Greetings to All Here,
I am a decades-long admirer of the incomparable creative genius of J.R.R. Tolkien, having read his Middle-Earth works avidly and repeatedly over many years and also have consumed not just the Peter Jackson productions but also the NPR/Mind’s Eye and BBC audio dramatizations.
Speaking of audio adaptations, I have prepared a custom physical reference index for the 4-compact-disc 1968 BBC producton of The Hobbit and another one for the BBC The Lord of the Rings 1981 13-CD set. More on these in a moment.
First, a nagging irritation concerning the four-CD boxed set of The Hobbit, as done in 2001 by HighBridge. As many of us have discovered, the tracks here are physically split into uneven lengths that evidently map to narrative scene breaks, tape reel flips, or the original six-part radio syndication acts. However, the official jewel case and online databases (like Discogs) do not list track lengths.
I am looking to connect with any fellow archivist who might have already done the time-consuming work of listening through these discs to log the exact track start times, elapsed times, and corresponding story chapters. I want to build a physical reference card to make pausing and then resuming listening later easy on a traditional CD player.
Now, back to the custom physical references I mentioned three paragraphs back. I am glad to share either or both of these printable reference pieces, which I designed for my own collection, with anyone who requests them, by pdf email attachment. They are sized exactly to fit with standard CD jewel cases:
1. BBC The Hobbit (1968 4-CD Set) Index: A 4-page booklet format (5.75"h x 4.5"w finished size) detailing track numbers, start/elapsed times (missing on the product), scene names, and total disc run times.
2. BBC The Lord of the Rings (1981 boxed 13-CD set) pamphlet: A four-sheet, 16-page work, designed to be a perfect-bound (i.e., stapled) booklet, that details all segment start times, running times, narrative sections covered, and total disc content lengths, complete with a short stage-setting introduction on the cover. The pdf layout is designed for printing as properly printing sheets that will go together in correct page order. The finished-size format here is also 5.75"h x 4.5"w, which will fit just right between any two of the four disc-holding containments enclosed in the full-telescope box.
I should mention that I do considerable contract and free-lance writing, including this sort of booklet designing, so you will have good-looking as well as useful material.
If anyone has a track-time breakdown for the HighBridge/Mind's Eye set—or even clues on how the 28 physical tracks align with the six original radio episodes—please let me know.
Thanks, and glad to be here.
I am a decades-long admirer of the incomparable creative genius of J.R.R. Tolkien, having read his Middle-Earth works avidly and repeatedly over many years and also have consumed not just the Peter Jackson productions but also the NPR/Mind’s Eye and BBC audio dramatizations.
Speaking of audio adaptations, I have prepared a custom physical reference index for the 4-compact-disc 1968 BBC producton of The Hobbit and another one for the BBC The Lord of the Rings 1981 13-CD set. More on these in a moment.
First, a nagging irritation concerning the four-CD boxed set of The Hobbit, as done in 2001 by HighBridge. As many of us have discovered, the tracks here are physically split into uneven lengths that evidently map to narrative scene breaks, tape reel flips, or the original six-part radio syndication acts. However, the official jewel case and online databases (like Discogs) do not list track lengths.
I am looking to connect with any fellow archivist who might have already done the time-consuming work of listening through these discs to log the exact track start times, elapsed times, and corresponding story chapters. I want to build a physical reference card to make pausing and then resuming listening later easy on a traditional CD player.
Now, back to the custom physical references I mentioned three paragraphs back. I am glad to share either or both of these printable reference pieces, which I designed for my own collection, with anyone who requests them, by pdf email attachment. They are sized exactly to fit with standard CD jewel cases:
1. BBC The Hobbit (1968 4-CD Set) Index: A 4-page booklet format (5.75"h x 4.5"w finished size) detailing track numbers, start/elapsed times (missing on the product), scene names, and total disc run times.
2. BBC The Lord of the Rings (1981 boxed 13-CD set) pamphlet: A four-sheet, 16-page work, designed to be a perfect-bound (i.e., stapled) booklet, that details all segment start times, running times, narrative sections covered, and total disc content lengths, complete with a short stage-setting introduction on the cover. The pdf layout is designed for printing as properly printing sheets that will go together in correct page order. The finished-size format here is also 5.75"h x 4.5"w, which will fit just right between any two of the four disc-holding containments enclosed in the full-telescope box.
I should mention that I do considerable contract and free-lance writing, including this sort of booklet designing, so you will have good-looking as well as useful material.
If anyone has a track-time breakdown for the HighBridge/Mind's Eye set—or even clues on how the 28 physical tracks align with the six original radio episodes—please let me know.
Thanks, and glad to be here.
