all books by jrr tolkien

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Complete List of Jrr Tolkien Books in Order

J.R.R. Tolkien is what many writers dream of becoming—he was a successful author, poet, university professor, and philologist.

The English author is best known for his high fantasy novels including The Hobbit (a children’s book) and The Lord of the Rings (a three-volume novel cycle), but apart from writing his middle-earth related books, Tolkien wrote essays, made contributions to philological works, and translated or contributed to over 30 books among other things.

Saying that J.R.R was a good writer is as fraudulent as saying that he was a great writer. He was a god!

He is, after all, the creator of middle earth, Hobbits, and other mystical figures. 

Tolkien is the most renowned fantasy writer ever, a pioneer who must be regarded as the godfather of the fantasy genre and one of the greatest authors of the 20th century.

But why are Tolkien’s works well known and loved? And, which of his books are the most famous? Find out the answers to these questions as you read on.

At A Glance: Our Top 5 Picks for J.R.R Tolkien Books:

• The Lord of the Rings
• The Silmarillion
• The History of Middle-earth
• Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth

J.R.R Tolkien: The Greatest Ever!

J.R.R. Tolkien’s full name is John Ronald Reuel Tolkien and he was born on January 3, 1892, in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

He was an English writer, poet, and scholar and is hailed as the greatest fantasy writer of all time but is less known for his nonfiction works and illustrations. As a scholar, Tolkien is well-regarded for his translations of Old and Middle English verse, and for fiction-loving readers, he is the godfather of the contemporary fantasy genre.

He first achieved fame with his children’s book: The Hobbit which came out in 1937 and cemented his maestro status with a rich and epic fantasy series: The Lord of the Rings .

He wrote dozens of books, most of which were published posthumously.

Why We Love J.R.R Tolkien

1. simplicity.

Tolkien’s first stories including The Hobbit were written for his children and he didn’t exactly write them for the general public. The style in which he wrote them was simple, and the stories were easy to read and follow, elegant, and beautiful. This is the same simplicity he used for The Lord of the Rings and other stories, winning him a lot of fans—both young and old.

2. Originality and Creativity

Creativity is something Tolkien didn’t lack, and he gave middle earth and all its mythical creatures. Now, having made it onto the screens, this world is so believable that you tend to wonder if such a world—full of wonder and magic—never existed.

3. Attention to Detail

To tell the stories that he told, Tolkien had to take his effort and determination to a new level.

He did just that!  

The level of detail in his stories instantly induces sparks of imagination and swallows the reader into a world full of mystique, horror, and wonders.

The Complete List of J.R.R Tolkien’s Books in Chronological Order of Publication

• English Vocabulary (1922)
• Songs for the Philologist (1936)
• The Hobbit (1937)
• On Fairy Stories (1947)
• Farmer Giles of Ham (1949)
• The Fellowship of the Ring (1954)
• The Two Towers (1954)
• The Return of the King (1955)
• The Adventures of Tom Bombadil (1961)
• The Tolkien Reader (1966)
• Smith of Wootton Major (1967)
• The Road Goes Ever On (1967)
• Leaf By Niggle (1969)
• Bilbo’s Last Song (1974)
• Sir Gawain, Pearl and Sir Orfeo (1975)
• The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth (1975)
• The Father Christmas Letters (1976)
• The Silmarillion (1977)
• Pictures by JRR Tolkien (1979)
• Poems and Stories (1980)
• Unfinished Tales (1980)
• The Letters of JRR Tolkien (1981)
• The Old English Exodus (1981)
• Mr. Bliss (1982)
• Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays (1983)
• Finn and Hengest (1983)
• The Book of Lost Tales 1 (1983)
• The Book of Lost Tales 2 (1984)
• The Lays of Beleriand (1985)
• The Shaping of Middle Earth (1986)
• The Lost Road and Other Writings (1987)
• The Return of the Shadow (1988)
• The Treason of Isengard (1989)
• The War of the Ring (1990)
• Sauron Deafeated (1992)
• Morgoth’s Ring (1993)
• The War of the Jewels (1994)
• The Peoples of Middle Earth (1996)
• Roverandom (1998)
• Beowulf and the Critics (2002)

The Best J.R.R Tolkien Books

1. the fellowship of the ring (the lord of the rings no.1).

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This is the first in the Lord of the Rings series and the story begins about 80 years after the stories in The Hobbit . The Fellowship of the Ring follows Frodo, the Ringbearer, as he embarks on a journey to deliver the One Ring to the only force capable of destroying it: the first of Mount Doom.

The novel was first published in 1954 and had its film version released in 2001. The novel introduced some very important characters including Merry, Sam, and Pippin played—in the 2001 movie—by Dominic Monaghan, Sean Astin, and Billy Boyd, respectively.

2. The Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings, No. 3)

The Return of the King is the final installment in the three-novel Lord of the Rings series. It also served to bring to a conclusion some of the major plotlines in the series that began in The Fellowship of the Ringing . A couple of battles take place to determine the fate of Middle Earth; the story culminates in the destruction of the One Ring and the crowning of Gondor as the new King.

The book was first published in 1955, and its film version was released in 2003.

3. The Hobbit

The first of Tolkien’s books to be published, The Hobbit, introduced Middle Earth and within this world were Hobbits, orcs, and other beings.

This classic was initially written for Tolkien’s children, so it instantly became a fan-favorite among the younger, fantasy-loving readers. This fantastical story also introduced Bilbo Baggins to the world. Bilbo, a Hobbit, and a couple of dwarves go on an adventure-filled mission to reclaim their homeland from Smaug, a dragon whose only desire is to guard the treasure he stole from the dwarves.

The Hobbit was published in 1937, then adapted as a trilogy, with An Unexpected Journey (2012), The Desolation of Smaug (2013), and The Battle of the Five Armies (2014), making up the series.

J.R.R Tolkien Frequently Asked Questions

Why is tolkien so popular.

Tolkien was an excellent writer who had a good comprehension of how language works. Tolkien bore gifts to both readers and writers; he wrote his stories in such detail and created a believable world, plus… he was inspired by settings and situations from his life.

In which order should I read J.R.R Tolkien’s Middle-earth books?

