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The Navy Lark

The Navy Lark Audio Books

Not strictly an Audio Book but audio listening beloved by both myself and Andrew!

The Lord of the Rings

Radio Times prototpe design for cover

Original Design

Radio Times Cover for LOTR

Completed Design

Detail of Radio Times Cover

Additional artwork

Fraser [Tolkien], Coloured artwork relating to 1981 BBC Radio adaptation of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings - Source : Sothebys

Radio Times Cutting from 1981 promoting LOTR

Andrew always listens to this version (now upgraded to CDs from his worn out audio-tapes) when decorating ..... say no more!

Lot Details Description

[TOLKIEN, J.R.R.]--FRASER, ERIC

Coloured artwork relating to 1981 BBC Radio adaptation of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, comprising:

Original design rough for Radio Times front cover, 140 by 110mm., pencil, ink and watercolour drawing, unsigned, laid-down to card, some minor soiling [together with:] Decorative border, 96 by 310mm., ink, watercolour and gouache drawing, signed with initials "ef" lower left

Eric Fraser's front cover design for the Radio Times for 7-13 March 1981 is a design classic. This was evidently appreciated at the time for the listing for the first episode noted that "souvenir posters based on this week's Radio Times cover" were available (for £1 each). When BBC Records released Stephen Oliver's incidental music to the series on LP and cassette, the Radio Times artwork was used. The decorative border accompanied the magazine's internal feature on the radio adaptation. It first appeared on page 71 where it enclosed a photo of "the London group of the Tolkien Society… addressed on a subject of gravity by Brian Sibley…" It was also used on page 72 and 74.

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