The Lord of the Rings Read Free Page B

could carefully and conservatively distinguish what to emend.
    Many of the emendations in the present text are to marks of punctuation, either to correct recent typographical errors or to repair surviving alterations introduced in the second printing of
The Fellowship of the Ring
. In the latter respect and in every case, Tolkien’s original punctuation is always more felicitous - subtle points, when one is comparing commas and semi-colons, but no less a part of the author’s intended expression. Distinctive words such as
chill
rather than
cold
, and
glistered
rather than
glistened
, changed by typesetters long ago without authorization, likewise have been restored. A controlled amount of regularization also seemed called for, such as
naught
rather than
nought
, a change instituted by Tolkien but not carried through in all instances;
Dark Power
rather than
dark power
when the reference is obviously to Sauron (or Morgoth);
Barrow-downs
by Tolkien’s preference rather than
Barrowdowns
; likewise
Bree-hill
rather than
Bree Hill
; accented and more common
Drúeadan
rather than
Druadan
; capitalized names of seasons when used as personification or metaphor, according to Tolkien’s predominant practice and the internal logic of the text; and
Elvish
rather than
elvish
when used as a separate adjective, following a preference Tolkien marked in his copy of the second edition of
The Lord of the Rings
. In addition, we have added a second accent to
N úmenórean(s)
, as Tolkien often wrote the name in manuscript and as it appears in
The Silmarillion
and other posthumous publications.
    The result, nonetheless, still includes many variations in capitalization, punctuation, and other points of style. Not all of these are erroneous: they include words such as
Sun
,
Moon
,
Hobbit
, and
Man
(or
sun
,
moon
,
hobbit
,
man
), which may change form according to meaning or application, in relation to adjacent adjectives, or whether Tolkien intended personification, poetry, or emphasis. His intent cannot be divined with confidence in every case. But it is possible to discern Tolkien’s preferences in many instances, from statements he wrote in his check copies of
The Lord of the Rings
or from aclose analysis of its text in manuscript, typescript, proof, and print. Whenever there has been any doubt whatsoever as to the author’s intentions, the text has been allowed to stand.
    Most of the demonstrable errors noted by Christopher Tolkien in
The History of Middle-earth
also have been corrected, such as the distance from the Brandywine Bridge to the Ferry
(ten
miles rather than
twenty)
and the number of Merry’s ponies
(five
rather than
six),
shadows of earlier drafts. But those inconsistencies of content, such as Gimli’s famous (and erroneous) statement in Book III, Chapter 7, ‘Till now I have hewn naught but wood since I left Moria’, which would require rewriting to emend rather than simple correction, remain unchanged.
    So many new emendations to
The Lord of the Rings,
and such an extensive review of its text, deserve to be fully documented. Although most readers will be content with the text alone, many will want to know more about the problems encountered in preparing this new edition, and their solutions (where solutions have been possible), especially where the text has been emended, but also where it has not. To this end, and to illuminate the work in other respects, we are preparing a volume of annotations to
The Lord of the Rings
for publication in 2005. This will allow us to discuss, at a length impossible in a prefatory note, the various textual cruces of
The Lord of the Rings,
to identify changes that have been made to the present text, and to remark on significant alterations to the published work throughout its history. We will also explain archaic or unusual words and names in
The Lord of the Rings,
explore literary and historical influences, note connections with Tolkien’s other writings, and comment on differences