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“At The Tobacconist’s” – J.R.R. Tolkien Audio Recording 1929

March 31, 2015 Tyler Michael Jonsson Editorials, J.R.R. Tolkien

There has been quite a bit of hullabaloo in recent years about ‘lost Tolkien recordings’, but there is a recording of J.R.R. Tolkien that is now readily available that many fans are not aware of.

In 1929, Professor J.R.R. Tolkien and A. Lloyd M.A. lent their voice talents to an audio recording entitled, “English Conversation: At the Tobacconist’s”

The recording was Issued as part of the Linguaphone series ‘English Conversation’. (Original issue number: LINGUAPHONE ENGLISH EC 20E; matrix number: EC20E.) The product was pressed on 78 RPM records and can still be found for purchase on sites such as “The Tolkien Library” – http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/tolkien-book-store/RS000001.htm

Galenhir Swordsong, founder of the Lonely Mountain Band Online Kinship, alerted us to the machinima video he created utilizing the treasured audio of Professor Tolkien giving us an English lesson on Tobacco!

“The developers of Lord of the Rings Online have paid tribute to the Professor in so many ways within the game, and one of those ways is the attention to detail regarding “pipe-weed”, or tobacco! When I first heard the “At the Tobacconist’s” recording, I immediately envisioned LOTRO footage being synced with Tolkien’s speech. I tucked the idea away for a very long time, but with the Lonely Mountain Band LOTRO kinship 7th year anniversary approaching, I thought it a perfect way to end a week-long celebration of events. Creating a lighthearted and jovial video within the “Rabbit Room” set to Tolkien’s speech, is the closest I can get to a heartfelt hug of thanks to The Professor, the LOTRO developers and my beloved friends within the Lonely Mountain Band Kinship. Our kinship motto is “Far Apart, Never Alone”, and I think that sentiment will resonate with all fans of Tolkien.”-Galenhir

Whether or not you play Lord of the Rings Online, if you are a Tolkien fan, we think you will appreciate the humour and love for all things Tolkien that was put into this video.

We also recommend supporting the British Library’s quest for restoring the audio heritage of the United Kingdom! http://support.bl.uk/Page/Save-Our-Sounds

About Tyler Michael Jonsson 12 Articles

Tyler is one of five Co-Founders of Legendarium Media, LLC and acts as the Director of Audio Programming & Community Engagement. A Stage, Film and Voiceover Actor, Tyler draws immense inspiration from many classic Fantasy and Science Fiction books, films and television series. In particular, The Lord of the Rings has had a profound impact on him. He is well known on the internet for his spot-on "Gollum" impression in both dramatic and comedic forms. In addition to articles and editorial posts on legendariummedia.com, Tyler is focused on creating high quality original audio drama, radio and video content for the Legendarium Media brand and engaging with the community.