Collector Profile: Peter Kenny
I have been a teacher for many years and live in the city of Brisbane, which is in the far away land down under, called Oz, a long way from the ancient lands of Middle Earth across the Encircling Seas. My hobbit name is Fortinbras.
How did you get started in collecting?
My first contact with the Tolkien phenomenon was in 1976 when a friend gave me a single volume paperback of "The Lord of the Rings". The story's opening chapters failed to capture my imagination and the book remained unfinished for a considerable time.
1976 was the year I was transferred to Bundaberg in my job as a school teacher and the following year I was moved to a smaller school in the nearby district. It was here in 1978 I met "The Hobbit". A teacher colleague was reading "The Hobbit" to our students and I soon bought a copy of this story and within a few weeks I had read "The Hobbit" and the unfinished "The Lord of the Rings".
I have since used "The Hobbit" in my classes as a literacy teaching unit several times over the years.
My passion for everything Tolkien was born. I now wanted to read more stories about Middle Earth. Each time I visited Brisbane I searched bookstores and soon purchased hardback copies of “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings”. Soon after I found the ‘Silmarillion” and “Unfinished Tales” and read them straight away. I still have these books and the original paperback I was given back in 1976.
I remained in the Bundaberg district for several years and as a consequence my Tolkien collection grew very slowly and after ten years my collection included just eight hardbacks, a couple of paperbacks, three poster maps and a couple of calendars.
What do you collect?
In 1988 I transferred back to Brisbane and the collection began to slowly increase in number, but I was disappointed that I couldn't find more and living far removed from Europe and the US meant I had little knowledge of what could be collected.
1992 was the Centenary of Tolkien's birth and over the next few years many books of Tolkien titles and related subjects were published. As well as local publications, I began acquiring books from overseas publishers. I also purchased pewter goblets during this time and a fabulous Chess set.
By the time the movie ("Fellowship of the Ring") was released at the end of 2001, I already had a sizeable collection mainly comprising books but I also had acquired pewter pieces, a chess set, audio books, calendars, cards, maps and posters.
With the release of the movies I diversified the collection considerably and books for a time took a secondary role in my search for new acquisitions. I now have a large number of movie related items in my collection.
During 2007 my interest in everything movie related waned and I’ve started once again concentrating on books.
How big is your collection?
Currently there are about 700 items in my collection plus a couple of thousand cards.
I now have over 300 books in my collection including 25 editions of “The Lord of the Rings”, 25 editions of “The Hobbit”, and editions of other major works. Also in the collection is the complete set of “The History of Middle Earth”, UK editions. Various editions of Tolkien’s other stories and works are included, as well as several books of academic works about Tolkien or his writings.
Currently the collection has outgrown the space I have to display it in, but it continues to grow as new "must haves" are regularly found.
What has been your greatest find so far?
During thirty years of collecting there have been many great finds. In the late nineties I found a second impression set of “The Lord of the Rings” in a second hand bookstore here in Brisbane, a rare find in this part of the world.
Recently I have acquired a 1946 “The Hobbit”, which I’m quite pleased about.
Two beautiful Chess Sets are a pleasure to have as well. Each has a wooden game board with copper and wood squares. Pieces are nickel silver plated (white side) and Florentine bronze (dark side).
With the use of the internet I see many treasures out there I’d like to own but monetary constraints hold me back from purchasing much more. Purchasing from overseas has its drawbacks, as shipping to Australia increases the price of each item and over time that amounts to a fair bit.
Tell us about your Web site.
I don’t have a web site at present but I would like to create one sharing my classroom experiences and resources that I have used over the years when using “The Hobbit” as a Literacy Unit. There are many Hobbit and Middle Earth resources and texts that can be used to develop wonderful teaching experiences for students.
My interest in doing this was born a couple of years ago following my involvement with other collectors in a program which was sponsored by the Queensland State Library (Brisbane, Australia).
The program was called “One of a Kind – Obsession and Collection”. The Library was looking for people whose collections ranged from the bizarre to the simply huge. From hundreds of nominees, eight people, including myself, were invited to participate in the project which resulted in a month long exhibition showcasing our treasures.
Each collector was interviewed and filmed so that multimedia facilities on site enabled visitors to wonder at the full collections that couldn’t be brought into the space. A magazine was produced including each collector’s profile and details about their collection. There was also TV and Newspaper coverage of the Exhibition Opening.
Discussions with the library staff about my collection and how it has influenced some of my classroom lessons helped me to realize I could do much more through the Internet to share my ideas.
What does collecting mean to you?
When I was young collections were about things like stamps or cards and later vinyl records or granny’s fine china collection but it seems now that for every conceivable object in this world there is someone who loves it…passionately. No matter how small or how big, nearly everyone has a collection of some things. Collections tell us something about people as well as stories about our present and our past. I have met people who collect mainstream things or unusual items. All these people are just as passionate as I am about what they collect.
I cannot see myself losing the passion of continuing to collect “Treasures from Middle Earth” in the foreseeable future. When you're passionate is there ever enough?