Hats off to JRR...

I was surprised and delighted today when I purchased a first class stamp to post a letter. The stamp I received from the postal shop featured an illustration of a scene from JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. I figured this somehow had to tie in with the recent trio of movies that have garnered critical acclaim and popular praise. Then I thought how odd for the Royal Mail to cash in on this commercial phenomenon. A little bit of research dug up the real reason for the commemorative stamps: today is the 50th anniversary of the publication of The Lord of the Rings.