0
2010 The Adventures of Tom Bombadil (Derek Jacobi)
Release Date: 2010.05.01
Reader: Sir Derek Jacobi
Language: English
Translator: n/a
Organisation: HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN: 9780007384099
Duration: 1 hours 22 minutes
Unabridged: Yes
Country: UK
Licenced: Yes
Formats: Digital, CD
Sir Derek Jacobi is a legendary British actor of stage and screen as a narrator, he brings a “grand old storyteller” energy to the poems. Jacobi navigates the “Bombadil Meter” (trochaic tetrameter) with a playful, rhythmic lilt that never feels forced. He manages to sound like a Shire elder recounting old rhymes by a fireplace. He provides distinct, subtle voices for the “Man in the Moon,” the “Mewlips,” and of course, the boisterous Tom Bombadil himself.
This was not just a reading of the 16 poems; it was based on the expanded edition of the book edited by Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond and includes the Preface (the “Red Book” commentary). The recording was made during the 1998 sessions at which other titles like Roverandom were also recorded, but HarperCollins chose to keep it “in the vault” rather than releasing it as a standalone tape.
It is available as an individual title online as a digital download. However, there has been no individual physical release but it was included in two HarperCollins CD collections – the 2005 The Tolkien Treasury and the 2010 Tales from the Perilous Realm (HC). See separate entry for the rather confusing and complicated history of the two different collections using this name.
Release History
| 2005.09.12 | Der Hörverlag Import | 9783899406894 | CD x 3 |
| 2010.05.19 | Standalone digital download | 9780007384099 | Digital |
| 2010.06.10 | Tales From The Perilous Realm (HC) | 9780007237333 | CD x 8 |
| 2016.06.23 | Tales From The Perilous Realm (HC) | 9780008205058 | Digital |
The 2005 Der Hörverlag Import was an English-language release (part of a “Listen and Learn” series) that bundled Farmer Giles of Ham, Smith of Wootton Major, Leaf by Niggle, and The Adventures of Tom Bombadil. This marks the first physical appearance of the Bombadil reading.