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The History of Middle-Earth #6-9

The History of the Lord of the Rings

j.r.r. tolkien christopher tolkien

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J.R.R. Tolkien’s THE LORD OF THE RINGS, now firmly acknowledged as one of the most popular books of the twentieth century, has captivated generations of readers with its completely convincing fantasy. In The History of The Lord of the Rings, the author’s son and literary heir, Christopher Tolkien, examines the creation of that epic from its inception to its finished form. At the core of these books are many early drafts and unpublished passages by Tolkien, which add greatly to a thorough understanding of his masterpiece.
Combining his father’s unique vision with his own privileged insight and editorial commentary, Christopher Tolkien’s THE HISTORY OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS is a set of four volumes — including one unique to this collection — that no fan of THE LORD OF THE RINGS can afford to overlook.

1680 pages, Paperback

First published September 1,2000
Series
The History of Middle-Earth

This edition

Format
1680 pages, Paperback
Published
September 1, 2000 by Mariner Books
ISBN
9780618083558
ASIN
0618083553
Language
English

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About the author

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j.r.r. tolkien

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John Ronald Reuel Tolkien: writer, artist, scholar, linguist. Known to millions around the world as the author of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien spent most of his life teaching at the University of Oxford where he was a distinguished academic in the fields of Old and Middle English and Old Norse. His creativity, confined to his spare time, found its outlet in fantasy works, stories for children, poetry, illustration and invented languages and alphabets.

Tolkien's most popular works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are set in Middle-earth, an imagined world with strangely familiar settings inhabited by ancient and extraordinary peoples. Through this secondary world Tolkien writes perceptively of universal human concerns – love and loss, courage and betrayal, humility and pride – giving his books a wide and enduring appeal.

Tolkien was an accomplished amateur artist who painted for pleasure and relaxation. He excelled at landscapes and often drew inspiration from his own stories. He illustrated many scenes from The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, sometimes drawing or painting as he was writing in order to visualize the imagined scene more clearly.

Tolkien was a professor at the Universities of Leeds and Oxford for almost forty years, teaching Old and Middle English, as well as Old Norse and Gothic. His illuminating lectures on works such as the Old English epic poem, Beowulf, illustrate his deep knowledge of ancient languages and at the same time provide new insights into peoples and legends from a remote past.

Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in 1892 to English parents. He came to England aged three and was brought up in and around Birmingham. He graduated from the University of Oxford in 1915 and saw active service in France during the First World War before being invalided home. After the war he pursued an academic career teaching Old and Middle English. Alongside his professional work, he invented his own languages and began to create what he called a mythology for England; it was this ‘legendarium' that he would work on throughout his life. But his literary work did not start and end with Middle-earth, he also wrote poetry, children's stories and fairy tales for adults. He died in 1973 and is buried in Oxford where he spent most of his adult life.

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Rating(4.1 / 5.0, 11 votes)
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11 reviews All reviews
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RezeKit
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
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In the second volume of the History of Middle-earth, Christopher Tolkien explores the first initial drafts of the Lord of the Rings and its subsequent plot developments.

This was fascinating reading, for example to discover that it was Bingo, not Frodo, the initial ring-bearer as well as other sometimes major name changes or plots which got chopped out during editing. Where the first volume concerned the First Age and The Silmarillion stories - and, truth be told, was quite heavy reading sometimes - this volume focuses wholly on the Lord of the Rings, so people who are new to Middle-earth or have just read The Hobbit, or Lord of the Rings, will thoroughly enjoy this.

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ACunit
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
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Another interesting read. This time with some older drafts of Lord of the Rings with some added commentary from Christopher Tolkien.
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KisenoYuma
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
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Reviews here:

The Return of the Shadow: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part One
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Treason of Isengard: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part Two
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The War of the Ring
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The End of the Third Age: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part Four
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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Canlnon
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
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Not an easy reading. Basically for hardcore fans. But once one has completed the Silmarillion, enjoyed it and wants more, the history is a fabulous adventure inside the creation of the Tolkien universe.

Also a great act of love by a son for the work of his father.
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sirwiener
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
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For hardcore Tolkien fans. Casual Lord of the Rings fans will probably be put off by reading fragments, notes and early drafts of Tolkien's stories, but big nerds like me eat it up.
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calvo99
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
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Deluxe Limited Edition, quarter bound in leather and cloth with cloth slipcase, limited to 1000 copies worldwide.
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