Calling All Hobbits to Stand Up Against the "New" World Order
by Dr. Bob Hieronimus


In the Maryland region, Hieronimus & Co. stands nearly alone when we document the mega-corruption in the government, in the corporate world, and among their media mouthpieces who protect and cover up the unlawful acts of the power brokers. What our era needs is more heroes to inspire us, more role models to look up to and more myths to add meaning to our lives. Which brings us to the reason Hieronimus & Co. devotes regular programming to the celebration of cultural heroes who remind us how the brave actions of a few small characters can remove the cancers threatening the very nation our founding fathers died for. The inspired courage of a few small "Hobbits" could halt and reverse the destruction of our Constitutional rights -- and there's a Hobbit inside each of us humans.

Good vs. Evil: The Perennial Struggle

The struggle of the forces of evil against the forces of good is repeated often as a theme in great literature because it resonates with a pattern in our individual and group consciousness. Reading about the sacrifices and heroic efforts needed to prevent the victory of the dark force helps the individual find the heroic spark within himself. On Hieronimus & Co. productions, we salute 20th Century heroes who overcome adversity in one form or another to become role models in their communities. We have seen the pattern of heroic struggle repeated in the lives of Babe Ruth and the veterans of the Negro Baseball Leagues, as well as the comic strip world of Walt Kelly's Pogo and Friends, Rocky and Bullwinkle, and the Beatles Yellow Submarine. See our catalogue section on Cultural Icons for a complete listing of 21st Century Radio Hero Salutes.

Who Needs Myths?

Without a meaningful mythology, a culture will dissipate and collapse, and according to humanistic, transpersonal and analytic psychologists, a meaningful mythology system is just what our contemporary society is lacking. Today the world appears to be in a state of collapse, not for a lack of resources, but rather for a lack of meaning -- something you won't read about in the power brokers' daily presses.

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings endear all who read them to that universal story of the Forces of Light overcoming the dark forces of the universe. The key to their eventual victory was not powerful magic, but rather the steady determination of a diminutive being called the Hobbit. While the dark lord Sauron and his minions were distracted fighting the mighty Wars of the Rings, a tiny Hobbit made his way to the top of Mount Doom and (with the help of his adversary, Gollum) dropped the dark lord's ring into the mouth of the volcano. Thus, the dark side was defeated, tyranny was overcome and a new peace was won.

Greg and Tim Hildebrandt

Since most of us do not have the time to read and re-read the Tolkien novels, we are fortunate that many artists have been inspired to create breathtaking illustrations based on them to remind us of their message. Some of the best-loved Tolkien illustrators were recently heralded by a new industry when Greg and Tim Hildebrandt were named "Best Non-Sport Artists" in the 1994 Gummie Awards in the February/March '95 issue of Non-Sport Update. Non-Sport Update is a magazine for the discriminating collector of non-sport cards and is the Bible of the industry. For a subscription of $21.00 a year (phone: 717-238-1936), this is a publication you should not do without.

The "Best Non-Sport Artist" Award was given to the Hildebrandts for their work on the Fleer/Marvel Masterpieces set which includes my favorite, "Captain America" (#18). Fleer/Marvel was in the top five division in five categories, if you include the award to the Hildebrandts for Best Non-Sport Artists. Fleer/Marvel also took first place in the Best Added Value insert for "Marvel Masterpieces" '94 gold foil-stamped signature cards (Fleer phone: 215-455-2000).

For the Hildebrandts, the 1994 Gummie Award is just one in a long series of awards for superior accomplishments in the arts. Perhaps you enjoyed the Brothers Hildebrandt illustrations in the 1976-78 J.R.R. Tolkien calendars. If you don't save your calendars like we do, you'll be happy to learn that Comic Images has included over 40 reproductions from the calendars in a set of Brothers Hildebrandt collector cards (Comic Images phone: 201-794-9877). Together, twins Greg and Tim Hildebrandt won the coveted Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators; their Giant Panda Book was chosen as one of the Child Study Association of America's Children's Books for the Year in 1973; Tim won his Award of Merit at the Society of Illustrators annual show for the cover illustration of The Children of Arabel in 1987. They became celebrated animators and documentary film-makers, winning the Golden Eagle Award for "Project Hope." Other illustration credits include The Sword of Shanarra, Barbarella, The Clash of the Titans, Star Wars and The Secret of Nimh. In February of 1993, Greg's centerfold painting of "The Unexpected Party" from the 1997 Tolkien Calendar sold for $150,000.

