Contents of this entry
A history of writing, not a numbered sequelChoosing a useful entrancePrimary referencesRelated encyclopedia entries
A history of writing, not a numbered sequel
The opening volumes present The Book of Lost Tales. Later books follow long verse narratives, developing versions of the mythology, Númenor and linguistic materials. Volumes VI to IX contain the principal documentary sequence on the writing of The Lord of the Rings, although the ninth also includes substantial material outside that novel’s history.
The final volumes turn towards later Silmarillion writings, philosophical questions, the development of the Appendices and other texts. The series therefore contains different kinds of reading: an early story may be followed by textual variants, an editorial reconstruction of sequence or an explanation of a difficult manuscript.
Choosing a useful entrance
A specific question is often the best guide. Readers interested in the first mythology can begin with volumes I and II. Those following the growth of the Ring story can begin with The Return of the Shadow. Later mythological and metaphysical questions commonly lead towards Morgoth’s Ring and The War of the Jewels.
Christopher Tolkien’s commentary is indispensable. It establishes dates, relationships and the limits of what can be inferred from revisions. Removing that apparatus in order to gather only apparent “facts” about the fictional world can reverse the meaning of a passage by treating an abandoned possibility as a settled conclusion.
The series does not include John D. Rateliff’s separate History of The Hobbit, and Carl F. Hostetter’s The Nature of Middle-earth is not officially a thirteenth volume. Related purposes and supplementary discoveries do not make separately edited works parts of the same numbered publication. Our books guide provides all twelve titles and a route through their broad subjects.
Primary references
The History of Middle-earth, volumes I–XII, their Introductions, Contents and editorial commentary; David Bratman, “The History of Middle-earth”, Tolkien Estate. Further reading: /books/#manuscripts and /tolkien-reading-order/#history.
Related encyclopedia entries
Explore the book library · Choose a reading route · Explore Tolkien’s letters
