The special anniversary calendar, commemorating 50 years since the first publication of The Lord of the Rings and featuring artwork by J. R. R. Tolkien himself. The Tolkien Calendar has become an established publishing event, eagerly looked forward to by Tolkien fans the world over; there is much demand for the annual calendar, with Tolkien calendars from the past 30 years becoming collectors' items. This year's continues in that tradition yet is a very special year, for 2005 is the 50th anniversary since the first publication of The Lord of the Rings. As well as being the perfect Christmas gift for lovers of fine fantasy art it also celebrates a unique achievement in literary history. Tolkien himself, some of these not appearing in print for many years. The paintings are based on Tolkien's classic masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings, and provide a fascinating insight into how Tolkien himself imagined the world of Middle-earth would look. The images are accompanied by text which explains how they relate to the story and offers information on their content and history. Published to coincide with a special 50th anniversary edition of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the calendar (together with the diary) will initiate the start of a big year for the Nation's Big Read and Book of the Century.