GRACE E. FUNK TOLKIEN COLLECTION Scope and Content
Abstract:
Articles, essays, book reviews, encyclopedia and anthology entries, pamphlets, magazines, obituaries, abstracts of Ph.D. dissertations, and internet exchanges relating to the scholarship and fiction of J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973).
Scope and Content:
The Raynor Memorial Libraries' Department of Special Collections and University Archives purchased this collection of secondary sources from Grace E. Funk (1924-2004) in late 2003. A resident of Vancouver, British Columbia, Funk began developing her collection of Tolkieniana in the early 1980s. She continued adding to the collection until just a few days prior to acquisition by Marquette University. In developing this collection Ms. Funk relied heavily on bibliographies by David Bratman, Bonniejean McGuire Christensen, Wayne G. Hammond, Judith A. Johnson, Nancy Martsch, George H. Thompson, Daniel Timmons, and Richard C. West. She routinely consulted and traded with other collectors and she attended major conferences about Tolkien and fantasy fiction. The collection reflects Funk's background as a school librarian. She identified many materials geared for K-12 teachers and librarians interested in introducing students to Tolkien's fiction. Her detailed bibliographic citations are indicative of her professional expertise. The collection also contains a significant amount of secondary sources about New Line Cinema's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002). The citations are arranged alphabetically by author.
Archivists processing the Funk Collection separated nearly 500 books, periodicals, fanzines, and other secondary materials. These publications were subsequently cataloged in MARQCAT (the Marquette Libraries' electronic catalog) or integrated into Series 6-Periodical Literature of the J.R.R. Tolkien Collection. Citations for works that appeared in anthologies, conference proceedings, periodicals and bulletins to which Ms. Funk maintained subscriptions (including Amon Hen, Minas Tirith Evening Star, Mythlore, and Mythprint) have been retained within the descriptive inventory, but researchers are advised to consult both Series 6 of the J.R.R. Tolkien Collection and MARQCAT, since these printed works are usually not physically located in this part of the collection.
