Tolkien 2005: a celebration! (14.12.04 by Pieter Collier) - Comments

What and Why

2005 is the fiftieth anniversary of the complete publication of The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien. The first two volumes (The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers) were published in 1954, while the third, The Return of the King, was published on October 20th 1955.To celebrate this anniversary the Tolkien Society is holding a conference and convention in August 2005. It is taking place at Aston University, Birmingham, England from 11 to 15 August 2005. The date was chosen so that people who have travelled from far parts of the world to attend Worldcon in 2005 (in Glasgow from 4 - 8 August) can go on to attend Tolkien 2005.

What is planned

There will be a programme with as broad an interest range as possible. From serious academic streams to ones relating to the recent films, from ecological to mythological, from the serious to the light-hearted – and that's just during the day… In the evening there will be entertainments. Take a look at the Programme page for further information and for details of how you can present a paper or otherwise get involved.There will be a wide variety of guests to be in attendance. Tolkien 2005 isn't just a film-fan event, so the guests include notable Tolkien scholars and experts. For up to date information please visit the Guests page of the Tolkien Society.

Where is it?

The entire event will be held at Aston University, Birmingham. For those who wish to use hotel accommodation there are several good quality hotels within a few minutes walk or drive.Aston University is just north of Birmingham City Centre; it is just a few seconds drive from the bottom end of the A38(M) (which is part of the UK Motorway network). There is reasonable quantity of on-site parking available; however, you may need to be allocated a pass to use it: more information on this will be included in attendees packs. It is only a one mile walk from Birmingham New Street railway station and half-a-mile from Moore Street railway station. Snow Hill railway station is also very close. The new Bullring shopping centre is one kilometre away, by Moore Street railway station.The university can also be reached very easily by schedualled air routes. Birmingham International Airport (BHX) is a few miles away. Most places in Europe and North America have flights to and from Birmingham International. There is a direct train service from Birmingham International to Birmingham New Street which only takes about 15 minutes. Just to make it even easier there is a direct Skyrail link between the airport passenger terminal and the railway station: journey time two minutes.

I want to go!

Booking for both registration and accommodation is open. It is possible to book on-line using a credit or debit card on our secure server. Full details on the rates can be found from the Registration page; accommodation details are on the Accommodation page.

Additional Information

A good Tolkien convention isn't complete without an Art Show. Art is just one of the many ways that people respond to Tolkien. Please visit the Art Show page to find out more.It seems that never a day goes by without a new Tolkien book being released; there is such a wide range of items that are of interest to Tolkien enthusiasts. Consequently, the Dealers' Room is an essential part of the convention. The Dealers' Room page has information both for prospective dealers and those interested in exchanging money for goods.

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