I do not think that even J.R.R Tolkien himself prescribed any order that his Middle-earth-related works should be read. But I believe that there are a couple of things to be taken into context when reading the books—the reader’s age is one good example. If the reader happens to be a child under the age of 12, The Hobbit would be a perfect story to start. Stories like The Silmarillion are usually ‘shoes too big’ for the average preteen’s feet, so they might not be the best book to start with. Another context we can consider is the style of writing that the reader enjoys the most. For example, if you enjoy epic poetry, you may want to read The Lays of Beleriand first just to savor the deliciousness of verse.

However, I believe that, mostly, it’s an issue of choice. According to the Tolkien Society, there are two ways you can go about reading the Middle Earth books.

If you’d like to read the Middle-earth books in the order they were published, this is how you would read the books:

• The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Verses from the Red Book
• Unfinished Tales
• The History of Middle-earth series
• The Children of Húrin
• Beren and Lúthien
• The Fall of Gondolin

However, if you wish to read the Middle-earth works in the order Tolkien wrote them, this is how you’d go about it:

• The Book of Lost Tales
• The Lays of Beleriand
• The Shaping of Middle-earth
• The Lost Road
• The Return of the Shadow
• The Treason of Isengard
• The War of the Ring
• Sauron Defeated [first part]
• The Peoples of Middle-earth [first part]
• [The Lord of the Rings]
• The Notion Club Papers [in Sauron Defeated]
• Unfinished Tales [omit Narn i Hîn Húrin]
• Morgoth’s Ring
• The War of the Jewels
• [The Silmarillion]
• The Peoples of Middle-earth [last part]

Did J.R.R. Tolkien’s win any awards?

Yes, Tolkien did win a few awards during his lifetime.

The Hobbit won the best juvenile story of the season prize awarded by the New York Herald Tribune in 1938.  

The Lord of the Rings won the International Fantasy Award In 1957.

Tolkien’s stories have continued to earn him praise and awards even after his death, and in 2000, The Hobbit was awarded the Keith Barker Millennium Book Award Winner 2000, an award presented by the Youth Libraries Group, School Library Association, and Library Association Schools Library Group “for the most significant children’s book published between 1920 and 1939.“

And… according to a poll by the US publication Books for Keeps, The Hobbit is the “Most Important 20th-Century Novel (for Older Readers).”

Other books earned Tolkien posthumous awards; for example, in 1997, The Silmarillion won the Locus Award.

Do Hobbits have big feet? Are they fat?

No, they generally don’t have big feet. But, Mr. Proudfoot and his family have large feet (for a Hobbit that is), and there’s no other mention of Hobbits as beings that have big feet.

Tolkien mentioned that the Hobbits love eating and drinking, maybe because they are hardworking and they have to replenish their bodies after the hard physical work. So, they might consume just enough food to sort of “break-even” and may not necessarily be fat. However, Tolkien tells us the average adult Hobbit is “Fattish in the stomach, shortish in the leg.”

That sounds stout to me, er… to everyone that is stout.

Do Tolkien’s Elves and Hobbits have pointed ears?

They do, actually. Tolkien—in a 1938 letter (No. 27, p. 35)—described the Hobbits to his American as having “a round, jovial face; ears only slightly pointed and ‘elvish.’”

He pointed out the similarity between the Hobbit’s and Elvish ears: they were both pointed, with the elvish ears being unmistakably pointed.

Is the Glorfindel in The Lord of the Rings the same as the one in Silmarillion?

Yes, actually, Tolkien wrote two essays on Glorfindel, in which he concluded that the two Glorfindels were the same person. He said that after death, Glorfindel’s spirit went to the Halls of Mandos where he was healed, re-embodied, and returned to Middle-earth.

Where can I find maps of Middle-earth?

The first edition of The Lord of the Rings had a map of middle earth in it, but various other maps have also been published over the years.

Some of these were produced with the collaboration and blessing from Tolkien and are not easy to get hold of nowadays— A Map of Middle-earth by Pauline Baynes, which was first published in 1970, being one of them.

There and Back Again: The Map of Tolkien’s Hobbit – for The Hobbit, The Maps of Tolkien’s Middle-earth – for The Lord of the Ring, The Map of Tolkien’s Beleriand: and the Lands to the North – for The Silmarillion, are some of the books featuring illustrations by John Howe and a booklet by Brian Sibley.

Some works have maps of Middle Earth and I simply couldn’t write all of them down, but through search might lead you to these works.

Which books inspired Tolkien?

I cannot say for sure, but there are types of books that we may assume inspired Tolkien. Beowulf is one of the literary pieces that influenced Tolkien; in fact, his translations and commentary have been packaged into a book and it is available even today. Check it here .

Here is a list of titles that might interest you if you’re looking for Tolkien’s inspirations:

• Beowulf – a verse translation by Michael Alexander
• Sir Gawain and the Green Knight – translated by Bernard O’Donoghue
• The Saga of the Volsungs – translated by Jesse L. Byock
• The Wanderer: Elegies, Epics, Riddles – translated by Michael Alexander
• The Elder Edda – translated by Andy Orchard

Final Words

There are many books with the J.R.R Tolkien name attached to them. This is because Tolkien’s works are continually being adapted, re-edited, and reproduced by others, including his son.

Plus… Tolkien didn’t only write novels, he also wrote poetry, essays, short stories, and novellas, some of which he may have outlined with short story outlines. Many of these pieces have made it into multiple publications and are found under different titles, meaning there are more books with Tolkien in them than most of us know

So we can’t really be sure about how many of J.R.R Tolkien’s works have been published, but one thing is for sure: Whatever his pen touched, turned to gold!

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Reading order

A reading order is the order in which Tolkien's works are read.

Description

New Tolkien readers are usually puzzled with the complexity of the works and the best order in which to read the works. The most famous works take place late in the legendarium 's history, with hints to the backstory. The stories that comprise the background are relatively complex and have no obvious links to the most famous works. Furthemore, the stories-chapters-essays overlap each another, or take place simultaneously, differing only in the extensiveness of the details.

Hardcore fans read the works more than once. For example one can read The Lord of the Rings first, then The Hobbit and sometime later The Lord of the Rings again, in light of the backstory seen in The Hobbit .

There can be various approaches:

Publication history

This can be one of the most common approaches.

• The Lord of the Rings
• The Silmarillion
• Unfinished Tales / The Children of Húrin / Beren and Lúthien / The Fall of Gondolin

Rough chronological order

A less common approach is to read the saga in chronologically accurate order:

The Silmarillion describes the beginnings of Tolkien's world.

