Extollager
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- Aug 21, 2010
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I'm working on an article for the Tolkienian newsletter Beyond Bree. Did the dust jacket copy for the first edition (1968) of Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn refer to an authors other than Beagle himself? I'm particularly interested in whether or not Tolkien is mentioned.
My thesis is that, in the mid- to late 1960s, American publishers could see that "Tolkien" was a huge seller; but the category of fantasy as a genre for adults was not yet established. Thus rather un-Tolkienian authors such as Lewis Carroll might be mentioned in connection with Tolkien's own writings or writing by other authors of fantasy intended for adults. Lance and Paperback Library, for example, offered sword-and-sorcery stuff with "Tolkien" references. I think that Beagle's novel was one of the books that helped to begin to establish "fantasy" as a marketing term, etc. I haven't worked everything out -- for one thing, I haven't read it in over 40 years. But I'm trying to get hold of reviews from the time.
Ballantine issued Beagle's novel in Feb. 1969 with one of the all-time most attractive paperback covers, and with no blurb on the cover -- letting Gervasio Gallardo's gorgeous painting stand almost for itself. Inside, though, Tolkien is mentioned.
But what about the original hardcover edition?
Your help would be appreciated. Possibly someone visits a library where there's still a well-read copy on the shelf -- ?
Tolkien in pre-1970 blurbs
My thesis is that, in the mid- to late 1960s, American publishers could see that "Tolkien" was a huge seller; but the category of fantasy as a genre for adults was not yet established. Thus rather un-Tolkienian authors such as Lewis Carroll might be mentioned in connection with Tolkien's own writings or writing by other authors of fantasy intended for adults. Lance and Paperback Library, for example, offered sword-and-sorcery stuff with "Tolkien" references. I think that Beagle's novel was one of the books that helped to begin to establish "fantasy" as a marketing term, etc. I haven't worked everything out -- for one thing, I haven't read it in over 40 years. But I'm trying to get hold of reviews from the time.
Ballantine issued Beagle's novel in Feb. 1969 with one of the all-time most attractive paperback covers, and with no blurb on the cover -- letting Gervasio Gallardo's gorgeous painting stand almost for itself. Inside, though, Tolkien is mentioned.
But what about the original hardcover edition?
Your help would be appreciated. Possibly someone visits a library where there's still a well-read copy on the shelf -- ?
Tolkien in pre-1970 blurbs
