The New York Times Co. has begun the online portion of “The Tolkien Archives: A Guide to the World of J. R. R. Tolkien” at NYTimes.com/Tolkien.
Sponsored by AOL Time Warner's New Line Cinema studio, the program is the first offline and online advertising package created by the Times for a cinematic release. It coincides with the Dec. 19 opening of New Line's “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.” The promotion runs through January.
The Tolkien archives comprise Times-published book reviews from 1938 to 1980, select chapters, audio and video clips, slideshow presentations and discussions. The archives are linked to “The Lord of the Rings” Web site. A weekly quiz on NYTimes.com/Tolkien will offer prizes from the online movie store. An online sweepstakes will debut next week to build a database.
Print ads will continue to run in the Times through the movie's release.
