Customer Reviews

Tolkien Calendar 2003

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ted Nasmith can be very proud of his Tolkien Calendar for 2003. His paintings are a magnificent portrait of the world of The Two Towers. I was especially impressed by the majestic mountain scenery and the enchanting moonlight in several of the paintings. I also liked his vision of the Ents, which I've never been able to successfully picture in my own mind. They are satisfactorially "treeish" and sentient at the same time. This calendar will be a delight all year long. I can hardly wait for 2004 and The Return of the King calendar.

This is a nice-sized calendar, approximately 12 inches square, with a large picture on each of the top panels. The images are wonderful (particularly the Ents and Minas Morgul), but the hobbits look too devilish.

Each lower panel has the month grid, with smallish squares, a text excerpt to accompany the picture, with the chapter from The Two Towers identified, and a small, incomplete version of the main picture. US and Canadian holidays are shown, as are phases of the moon, Daylight Savings Time and dates associated with Tolkien -- his birth and death, and publication dates of his works.

There is also a two-page centerfold painting of the Ents attacking Isengard which is very nice indeed.

I'd give this calendar five stars but IMHO the test of any Tolkien calendar (and I've been getting them for over two decades) is the depiction of the hobbits, and these, unfortunately, are not good.

I gave this to my fiance and he really liked it - he began reading some of the passages out loud as soon as he opened it. He is a big Tolkien fan, and this is a nice way to enjoy the New Year.