J.R.R. TOLKIEN

Every week or so, tens of thousands of New Zealanders play a lottery in their desperation to come home.

New Zealand has long been associated with “The Lord of the Rings” but with the filming of a major new television series suddenly snatched away, the nation has become more like Mordor than the Shire for hundreds of workers.

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On Monday, March 29, 2021, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt announced it is selling HMH Books & Media, which includes titles by J.R.R. Tolkien and the Curious George children's series, to News Corp.'s HarperCollins division for $349 million. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)NEW YORK – In the latest news of consolidation in the literary world, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. announced Monday it's buying Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's book-publishing division, which includes such blockbuster releases as J.R.R. News Corp. owns HarperCollins, one of the industry's largest book publishers, which will operate the division, called HMH Books & Media, the company said Monday. AdThe deal is the second News Corp. has announced in the past week.

Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, left, and a 1967 photo of Tolkien. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books & Media announced Thursday, March 25, 2021, that the new version will come out Oct. 19. (Houghton Mifflin via AP, left, and AP Photo)NEW YORK – An upcoming edition of J.R.R. Tolkien's “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy will include paintings, drawings and other illustrations by the British author for the first time since it was published in the mid-1950s. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books & Media announced Thursday that the new version will come out Oct. 19.