Antique Book Project - The Thrush Knocks

This collection and its title are inspired by a simple line within Tolkien's The Hobbit. A key to the map to a secret door in the mountain, "Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks, and the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the key-hole," hints to the adventurous company how they may find entrance to the dragon-raided halls. For whatever reason, these simple 3 words within the passage stuck with me as such a beautiful and simple line. "The Thrush Knocks" was born, including one complete with a snail with which to rap on the walls.

Saved from being discarded when my grandparents downsized their home, these pages are from a book that appears to have been a college text for a great-great-great-grandmother. I've long been intrigued by the aesthetic of book art, and coming across this book gave me an opportunity to turn something no longer valued into something new and beautiful.

Page numbers can be referenced in top corners of photos to match selections in the options menu. Additional descriptions are included where page number is obscured.

Approximately 4.75 x 7.25 in.

Pen and ink on antique book paper.
Unframed originals.