Scull and Hammond Write Definitive Handbook on J.R.R. Tolkien

12:00AM / Monday, February 26, 2007Print Story | Email Story

The most comprehensive, in-depth reference of Tolkien's life and work ever published, "The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide" (Houghton Mifflin 2006) is the latest of several major books on Tolkien by Christina Scull and her husband, Wayne G. Hammond, assistant librarian in the Chapin Library at Williams College. The product of seven years' labor, the "Companion and Guide" grew so much in its writing that it appears in two volumes. Its first part, the "Chronology," documents the progress of Tolkien's life from his birth in South Africa in 1892 until his death in England in 1973. Thousands of details, drawn from published and unpublished sources, form a revealing portrait of a noted scholar of Old and Middle English, teacher, and administrator, a devoted husband and father, and the renowned author of "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings." To this are added family trees, checklists of Tolkien's writings, pictorial art, and poetry, and a list of translations of his works. The second volume, the "Reader's Guide," is an extensive encyclopedia. It provides histories and discussions of Tolkien's works, analyses of his vast "Silmarillion" mythology, biographies of persons important in his life, accounts of places he knew, and essays on topics such as fandom and dramatization, influences and illustrations, Tolkien's personal interests, his invented languages, and his attitudes towards contemporary issues such as politics and the environment. Christina Scull has written widely on Tolkien and fantasy literature, and on topics in art history, notably on the architect Sir John Soane and his collection of paintings by William Hogarth. Wayne G. Hammond is the author of standard bibliographies of J.R.R. Tolkien and Arthur Ransome, and of essays on authors such as Tolkien, Samuel "Erewhon" Butler, and Madeleine L'Engle. Their earlier joint publications include "J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator," "The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion," and editions of Tolkien's "Roverandom," "Farmer Giles of Ham," and "The Lord of the Rings." Scull received her B.A. (art history and medieval history) from Birkbeck College, the University of London. She was the Librarian of Sir John Soane's Museum from 1971 to 1995. Hammond earned his B.A. (English) from Baldwin-Wallace College, Berea, Ohio, and his A.M.L.S. from the University of Michigan. He has been a librarian in Williams College's distinguished Chapin Library of rare books since 1976. The couple lives in Williamstown.

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Williamstown Dedicates Max Rothschild Memorial Skatepark

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires.com Sports
03:55PM / Saturday, October 17, 2026

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — As hundreds gathered to celebrate the opening of the town's new skatepark, the minds of many were on the one person they most wished could be in attendance.

The park on Stetson Road "officially" opened with a ribbon cutting a little after 2 p.m., two hours after attendees started using their skateboards, bicycles, scooters and rollerblades at the Max Rothschild Memorial Skatepark.

And just before the ribbon was cut, Adam Rothschild talked about his 7-year-old son, for whom the venue was named.

"As much as Max loved sports and adventure, what really made him special was his exuberance — the exuberance he brought to every day," Rothschild told the crowd. "He approached life with confidence, energy and a sense of fun and mischief that was contagious. He loved playing with [siblings] Ellie and Caleb and with his friends. He was competitive. He could be bossy. And he certainly liked to do things his own way.

"But, above all, he was fun to be around. He brought energy and excitement and a lot of love wherever he went.

"I think that's what makes this skatepark such a fitting place to honor Max. A skatepark is about more than skateboarding. It is about community and friendship. It's about trying something new, taking a chance, falling down, getting back up and having fun all along the way. It's a place where kids can challenge themselves, cheer each other on and make memories together. And that sounds a lot like Max."

The Rothschild family joined organizers who fund-raised to make the park happen and local government officials in a day that included trick competitions, music and food.

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