolkien made hundreds of drawings and paintings while writing The Hobbit. Some were planning doodles; some were more polished; and others were intended for publication. More than 100 of these are collected in this lavishly illustrated tome. Painstakingly reproduced here are pencil sketches of Bilbo’s crib, Bag End, Rivendell, Mirkwood, and Smaug, as well as Tolkien’s wonderful maps and runes.
6. Hobbit Moleskine Notebooks. $16.95 to $21.95.
As already noted in GeekDad, the famous Moleskine notebook company has come out with two styles of hobbit-themed plain and ruled notebooks, pocket-sized (3.5 x 5.5) and a bit larger (5 x 8.25). Great for recording your adventures in Middle-earth.
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__7. Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit by Corey Olsen. $25.00.
For those interested in rereading The Hobbit with a more expanded consciousness — no, I don’t mean pipeweed — try Corey Olsen’s Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Olsen directs a center to further Tolkien studies, the Mythgard Institute, and runs a podcast called the "The Tolkien Professor."His book is a chapter-by-chapter, erudite discussion of the major ideas stitched into this deceptively simple children’s book.
8. The Wisdom of the Shire: A Short Guide to a Long and Happy Life by Noble Smith. $22.99
We already interviewed Noble Smith about his clever hobbit-as-self-help book The Wisdom of the Shire: A Short Guide to a Long and Happy Life. Mixing literary themes and character studies from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and sprinkling in anecdotes from his own experience, Noble delves into Middle-earth to show us how Tolkien can instruct us how to live a better life on Regular-earth. Chapters like “Your Own Personal Gollum” discuss how to defeat those who have a “great hole of want” and “suck the souls right out of our bodies.” Notes help the less hard-core visitor to Middle-earth grasp all of the author’s references.