• The Children of Húrin , Beren and Lúthien and The Fall of Gondolin

These books give an extended version of the Great Tales of the Elder Days, featured as a part of The Silmarillion .

• Unfinished Tales

Parts of this book give insight about Númenor , the Second Age (mentioned in The Silmarillion ) and early Third Age , with elements that will play their role in The Lord of the Rings .

Although directly unrelated to The Silmarillion , it is the next big story.

The conclusion of the story of The Hobbit as well as things mentioned in The Silmarillion .

Exact chronological order

External links

• Chronological Tolkien discusses the issue and also provides a calculator to find the exact reading order.

J.R.R. Tolkien Books In Order

Publication order of the lord of the rings books.

Publication Order of Middle-Earth Universe Books

Publication Order of The History of Middle-Earth Books

Publication Order of History Of The Lord Of The Rings Collections

Publication Order of Tales of Middle Earth Books

Publication Order of Later Silmarillion Collections

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien is a highly acclaimed fantasy writer. J.R.R. Tolkien was born in Orange Free State, Bloemfontein in South Africa in the year 1892. He is known as the father of high fantasy. He is the one who is credited for the revival of the fantasy genre in 20th century and making it very popular among the readers. The Times magazine has ranked the author among 50 greatest writers since 1945. Two of his most famous books are ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy and ‘The Hobbit.’

J.R.R. Tolkien spent his early life in a Birmingham Village called, Sarehole in England where his mother had moved after the death of J.R.R. Tolkien’s father, Arthur Tolkien, who died of rheumatic fever. While in Sarehool, Tolkien was bitten by a baboon spider. One may link the mention of spiders in his books as an effect of this particular incident. Many of the scenes in his books seem to be inspired by the scenery of Sarehole where he frequented to places like Sarehole Mill, Moseley Bog, Malvern Hills and other places. In his early childhood, Tolkien’s mother took charge of his studies and taught botany to him. However, Tolkien was very keen with the languages. Keeping thin in mind, his mother taught him Latin. He could read at the age of 3 and write at the age of 4. He read many of the famous fantastical works in English literature such as ‘Alice in the Wonderland’ as a child. His keen interest in fantasy seems to inspire his books.

In 1904, mother of the author died after which he was brought up by her close friend, Fr. Francis Xavier Morgan. Morgan had task to raise him as a good Catholic. Later in his life J.R.R. Tolkien went to Exeter college in Lancashire from where he did his graduation in the Germanic languages and classic literature. He joined the military as a lieutenant with Lancashire Fusiliers. He fought in the war of Somme but later he was released from his duties from military because of his illness. All this while, J.R.R. Tolkien continued with his writing as he has a deep interest in it. While serving in the military, he married, Edith Mary Bratt in 1916. Their meetings were opposed by Morgan because she was a protestant but their love for each other kept them together and later on Bratt got converted as a Catholic.

J.R.R. Tolkien continued his studies in linguistics and later in his career, he joined as a faulty at the University of Leeds, After that, he joined Oxford University as a professor of Anglo Saxon at Pembroke college. At the Oxford University he started a literary group called ‘Inkling’. Inkling had some illustrious members which included CS Lewis and Owen Barfield. J.R.R. Tolkien kept on working in his profession till 1959. While he was at Oxford, he wrote one of his most popular books ‘the Hobbit’. After that he published an essay and poetry collection and wrote ‘Smith of Wootton’ which is a fantasy. His wife died in the year 1971 and he died in the year 1973 at the age of 81. A year before his death, the author was honored by queen Elizabeth as ‘the commander of the order of the British empire’ in 1972. The author is survived by four of his children. J.R.R. Tolkien’s son Christopher has published a series of books based on the notes and manuscripts left by the author.

Two of the most popular books written by the author are ‘The Hobbit’ and the ‘Lord of the Rings’ Trilogy. These books sold millions of copies worldwide. Tolkien’s one of the most famous books ‘The Hobbit’ was published in the year 1937. It was considered to be a children’s’ book though Tolkien did not describe it as a children’s book. One of the great features of this book is the 100 drawings in the book created by the author. The main character of the book is Bilbo Baggins. The book is all about the adventure of its lead character, Bilbo.

The masterpiece of J.R.R. Tolkien is ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy which is considered as one of the best fiction work in the 20th century. This work strengthened the fantasy genre. Strong reflection of ‘Lord of the Rings’ can be found in other works of fantasy. It was a series of three books and one of the most popular ones in the modern times. The book is inspired by European myths. The there books of the trilogy are the ‘Fellowship of the Ring’, ‘The Two Towers’ and the last one ‘The Return of the King.’ These three books were published in the year 1954 and 1955. The author had spent almost 10 years just writing the narrative of the book. Originally, the author had intended it as a book for children but as he went on writing, it became more serious and dark. The trilogy is a rich fantasy and you will find characters such as talking trees, elves and Goblins.

The characterization has been superb in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and many of the characters have become fictional legends. Two of the most famous characters in the book are that of Gandalf and Gimli. Gandalf is considered to be one of the strongest characters in the book. Gandalf, for many is the best and most powerful character ever in a fantasy novel. Other popular characters from the book are Legolas, who can shoot five arrows in one go. Many consider the character of the Aragorn as the best. His nobility and humbleness is loved by the readers and movie goers. The character of Gimli is lovable as well. He is short and stocky but very stubborn. He will do what he likes.

‘The Lord of the Rings’ has received rave reviews. In a BBC survey the book was declared as the ‘most loved’ book ever. Amazon.com customers termed the book as ‘best work of the millennium.’

‘The Lord of The Rings’ trilogy has been adapted as a movie by the director, Peter Jackson which had some of the most popular Hollywood stars in the film. The film has been one of the most successful films ever and has won several academy awards. Peter Jackson also adopted another popular book by Tolkien, ‘The Hobbit’ in a movie. This movie has three parts.

John Ronald Reuel Tolkein has helped revive the fantasy genre not only in books but in movies as well. ‘Lord of the rings’ is one of the most celebrated book and a movie ever.

One Response to “J.R.R. Tolkien”

Thank you for an excellent summary of Tolkien’s life and the well-organized list of his works. I’ve been to other websites for this information; yours is by far the most helpful. Thank you so much!

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List of writings

This article is a list of all books by J.R.R. Tolkien and writings contained in these books (stories, essays, poems, etc.) related to his Middle-earth legendarium .