In terms of success on any level, the Hildebrandt brothers are a true phenomenon and we've enjoyed talking with them on the air, not only about Tolkien's works, but also about Walt Kelly's Pogo. (For information on obtaining Hildebrandt items, contact www.spiderwebart.com. The Spiderwebart Gallery is owned by Greg Hildebrandt and has many different fantasy and comic artwork for sale. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us.

Tolkiens on Tape

Many of us must do some very boring and repetitive things in life, like driving, exercising, filing, etc., and one way we have found to make tedious chores more enjoyable is to listen to programmed audio cassettes. We listen to all types of tapes, but most of the time to Old Time Radio programs, our favorites being Jack Benny, Lum & Abner, and Bob & Ray. There are many sets of audio tapes re-telling the tales of J.R.R. Tolkien and, depending on the amount of time you have to burn, we would make two different recommendations. Recorded Books in Crofton, Maryland, (phone: 1-800-638-1304) does a superb reading of the unabridged versions of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings narrated perfectly by Robert Inglis.

But if you have less than 64 hours to fill, the most outstanding abridgement we've listened to is BBC Radio's adaptation published by Bantam Audio Fiction and available from catalogues such as The Mind's Eye (phone: 1-800-227-2020), as well as at your local bookstore. The BBC version of The Hobbit runs 240 minutes on four cassettes and costs about $30. The Lord of the Rings runs 13 hours on 13 cassettes and costs about $55.00. These dramatizations are truly stunning and life-like and make you feel as if you're in Middle Earth. According to the side panel of the box, these dramatizations were "produced by the world's foremost creators of radio entertainment. This lavish production melds a full cast with stirring music and sound effects to bring this magnificent classic to life. Brilliantly conceived to evoke Tolkien's richly imagined Middle Earth, this production features an original score written for Renaissance era instruments, outstanding ensemble acting by the best performers available to the BBC, and innovative sound techniques designed to present a Hobbit's eye view of Bilbo's adventures. A fitting tribute on the centenary of J.R.R. Tolkien's birth, The Hobbit will captivate longtime fans and the newly initiated alike."

I agree wholeheartedly: Ian Holm feels like Frodo, Peter Woodthorpe sounds like Gollum and Michael Hordem carries the wisdom of Gandalf in his voice.

With the help of the BBC and Bantam Audio Books, you can travel for 17 hours non-stop to the Shire, Mordor and back and be uplifted by a tale that reflects today's struggles. (Bantam Audio Books phone: 1-800-223-6834.)

Hieronimus & Co. programming on J.R.R. Tolkien began in the fall of 1991 to honor the 100th anniversary of Tolkien's birth. Available are nine hours of interviews with diverse Tolkien professors, artists, researchers, societies, publishers, biographers and producers of various calendars, trading cards, role playing games, music and pewter figurines. Among these guest "Tolkienites" is Austin Olney, retired Editor-in-Chief of Houghton Mifflin, who worked with Tolkien and published his works in America; Ian Ballantine, who was responsible for first publishing the masterworks of J.R.R. Tolkien in paperback; renowned Cabalist Gareth Knight, who introduced us to the magical world of the Inklings (J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams and Owen Barfield); Dr. Stanley McDaniel reviewed his "Philosophical Etymology of Hobbit," which was recently published by the American Tolkien Society. The American Tolkien Society also publishes The Minas Tirith Evening Star, containing articles, reviews and creative pieces about the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. You can join the American Tolkien Society by writing to them at: P.O. Box 901, Clearwater, FL 34617.

We suggest you load up on tapes, trading cards, posters and other images of Tolkien's world to remind yourself and your family that we would stand a better chance of defeating the fascism and the "New" World Order that are coming down around us if the courage and determination of the Hobbits could be rekindled inside us big folks.

From Hieronimus & Co. Newsletter, Volume 1, Number 1.

 

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