A BROADWAY author’s book launch was made extra special when he received a letter from Chancellor George Osborne.
Steve Ponty got the special delivery on the day of his first book launch ‘Middle Earth in Magic Mirror Maps’ which was held at Trinity House Gallery in Broadway.
More than 150 people gathered at the village venue for a signed copy of the book, a view on the creativity of Professor JRR Tolkien in ‘The Hobbit’ along with the close relationship he had with Wales.
And Mr Osborne, who is believed to be a huge fan of ‘The Hobbit, wrote to Steve to thank him for a copy of his book and said ‘it looks an interesting read’.
The book sees Steve uncover the mindset of Tolkien and why he chose Wales and the Cotswolds as the backdrop for ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’.
Steve also believes the Professor left fans a puzzle to work through and the author seems to have cracked the code.
More than five years of work to unearth the trail of crumbs left by Tolkien has gone into the book by Steve who lives in
Broadway but was born in Wales.
After he studied Latin, French Literature and Poetry for entry into Cambridge University, his law degress led to a career in London and abroad.
On his return to the UK in 2003, Steve researched the topography of Worcestershire, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire.
He discovered ‘The Shire’ using close map comparison and went on to discover the Wilderland from The Hobbit in Wales.