The list is not necessarily complete or up to date — if you see an article that should be here but is not (or one that should not be here but is), please do update the page accordingly.

It lists also articles that haven't been created yet, but are linked to from other Middle-earth articles, as well as articles which are only redirects: many articles therefore link to the same page.

Original tie-in books from the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings movies or any other adaptations do not belong here and are not included.

• Adventures of Tom Bombadil, The
• " Ainulindalë "
• " Akallabêth "
• " Ambarkanta "
• " Annals of Aman "
• " Annals of Beleriand "
• " Annals of Valinor "
• " Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth "
• " Bilbo's Last Song "
• Book of Lost Tales, The
• " Cuivienyarna "
• " Children of Húrin, The "
• Fellowship of the Ring, The
• " Flight of the Noldoli "
• Hobbit, The (There and Back Again)
• History of The Hobbit, The '
• History of The Lord of the Rings, The
• History of Middle-earth, The
• Journey to Mordor, The
• " The Lay of Leithian "
• " The Lay of the Children of Húrin "
• " Lay of the Fall of Gondolin "
• Lays of Beleriand, The
• Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien, The
• " Lhammas "
• Little Princess Mee
• Lord of the Rings, The
• " The Lost Road "
• Lost Road and Other Writings, The
• " Man in the Moon Stayed Up Too Late, The "
• Morgoth's Ring
• " Narn i Chîn Húrin "
• " New Shadow, The "
• " Notion Club Papers, The "
• " Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age "
• " Osanwe-kenta "
• Peoples of Middle-earth, The
• " Quendi and Eldar "
• " Quenta Silmarillion "
• " The Quest of Erebor "
• Return of the King, The
• Return of the Shadow, The
• Road Goes Ever On, The
• Sauron Defeated
• Shaping of Middle-earth, The
• Silmarillion, The
• " Sketch of the Mythology "
• Stone Troll, The
• " Tal-Elmar "
• " Tale of Adanel "
• Tale of Tinúviel. The
• Treason of Isengard, The
• Two Towers, The
• Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth
• " Valaquenta "
• " Wanderings of Húrin "
• War of the Jewels, The
• The War of the Ring

• Lord of the Rings
• 3 Aragorn II

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• Tuesday 28 July 2015 - Tolkien Calendar 2016: Illustrated by Tove Jansson
• Monday 27 July 2015 - The Amateur Lord of the Rings
• Friday 17 July 2015 - J.R.R. Tolkien a writer of note
• Friday 17 July 2015 - Why tolkien's books are so popular Among the Students
• Thursday 16 July 2015 - The world first publication of a previously unknown work by J.R.R. Tolkien,The Story of Kullervo
• Thursday 11 June 2015 - Rare The History of Middle Earth, all 3 Limited Deluxe Editions in Publishers Slipcase
• Saturday 6 June 2015 - Signed copy of the Hobbit sells for record at auction
• Sunday 3 May 2015 - On the shores of the shoreless sea
• Sunday 19 January 2015 - New Collector Profile added - Giulio Torlai
• Saturday 29 November 2014 - Back to the past - Simon J. Cook on Tolkien and History
• Tuesday 7 October 2014 - Will we ever see The Silmarillion on the big screen?

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Probably the second most frequently asked question I get is the order in which to read tolkien's works. The first being an enquiry about the value of a particular Tolkien book. The question about the reading order is however a complex one, and probably more difficult to answer than to determine the value of a collectible Tolkien book. When you read tolkien's The Lord of the Rings , or when you watch the Peter Jackson movie adaptation, you always get a hint of the vast history that shines through and indeed when Tolkien wrote The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings , he was already working for many years at the underlying mythologies; the stories he actually longed to write, The Silmarillion . In the end Tolkien never finished (t)his masterpiece and it was only released after his death, thanks to the editing work of his son Christopher Tolkien. Whenever a character in one of tolkien's tales disappeared from the story line, he wanted to find out what happened to it (and to make sure when it re-entered the tale, its history and events matched with the ongoing tale). Tolkien ended up writing many texts that were not used in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings . At the same time Tolkien was developing the history (and languages) of Middle-earth, which resulted into The Silmarillion as we know now. But since Tolkien wrote and rewrote many of these texts during his life it took Christopher Tolkien 12 volumes to minuscule describe the whole creation process and get all written documents published. These 12 volumes are called The History of Middle-earth . Surprisingly, before these 12 volumes Christopher Tolkien also published Unfinished Tales , which included variants or side stories from The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion . Actually it was because the commercial success of this edited collection of stories and essays that Christopher Tolkien embarked on the journey to publish The History of Middle-earth . In April 2007, we received one more finished Middle-earth related tale called The Children of Hurin , partially published before in Unfinished Tales , The Silmarillion and The History of Middle-earth . Since that release it has become even more difficult to decide which book to read first and to determine a good reading order. Next to the tales of Middle-earth, Tolkien wrote excellent poetry, other stories and fairy tales that are very worthwhile to read, it are these books that, although not taking place in the realm of Middle-earth, will be enjoyed by many and should be part of any serious Tolkien book list. Some prefer to read tolkien's books in the order they were published, maybe this is not such a bad idea, others want to read the books in chronological order and read the history as it evolves, starting from the creation of Middle-earth until the end... yet it is a very difficult quest and I believe it is very hard to enjoy this reading order since you'll have to jump from the one book to the other constantly.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien The best book to get introduced to Middle-earth is The Hobbit, an easy and lighthearted fantasy story, which Tolkien wrote first, without having much back-story and historical details in mind. In fact it was a story he told to his children as a bedtime story; and only because of tolkien's children pointing out mistakes, Tolkien decided to write down the tale in the early 1930s. It was eventually published because he lent it to to some people outside of the family, including C.S. Lewis, Elaine Griffiths, the Reverend Mother St. Teresa Gale (the Mother Superior at Cherwell Edge, a convent of the Order of the Holy Child Jesus), and one child, a girl of twelve or thirteen, presumably Aileen Jennings, the older sister of the poet Elizabeth Jennings, whose family was friends with the Tolkiens, who encouraged him to finish the book. Finally it was seen by the 10-year old son of Sir Stanley Unwin, Rayner Unwin, who wrote such an enthusiastic review of the book that it was published by Allen & Unwin in 1937. The most interesting way to start reading the tale would be by reading a first edition . It is not well known, but when J.R.R. Tolkien wrote his masterpiece The Lord of the Rings , he rewrote part of his earlier book, The Hobbit . The major change was in the fifth chapter "Riddles in the Dark" and now this rewritten version has become the standard. John D. Rateliff has listed all the exact changes in The History of the Hobbit . In 1985 (and even today) not a lot of people were aware of this change and there for the original fifth chapter saw a reprint in Masterpieces of Terror and the Supernatural: A Treasury of Spellbinding Tales Old and New , selected by Martin Kaye. This book is not so hard to find in perfect condition and therefore an easy way to obtain the Riddles in the Dark in its first form. The fun part about this chapter is that the reason of rewriting The Hobbit was also included in the tale of The Lord of the Rings ; where we can read that Bilbo did tell a completely different tale about his encounter with Gollum and the discovery of the one ring. Of course, to give the one ring more power and credibility, Tolkien had to rewrite the original "Riddles in the Dark" and so it is very interesting to re-read the new riddle chapter after you finish The Lord of the Rings and have read how Gandalf discovers that Bilbo's original version did not make sense. Now what would be a lovely edition to read The Hobbit ? I personally prefer a copy that includes Tolkien original drawings and a size that lies well in the hand, but when I do read it for my kids I mostly go for a fine illustrated edition, for example one with illustrations by Michael Hague or with the excellent drawings by Alan Lee. But of all editions I prefer the 70th Anniversary Edition . This classic hardback edition is once again featuring the distinctive cover illustration painted by Tolkien himself, it has been redesigned to match the popular hardback editions of the three volumes of The Lord of the Rings, which also feature tolkien's cover illustrations. The jacket is slightly mat, like a real watercolor painting, and reproduces tolkien's own dust jacket design for the very 1st UK edition. Here we can see a red sun and dragon which was tolkien's original wish; the red color that had been dropped by the publisher for the first edition jacket because of the high costs. The inside of the dust wrapper is very sturdy and has a glossy finish. It is a very strong and high quality dust jacket and will stand the test of time. Harper Collins has done a wonderful job on this edition. Both maps are also improved and are printed on high quality paper and show a color scheme which reproduces a real antique map, this really is very nice and makes the maps stand out even more.

