the year 2005 marks the 50th anniversary of the original publication of j. r. r. tolkien's celebrated novel the lord of the rings. voted both ‘the book of the century’ in a poll conducted by the uk book retailer waterstones in 1997 and ‘the uk's best-loved book’ in a bbc survey carried out in 2003, tlotr was adapted to the screen in in 2001 by the previously little-known director peter jackson and released in three parts between 2001 and 2003 to widespread popular acclaim. the present is the second of three linked discussions of tolkien's work and the media through which it has been channelled. the first appeared as ‘why the film version of the lord of the rings betrays tolkien's novel,’ in et83 (21:3). the third and closing article will appear in et85 (22:1).