Parma Eldalamberon

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Parma Eldalamberon
"The Book of Elven-tongues"
Parma Eldalamberon 6.png
Latest editor: Christopher Gilson, Arden R. Smith, Carl F. Hostetter and others
Latest Issue: 22
Website: Eldalamberon
Publication Information
Publisher:
Issue 1-5: Mythopoeic Society
Since issue 6: Elvish Linguistic Fellowship
Frequency: Irregular
Format: Paperback, print on demand
"Just consider the splendour of the words! . . . What a pondering of alternatives within one’s choice before the final decision in favour of the daring and unusual prefix, so personal, so attractive; the final solution of some element in a design that had hitherto proved refractory."
― J.R.R. Tolkien, A Secret Vice

Parma Eldalamberon, Parma, or PE for short, is a linguistic journal dedicated to the scholarly study of the invented languages of J.R.R. Tolkien. It was first published by the Mythopoeic Society, then by the Elvish Linguistic Fellowship since issue 6.

The name Parma Eldalamberon is a Neo-Quenya rendering of "The Book of Elven-tongues", which is consist of parma "book", elda "Elf", and lambë "tongue, language". However, like with Vinyar Tengwar, the rendering is questionable as PE 18 gives the genitive plural of lambë as lambion[1] instead of lamberon.

History[edit | edit source]

Parma Eldalamberon was started in 1971, as an irregular periodical published by the Mythopoeic Linguistic Fellowship (M.L.F.) of the Mythopoeic Society. The first editor was Paula Marmor. It ran for five issues, ending in 1977, but resulted in the landmark book An Introduction to Elvish. Of that book Paula Marmor was co-author, several other co-authors, Bill Welden, Christopher Gilson, Lawrence J. Krieg, and editor Jim Allan, were regular contributors to Parma and parts of it had grown from their articles in the journal. The publication of The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, and The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien made most of the discussions outdated, however, and the project was shelved.

Another regular contributor was Robert Foster, who had already published his Guide to Middle-earth, which he revised and extended to The Complete Guide to Middle-earth after the publication of The Silmarillion.

Six years later, in 1983, Chris Gilson revived Parma. He kept the original name, despite the fact that the increase in Quenya material gave the correct translation as Parma Eldalambion. Gilson published Parma outside the Linguistic Fellowship,[2] but after the Elvish Linguistic Fellowship (E.L.F.) was founded it became associated with that organisation.

In 1991, Christopher Tolkien approved of Parma publishing original text by Tolkien, especially the long linguistic texts for which he could find no place in The History of Middle-earth.[3]

In the meantime, Vinyar Tengwar also started publishing Tolkien's original texts. Now, they are both edited by more or less the same team, and Parma specializes in the longer wordlists, while Vinyar Tengwar publishes Tolkien's essays.[4]

List of issues[edit | edit source]

Since issue 11, the journal has been dedicated to publishing Tolkien's original materials:

Future and back issues[edit | edit source]

It's known that PE 23 and 24 are in the works, and their publication shouldn't be too far off. For back issues, though most are currently out of print, their reprints can be expected, it's just that it'll probably take a longer time.[5]

See also[edit | edit source]

External links[edit | edit source]

References

  1. J.R.R. Tolkien, "Tengwesta Qenderinwa and Pre-Fëanorian Alphabets Part 2", in Parma Eldalamberon XVIII (edited by Christopher Gilson, Arden R. Smith, and Patrick H. Wynne), pp. 8, 71
  2. David Doughan, "Book Reviews: Parma Eldalamberon 6", in: Quettar 21 (November 1984), p. 8
  3. Christopher Gilson, "Foreword", in: Parma Eldalamberon 11 (1995), p. 2
  4. David Bratman, "Posthumous Publications", in: J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia (edited by Michael D.C. Drout), p. 547-8
  5. Carl Hostetter on Reddit
A J.R.R. Tolkien book guide
Books by or mainly by Tolkien
Of Arda Authored by
J.R.R. Tolkien
The Hobbit · The Lord of the Rings
(i.The Fellowship of the Ring · ii.The Two Towers · iii.The Return of the King) ·
The Road Goes Ever On · Bilbo's Last Song
Edited by Christopher Tolkien The Silmarillion · Unfinished Tales · The History of Middle-earth series
(i.The Book of Lost Tales: Part One · ii.The Book of Lost Tales: Part Two · iii.The Lays of Beleriand · iv.The Shaping of Middle-earth · v.The Lost Road and Other Writings · vi.The Return of the Shadow · vii.The Treason of Isengard · viii.The War of the Ring · ix.Sauron Defeated · x.Morgoth's Ring · xi.The War of the Jewels · xii.The Peoples of Middle-earth · Index) ·
The Children of Húrin · Beren and Lúthien · The Fall of Gondolin
Edited by others The Annotated Hobbit · The History of The Hobbit · The Nature of Middle-earth ·
The Fall of Númenor · The Maps of Middle-earth
Not of Arda Short stories
and poems
Leaf by Niggle · Farmer Giles of Ham · Smith of Wootton Major · The Adventures of Tom Bombadil ·
Letters from Father Christmas · Mr. Bliss · Roverandom ·
Tree and Leaf (compilation) · Tales from the Perilous Realm (compilation)
Fictional works The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún · The Fall of Arthur · The Story of Kullervo · The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun
Translations and academic works Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo · Finn and Hengest ·
The Monsters and the Critics, and Other Essays · Beowulf and the Critics · Tolkien On Fairy-stories ·
Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary · A Secret Vice · The Battle of Maldon
Collected letters and poems The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien · The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien
Edited old texts A Middle English Vocabulary · Sir Gawain and the Green Knight · Ancrene Wisse · The Old English Exodus
Books by other authors
Biographies J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography · The Inklings · Tolkien and the Great War
Reference works The Complete Guide to Middle-earth · The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide
Scholarly studies The Road to Middle-earth · The Keys of Middle-earth · The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion ·
The Ring of Words · A Companion to J.R.R. Tolkien · Tolkien's Lost Chaucer ·
Tolkien's Library · Tolkien on Chaucer, 1913-1959
Scholarly journals Tolkien Studies · (The Chronology)
Other works by Tolkien
Linguistic journals Vinyar Tengwar various issues · Parma Eldalamberon issue 11-22
Collections of artwork
and manuscripts
Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien · J.R.R. Tolkien: Life and Legend · J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator ·
The Art of The Hobbit · The Art of The Lord of the Rings · Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth ·
Tolkien: Treasures · J.R.R. Tolkien: The Art of the Manuscript
This list is only a selection of works, for a fuller bibliography of Tolkien see here or here. See also a timeline.