The Lord of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien The Lord of the Rings is the natural sequel of The Hobbit and completes this story. However in this book it is clear that tolkien's mind was already on the vast mythologies and history behind this tale and this shines through the complete book. It can be argued that Tolkien only wrote this book because of the demand for more 'hobbit tales' and that he actually longed to write The Silmarillion . The tone of this book is different and is much less a children story then The Hobbit . Most people have now seen the movie and it is now time to read the book! The Lord of the Rings is one of those books that either works for you or is a book that somehow doesn't and never will. Tolkien once said "The Lord of the Rings is one of those things: if you like you do: if you don’t, then you boo!" . In fact I believe it even goes further, once the book sticks most people will not be able to put the book down until it is finished. Most people stumble over the prologue, especially when they read the book for the first time, but since you just finished the Hobbit you can skip this if you wish (and read it in the end when you have completed the Lord of the Rings). Originally The Lord of the Rings was released in three volumes, each covering two books. These days there are several deluxe editions and one-volume editions , but I personally prefer to read the books in three volumes. My favorite set to read The Lord of the Rings is the 2005 classic hardback edition, featuring tolkien's original unused dust-jacket design. It includes special packaging and the definitive edition of the text, with fold-out map. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of its first publication, the text was been fully restored with almost 400 corrections in 2005 -- with the full co-operation of Christopher Tolkien -- making it the definitive version, and as close as possible to the version that J.R.R. Tolkien intended. This edition matches in size and looks with the Hobbit 70th anniversary edition mentioned above.

The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien The Silmarillion is actually tolkien's first book and also his last. In origin it precedes even The Hobbit , and is the story of the First Age of tolkien's Middle-earth. It shows us the ancient history to which characters in The Lord of the Rings look back, talk, rhyme and sing about. Tolkien worked on it, changed it, and enlarged it throughout his entire life. It was edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien, with the assistance of fantasy fiction writer Guy Gavriel Kay to reconstruct some major parts. The Silmarillion is one of those books that gets better every time you read it. In fact, I would even say, the more you read it the less you understand how one person was able to write it; and so far it is one of the best books I have read. Still, I have to admit that when I started reading in it as a kid I never managed to get past the first chapter. Maybe it was because my English was too poor? Maybe I was still too young? In the end I believe it was because I lacked the general picture of the story, the history of events and there for was unable to enjoy the story. At first the tale felt very archaic and it overwhelmed me with names and descriptions of too many characters. One day however I bought myself an audio book of The Silmarillion and everything changed. Once I had heard the complete tale and knew the big picture, knew who was who, I finally managed to read the book. Since then I have re-read The Silmarillion multiple times and still I discover new things, new emotions, new details... it feels like watching to the stars; there is always more stars to discover, you only need to look in between the stars you already found! And every new star you discover feels like a surprise and looks magnificent. Now a complete universe has opened up for me and its vastness is getting overwhelming but remains so fascinating I just have to keep looking! So, what would be a nice edition to read The Silmarillion ? Myself I prefer to read them in the black deluxe edition . Probably because it is copy you can carry around easily and within the slipcase will stay beautiful for a long long time. But any other edition will do, for example the 2006 reissue that matches The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings mentioned above. It shows the same matte cover featuring an original drawing by J.R.R. Tolkien; Taniquetil the great Holy Mountain.

