Jane Johnson felt anxious when plans were made for a film version of The Lord of the Rings. After all, she's been something of a guardian of the book as its publisher at HarperCollins for the past 17 years. And this is the book that determined the course of her career.

But she's delighted with the film.

"When I spent a month on the film set in New Zealand last year, I knew something very special was going on. The amount of passion and care of the cast and crew were amazing, and their incredibly hard work. They were up at 4.30am or 5am and working till after dark six days a week. So much for the glamour of Hollywood! The conditions were often harsh but there were never tantrums or difficulties.

"All the actors had read the book, and some of them had also read the letters and biography. They were so committed to the idea and that added to the characters.

"It's a genuinely ground-breaking film."

Jane, 41, who lives at Coleshill, says: "I first read The Lord of the Rings when I was 12 and it's been 'my book' ever since. It took me into publishing and my career."

At university she specialised in Anglo-Saxon and Old Norse, then took a Masters in Old Icelandic. "This was Tolkien's field of study and the inspiration for The Lord of the Rings." She then joined the publisher of Tolkien now HarperCollins and within six months was editor of his books.

She loves the way the film version stays close to the spirit of the book. "They've managed to get a raw edge to it, giving it considerable power. It's not just visual and dramatic but it packs a big punch on the personal level."

This week has been the culmination of years of collaboration with the film project.

Monday's launch party, she says, was a spectacular event: "I've never experienced anything like it, with 2,000 people there and so many celebrities.

"But I've got such a close assocation with the whole thing that the public celebration doesn't mean as much as simply seeing the film."

Not only is The Lord of the Rings paperback number one in bookshop sales. The visual companion she wrote for the film, under her pen name Jude Fisher, is also doing well, along with the official movie guide by Brian Sibley which she publishes.

Both books are full of stunning full-colour photographs taken during filming.

The visual companion is a guide to the characters, places, landscapes and artefacts of Middle Earth, the setting of the story. She says: "It encapsulates much of the information you need to know about Middle Earth if you haven't read the book before. Some people do find the book difficult. It's a nice commemorative book too, with images taken from the film."

She's now busy putting together the companion book for the second film in the trilogy, out next Christmas, which will require more visits to film sets in New Zealand.

Meanwhile, though Lord of the Rings is an all-consuming passion for this Lady of the Book, it hasn't stopped Jane's output as a fantasy author, writing at home in Coleshill most weekends.

Her novel Nonsuch was published last month by Random House, and a big fantasy novel is due out next summer.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Visual Companion, by Jude Fisher (HarperCollins £14.99)

The Lord of the Rings: Official Movie Guide, by Brian Sibley (HarperCollins £14.99)

December 19, 2001 18:30