Category Archives: fandom

pseudohistorical linguistics

I can’t remember how much I knew of Elvish languages before The Silmarillion, with a glossary, appeared in 1978. Can you tell from the text of The Lord of the Rings (not counting the Appendices) that Quenya and Sindarin are … Continue reading

Posted in fandom, language, prose | 3 Comments

heraldic heresy, the afterthought

The Society for Creative Anachronism keeps a registry of coats-of-arms adopted by members, for two reasons: to ensure uniqueness, and to head off the grossest faux pas (cluttered design, offensive symbolism, implied claims to be the Lost Dauphin …). Having … Continue reading

Posted in fandom, heraldry | 2 Comments

heraldic heresy

I happened to see a “demo” in a park by a branch of the Society for Creative Anachronism. (A “demo” is a small event designed to get public attention, as opposed to one where everyone present is expected to dress … Continue reading

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one wishes one were in a position to help

Gary Farber, who has occasionally commented / linked / been mentioned here, is in a bad way.

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in memory

Dan Alderson once made a map of nearby stars by mounting little colored spheres on threads strung between holes in two sheets of heavy clear plastic. It occurs to me that, taking the stars in pairs, he could use half … Continue reading

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Anita

Anita Rowland, a blogger who linked to this humble effort several times in its more energetic first year, died of cancer in December. (If I were still in the habit of reading blogs, I might have known that before now.)

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saw me coming

Friday I happened to pass a bookstore (believe it or not!) and found A Gateway to Sindarin by David Salo. It’s a few years old now; I wonder how I missed it. After overviews of the history and writing systems, … Continue reading

Posted in fandom, language | 1 Comment