Unfinished Tales by J.R.R. Tolkien Unfinished Tales , as the title aptly suggests, is a collection of tolkien's expanded Middle-earth stories. These are mostly longer versions of tales from The Silmarillion , but there are plenty of revealing Lord of the Rings moments featuring old favorites Gandalf, Elrond, The Nazgul, Balrogs,... edited into a single volume by the authors son, Christopher Tolkien. Unlike The Silmarillion, which is universally recognised as a vital part of tolkien's literary masterwork (but takes some effort to wade through the complexities of names, places, ages and references included in the earlier volume), Unfinished Tales is surprisingly straightforward, by comparison; The style of writing is, for the most part, comparable to the tone of The Lord of the Rings , including many (not to be missed) moments of classic Tolkien humour, some bitter-sweet observations on the human condition with regard to affairs of the heart and the spirit, and last but not least lashings of swashbuckling adventure. There is of course plenty of background detail and tolkien's trademark descriptive passages read wonderfully well. I believe anyone who loved The Lord of the Rings will certainly enjoy this book. In fact, the first time I read it, I was very pleased to find another work that gave me the same feeling I got when reading The Lord of the Rings ; some parts in Unfinished Tales are very moving and I believe that in this book are some of the most beautiful tales written by J.R.R. Tolkien. I would advise any Tolkien fan to read, and enjoy, this fantastic volume. There are several lovely editions, like the new paperback edition with the lovely cover by Ted Nasmith , but here I'll list the latest edition, published in 2006, that matches in size and looks with all books listed above. It has the matte cover and shows a picture by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Tales from the Perilous Realm by J.R.R. Tolkien To say it with David Brawn's words , "the flagship book of 2008 was The Tales from the Perilous Realm, the definitive reading edition of Roverandom , Farmer Giles of Ham , Leaf By Niggle , The Adventures of Tom Bombadil , and Smith of Wootton Major " . I guess most people would not add this book into this list, since most of these tales do play outside the realm of Middle-earth, but I believe this collection of tales just deserves the same respect as J.R.R. tolkien's other works. For example Leaf by Niggle is my all time favorite Tolkien story, I just love Farmer Giles of Ham ,... so, yes, after Unfinished Tales it is time to read all smaller books J.R.R. Tolkien wrote! And here they are all together in one volume. Roverandom and the four other tales are written with the same skill, quality and hallmarks that made tolkien's The Hobbit a classic. In the past they were largely overlooked because of their short lengths, but once you read them will reaffirm tolkien's place as a master storyteller for readers young and old. The 2008 edition of Tales from the Perilous Realm: Roverandom and Other Classic Faery Stories was released as a hardback edition and includes a lovely dust jacket painting by Alan Lee, together with a number of pencil drawings that illustrate each of the five works in the collection. It also includes a special introduction written by the world-renowned Tolkien scholar and writer, Tom Shippey. This is the edition I would advise to buy, or the signed deluxe edition . Here you can see some sample pages from this edition of Tales from the Perilous Realm by J.R.R. Tolkien [ pdf ], guess that tells enough why I like it!

The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien The Children of Hurin , begun in 1918, was one of three 'Great Tales' J.R.R. Tolkien worked on throughout his life, though he never realised his ambition to see it published in his lifetime. Some of the text will be familiar from extracts and references within the other Tolkien books you already read, but here the entire story has been presented in its complete form. The text of The Children of Húrin is in part compiled from these extant texts (parts of The Silmarillion , Unfinished Tales , The Book of Lost Tales , The Lays of Beleriand , etc), and particularly that which appears in Unfinished Tales . The text as a whole can be said to be "new" as it is a recomposition of published texts and other pieces that weren’t published previously. The completed puzzle, in a sense. Still, while I believe the version in Unfinished Tales is a lot stronger, it is very nice to read one of the 'Great Tales' in full. I hope other books like these will be published in the near future! In addition to the text The Children of Hurin features a jacket, colour paintings and pencil drawings by Alan Lee, illustrator of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Centenary Edition and Oscar®-winning designer of the Peter Jackson film trilogy.

The History of Middle-earth by J.R.R. Tolkien Still looking for more Tolkien? Although J.R.R. Tolkien is well known for The Hobbit , The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion , the material which laid the groundwork for what must be the most fully realised sub-creation ever to spring from a single imagination was begun many years before the publication of The Hobbit , and indeed Tolkien continued to work upon its completion. The History of Middle-earth is one of the largest works of 'literary archeology', and was marvously undertaken by J.R.R tolkien's son Christopher Tolkien. During the 1980s and 1990s, Christopher Tolkien edited the vast collection of manuscripts together with maps and illustrations and published most of his father's Middle-earth writings as the 12-volume History of Middle-earth series. In addition to the source material and earlier drafts of several portions of The Lord of the Rings , these books greatly expand on the original material published in The Silmarillion , and in many cases diverge from it. Part of the reason for this is that Christopher Tolkien heavily edited The Silmarillion to ready it for publication, in places incorrectly because he was unaware of the existence of much material which had come to light only long after publication. The first five volumes talk about the early history of The Silmarillion , composed from the manuscripts from 1920 till 1930. The next 4 volumes concentrate on the The Lord of the Rings , its creation, including early drafts and alternate versions of events, maps, illustrations and explanations not found in the book. The last three volumes tell the later history of The Silmarillion , written after Tolkien had completed The Lord of the Rings and in these works the historical structure of the Ages that link The Lord of the Rings with The Silmarillion actually emerges. The History of Middle-earth is very long and several parts are hard to read, but inside are some true gems. Some of the alternative versions or completely new tales that can be found here are of very high quality and only for this reason it is nice to read it. I guess if you really are into Tolkien and want more... these are the books you want to read. My personal favorite is volume 10 of the series, but there are many fabulous parts that I like re-reading now an then. While I also have to admit that some parts are just hard labour to read and some chapters did not capture my complete attention, overall I believe that one day a lot of people will realize what a massive amount of material was brought together in these twelve volumes. I would even go so far that there will probably be a day that the bigger literature society will be thankfull and finally show the respect for the incredible work done by Christopher Tolkien. While most prefer to read The History of Middle-earth in the Deluxe version , because it is handy to carry around, I prefer either to read them in paperback or the original 1st editions . My all time favorite set however is the three volume set, once released in a box, now available in three handy volumes.

Interestings external links

• Chronological Tolkien discusses the issue and also provides a calculator to find the exact reading order.
• The order to read tolkien's books by David Bratman (this link is sadly no longer online).

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The following list, compiled by Charles E. Noad and updated by Ian Collier and Daniel Helen, includes all of Tolkien’s major publications. It is ordered by date of publication.

A Middle English Vocabulary . The Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1922. (This is presently bound in with Fourteenth Century Verse & Prose, ed. Kenneth Sisam, from Oxford University Press.) A glossary of Middle English words for students.

Sir Gawain & The Green Knight . Ed. J.R.R. Tolkien and E.V. Gordon. The Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1925. (Now available in a second edition edited by Norman Davis.) A modern translation of the Middle English romance from the stories of King Arthur.

The Hobbit: or There and Back Again . George Allen and Unwin, London, 1937. (There was a second edition in 1951, and a third in 1966. Reprinted many times.) The bedtime story for his children famously begun on the blank page of an exam script that tells the tale of Bilbo Baggins and the dwarves in their quest to take back the Lonely Mountain from Smaug the dragon.

