The Hobbit in the 1960s

During the 1960s, there was a great surge of interest in JRR Tolkien’s work, particularly in universities across the UK and USA. This decade gave us some key performances – recordings that established the rhythmic and tonal standards for so many narrators who followed. The 60s remain the most historically significant decade for the audio-philology of Middle-earth.

1960s Recordings

• 1961 Children’s Hour (BBC Home Service) The radio readings, abridged by Barbara Henderson and read by David Davis.
• 1961 For The Schools: Adventures in English (BBC Home Service) Classroom activities for students based around The Hobbit.
• 1967 Poems and Songs of Middle-earth (Caedmon Records TC 1231) While technically a musical LP featuring Donald Swann, this release contains the first fragments of Tolkien’s own voice reciting The Adventures of Tom Bombadil poems.
• 1967 USA Library of Congress Recording (APH) The American Printing House for the Blind produced their first reading for the Library of Congress by Alan Haines.
• 1968 The BBC Radio Dramatization (BBC Radio 4) The 8-part series, produced by John Powell and adapted by Michael Kilgarriff, introduced the unique “Tale Bearer” narrator, a framing device that allowed the story to feel like a true oral history.
• 1968 The Harold Innocent reading (KPFK Radio) – the world’s first unabridged commercial narration/