There are times when New York City can be a large and intimidating place for a Hobbit, even for one who has resided there for several years. But despite its size and often overwhelmingly frantic pace, it is a place that can be filled with wonders, if one knows where to look. One such wonder is the annual event called “New York is Book Country,” which is a week-long festival of literary-related happenings that take place throughout the city. Being quite fond of books, I eagerly scanned the list of lectures, workshops, and social events that were scheduled to take place during the week. And to my delight and amazement, I saw that Alan Lee was scheduled to give a talk about his work as an illustrator of Tolkien’s books and as a conceptual designer for the “Lord of the Rings” films.

Being a rather impatient Hobbit, I immediately contacted the staff of the “New York is Book Country” event to find out more information. The lecture was to take place at the Clearview Chelsea West Cinema at 6:30pm on the 26th of September. As it turned out, tickets went on sale at the cinema box office the very day I called to inquire about the event. Keeping true to my impatient nature, I left my office and used all of the time allotted for my lunch hour to walk over to the box office and purchase my ticket. Although it is not in the nature of a Hobbit to miss a meal, I needed to ensure that I had a ticket to what was likely to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

A Hobbit is by nature a social creature and always looks forward to meeting others. I had just recently joined the Smial of Heren Istarion, but had yet to actually meet any of its members. Therefore, I contacted the Smial’s co-founders, Anthony and Jessica (two very excellent and admirable Hobbits), by email to see if they would be in attendance. I was happy to learn that they were indeed going to be there, and looked forward to meeting them in person.

The day of the event arrived, and as I sat in my office diligently working on the tasks at hand, the feeling of “now what have I forgotten” came over me. I finally realized why – I had meant to purchase a copy of the centenary edition of The Lord of the Rings, illustrated by Alan Lee, to bring with me to the event in the hope that I would have the honor of having him sign it that night. Luckily, a bookstore was near at hand, and I left my office a bit sooner than I had planned so that I might purchase the book and still make it to the event on time.

It was raining quite hard by the time I ventured out to the bookstore. Luckily, I had a large pack with me to put the book in to protect it from the rain and an umbrella to help keep me from getting too wet as I made my way over to the theater.

I arrived about 30 minutes prior to the start of the lecture and immediately entered the lobby to get out of the rain. Luckily, I managed to stay relatively dry, considering the rate at which the rain was falling. After checking the contents of my pack to make sure they were dry and properly wrapping my umbrella so it wouldn’t get everything wet, I scanned the lobby in search of other Hobbits. Recognizing Anthony and Jessica from their pictures on the Heren Istarion website, I walked over and introduced myself. After exchanging greetings, we made our way from the lobby into the theater to get ready for the night’s event.

We had barely settled into our seats when Mr. Lee made his way down the aisle, stopping to shake hands and talk with members of the audience before beginning his presentation. It was quite humbling to be approached by a man who has figured so prominently in creating the visual imagery associated with Tolkien’s writings. He was very modest and seemed to be a bit amazed that people would be interested in hearing him talk about his work.

I won’t go into a lot of detail about his presentation, as Jessica has already written a wonderful report that even Bilbo Baggins couldn’t improve upon. Yet I must say that it was an incredible treat to not only view the conceptual sketches and designs, but to hear the artist discuss them. He is a very soft-spoken person, and at times I wished I possessed the acute hearing of the Elves so that I would not miss a single word that he said.

After the presentation, we made our way back into the lobby where space had been provided for the signing of books and the taking of pictures. As I waited in line, I watched as Mr. Lee took his time to not only carefully sign each item that was presented to him but to take a few moments to talk to each person. When it was my turn, I somewhat timidly approached the table and thanked him for taking time out of his busy schedule to come to New York to share his work with us. He said that it was his pleasure, and proceeded to sign my newly-purchased copy of the book that he had so wonderfully illustrated.

After thanking him again, I proceeded to an out-of-the-way corner of the room so that I could wrap the book in a plastic bag before placing it into my pack. After all, I wanted to be extra careful and ensure that it would not get damaged in the rain that was still coming down outside. Armed with my trusty umbrella, I made my way back out into the rain and attempted to get back to my cluttered and cozy Hobbit hole in as dry a condition as possible. This journey involved a ride on the subway, which must be undertaken with caution as one often encounters orcs and other foul creatures in the tunnels below the city streets.

Now, my copy of The Lord of the Rings, illustrated and signed by Alan Lee, sits proudly on my bookshelf. Well, it does when I’m not reading it, that is. For what is a book for, if not for reading?