Farmer Giles of Ham . George Allen and Unwin, London, 1949. A faux-medieval tale of a farmer and his adventures with giants, dragons, and the machinations of courtly life.

The Fellowship of the Ring: being the first part of The Lord of the Rings . George Allen and Unwin, London, 1954. second edition, 1966. One of the world’s most famous books that continues the tale of the ring Bilbo found in The Hobbit and what comes next for it, him, and his nephew Frodo.

The Two Towers: being the second part of The Lord of the Rings . George Allen and Unwin, London, 1954. Second edition, 1966. The continuation of the story begun in The Fellowship of the Ring as Frodo and his companions continue their various journeys.

The Return of the King: being the third part of The Lord of the Rings . George Allen and Unwin, London, 1955. Second edition, 1966. The conclusion to the story that we began in The Fellowship of the Ring and the perils faced by Frodo et al.

The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Verses from the Red Book . George Allen and Unwin, London, 1962. A collection of sixteen ‘hobbit’ verses and poems taken from ‘The Red Book of Westmarch’.

Ancrene Wisse: The English Text of the Ancrene Riwle . Early English Text Society, Original Series No. 249. Oxford University Press, London, 1962. An edition of the Rule for a female medieval religious order.

Tree and Leaf . George Allen and Unwin, London, 1964. New edition, incorporating “Mythopoeia”, Unwin Hyman, London, 1988. Reprints Tolkien’s lecture “On Fairy-Stories” and his short story “Leaf by Niggle”.

Smith of Wootton Major . George Allen and Unwin, London, 1967. A short story of a small English village and its customs, its Smith, and his journeys into Faery.

The Road Goes Ever On: A Song Cycle . Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1967; George Allen and Unwin, London, 1968. (Second edition in 1978.) A collection of eight songs, 7 from The Lord of the Rings , set to music by Donald Swann.

Bilbo’s Last Song . George Allen and Unwin, London, 1974. Originally produced as a poster image illustrated by Pauline Baynes, reprinted several times. First published as a hardback with new illustrations by Baynes by Unwin Hyman in 1990.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl and Sir Orfeo . Ed. Christopher Tolkien. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1975. Tolkien’s translations of these Middle English poems collected together.

The Father Christmas Letters . Ed. Baillie Tolkien. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1976. A collection of Tolkien’s own illustrated letters from Father Christmas to his children.

The Silmarillion . Ed. Christopher Tolkien. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1977. Tolkien’s own mythological tales, collected together by his son and literary executor, of the beginnings of Middle-earth (and the tales of the High Elves and the First Ages) which he worked on and rewrote over more than 50 years.

Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien . Ed. Christopher Tolkien. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1979. Revised edition, HarperCollins, London, 1992. A collection of Tolkien’s various illustrations and pictures.

Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-earth . Ed. Christopher Tolkien. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1980. More tales from Tolkien’s notes and drafts of the First, Second, and Third Ages of Middle-earth giving readers more background on parts of The Lord of the Rings and The S ilmarillion .

Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien . Ed. Humphrey Carpenter with Christopher Tolkien. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1981. Tolkien wrote many letters and kept copies or drafts of them, giving readers all sorts of insights into his literary creations.

The Old English ‘Exodus’ . Ed. Joan Turville-Petre. The Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1981. Tolkien’s translation with notes and commentary of the Old English poem.

Mr. Bliss . George Allen & Unwin, London, 1982. A delightful illustrated story for children of a man’s misadventures.

Finn and Hengest: The Fragment and the Episode . Ed. Alan Bliss. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1982. Tolkien’s translations and commentaries on the Old English texts for lectures he delivered in the 1920s.

The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays . Ed. Christopher Tolkien. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1983. A collection of seven lectures or essays by Tolkien covering Beowulf , Gawain, and ‘On Fairy Stories’.

The Book of Lost Tales, Part I . Ed. Christopher Tolkien. The History of Middle-earth : Vol. 1. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1983.

The Book of Lost Tales, Part II . Ed. Christopher Tolkien. The History of Middle-earth : Vol. 2. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1984.

The Lays of Beleriand . Ed. Christopher Tolkien. The History of Middle-earth : Vol. 3. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1985.

The Shaping of Middle-earth . Ed. Christopher Tolkien. The History of Middle-earth : Vol. 4. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1986.

The Lost Road and Other Writings . Ed. Christopher Tolkien. The History of Middle-earth : Vol. 5. Unwin Hyman, London, 1987.

The Return of the Shadow . Ed. Christopher Tolkien. The History of Middle-earth : Vol. 6. Unwin Hyman, London, 1988.

The Treason of Isengard . Ed. Christopher Tolkien. The History of Middle-earth : Vol. 7. Unwin Hyman, London, 1989.

The War of the Ring . Ed. Christopher Tolkien. The History of Middle-earth : Vol. 8. Unwin Hyman, London, 1990.

Sauron Defeated . Ed. Christopher Tolkien. The History of Middle-earth : Vol. 9. HarperCollins, London, 1992.

Morgoth’s Ring . Ed. Christopher Tolkien. The History of Middle-earth : Vol. 10. HarperCollins, London, 1993.

The War of the Jewels . Ed. Christopher Tolkien. The History of Middle-earth : Vol. 11. HarperCollins, London, 1994.

The Peoples of Middle-earth . Ed. Christopher Tolkien. The History of Middle-earth : Vol. 12. HarperCollins, London, 1996.

Roverandom . Ed. Christina Scull and Wayne Hammond. HarperCollins, London, 1998. In the 1920s a toy dog was lost on a seaside holiday, to cheer his son up Tolkien created a story of the dog’s adventures.

Tales from the Perilous Realm . HarperCollins, London, 1997. (Contains: Farmer Giles of Ham, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, “Leaf by Niggle” and Smith of Wootton Major.)

The Children of H ú rin . Ed. Christopher Tolkien with illustrations by Alan Lee. HarperCollins, London, 2007. Christopher Tolkien’s collation of the various versions his father wrote of the story of Túrin Turambar into one seamless novel.

The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún . Ed. Christopher Tolkien. HarperCollins, London 2009. Tolkien’s own versions of the story of Sigurd and his wife Gudrún, one of the great legends of northern antiquity.

The Fall of Arthur . Ed. Christopher Tolkien. HarperCollins, London 2013. A collation of Tolkien’s versions of the tale of the end of the Arthurian cycle wherein Arthur’s realm is destroyed by Mordred’s treachery, featuring commentaries and essays by Christopher Tolkien.

Beowulf : A Translation and Commentary, together with Sellic Spell . Ed. Christopher Tolkien. HarperCollins, London, 2014. The long-awaited Tolkien’s-own 1926 translation of Beowulf, coupled with his own commentary and selections from his lecture notes on the text, plus his ‘Sellic spell’ wherein Tolkien created an imaginary ‘asterisk’ source for the Beowulf of legend.

Tolkien On Fairy-stories . Ed. Verlyn Flieger and Douglas A. Anderson. HarperCollins, London, 2014.

The Story of Kullervo . Ed. Verlyn Flieger. HarperCollins, London, 2015. First publication of a previously unknown work of fantasy by Tolkien based on the Finnish Kalevala and which was the germ of the story of Túrin Turambar (with slight similarities to be found with Roverandom) with the author’s drafts, notes and lecture-essays on its source-work.

A Secret Vice: Tolkien on Invented Languages . Ed. Dimitra Fimi and Andrew Higgins. HarperCollins, London, 2016. A fuller publication of the 1931 lecture ‘A Hobby for the Home’ previously edited by Christopher Tolkien and published as ‘A Secret Vice’ in The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays . This new critical edition includes previously unpublished notes and drafts by Tolkien related to the lecture such as his ‘Essay on Phonetic Symbolism’. The editors examine these and discuss the central role of language to Tolkien’s creativity as well as uncovering the facts of when and where the lecture was given.

The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun . Ed. Verlyn Flieger. HarperCollins, London, 2016. Originally written in 1930 and long out of print in the UK, since its initial 1945 publication in The Welsh Review, this early but important work is published for the first time with Tolkien’s ‘Corrigan’ poems and other supporting material, including a prefatory note by Christopher Tolkien. The title story is of a lord of Brittany who being childless seeks the help of a Corrigan or fairy but of course there is a price to pay.

Leaf by Niggle . HarperCollins, London, 2016. The first stand-alone edition of this short story and published to coincide with a touring stage production of the story, this also features an ‘afterword’ by Tom Shippey that was originally in 2008’s edition of Tales from the Perilous Realm .

Beren and Lúthien . Ed. Christopher Tolkien. HarperCollins, London, 2017. Painstakingly restored from Tolkien’s manuscripts by Christopher Tolkien the publisher’s claim that this presented a fully continuous and standalone story has meant some readers expected a book more akin to The Children of Húrin , rather than collated variant versions of the tale in a ‘history in sequence’ mode.

The Fall of Gondolin . Ed. Christopher Tolkien. HarperCollins, London, 2018. Similar to Beren and Lúthien , this book collates variant versions of this tale in a ‘history in sequence’ mode.

The Nature of Middle-earth . Ed. Carl Hostetter. HarperCollins, London, 2021. J.R.R. Tolkien’s final writings on Middle-earth, covering a wide range of subjects about the world and its peoples, and although there is a structure to the collected pieces the book is one to dip in and out of.

The Fall of Númenor . Ed. Brian Sibley. HarperCollins, London, 2022. Brian Sibley collates all of the published texts from the Second Age of Middle-earth with a unifying commentary.

The Battle of Maldon, together with The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth . Ed. Peter Grybauskas. HarperCollins, London, 2023. This book includes the very first publication of Tolkien’s prose version of the 10th Century alliterative poem “The Battle of Maldon”, together with his sequel to the battle, “The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth”.

JRR Tolkien Books in Order (45 Book Series)

JRR Tolkien is a series of 45 books written by 2 authors. Here, you can see them all in order! (plus the year each book was published)

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Last Updated: Monday 1 Jan, 2024

• JRR Tolkien Books in Order

A Middle English Reader and Vocabulary

J. R. R. Tolkien

Beowulf and the Critics

The Lord of the Rings, Book 1

Tolkien on Fairy-Stories

The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun

Farmer Giles of Ham

Tales from the Perilous Realm

The Fellowship of the Ring

The lord of the rings, book 2.

The Two Towers

The lord of the rings, book 3.

The Return of the King

The lord of the rings, book 4.

The Adventures of Tom Bombadil

The Tolkien Reader

Smith of Wootton Major

Poems and Stories

Bilbo's Last Song

Letters from Father Christmas

The Silmarillion

Unfinished Tales Of Numenor And Middle-Earth

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien

Finn and Hengest

The fragment and the episode.

The Book of Lost Tales, Part One

The history of middle-earth, book 1.

The Monsters and the Critics

And other essays.

The Book of Lost Tales, Part Two

The history of middle-earth, book 2.

The Lays of Beleriand

The history of middle-earth, book 3.

The Shaping of Middle-earth

The history of middle-earth, book 4.

The Lost Road and Other Writings

The history of middle-earth, book 5.

The Return of the Shadow

The history of middle-earth, book 6.

The Treason of Isengard

The history of middle-earth, book 7.

The War of the Ring

The history of middle-earth, book 8.

Sauron Defeated

The history of middle-earth, book 9.

Tolkien's World

Paintings of middle-earth.

Morgoth's Ring

The history of middle-earth, book 10.

J.R.R. Tolkien

The War of the Jewels

The history of middle-earth, book 11.

The Peoples of Middle-Earth

The history of middle-earth, book 12.

Poems From The Hobbit

A Tolkien Miscellany

The Children of Húrin

The Legend of Sigurd & Gudrún

The Fall of Arthur

The Story of Kullervo

Beren and Lúthien

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo

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Search the Site   Links to Bibliography Pages - The Early Years - The Hobbit - The Middle Years - The Lord of the Rings - The Later Years - After Tolkien Part 1 - After Tolkien Part 2 by J.R.R. Tolkien The site was put together to act as a companion piece to a book called J.R.R. Tolkien: A Descriptive Bibliography by Wayne G. Hammond. This is a veritable mine of useful information for the Tolkien collector - if you don’t own a copy, find one! Bibliography entries include page references to the bok. The site also includes a few items that were unknown to Wayne, and points out a small number of possible errors and misinterpretations. Obviously, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings sections are the largest areas of the bibliography, but there is a lot more to see - try the 1938-1953 section - it includes Farmer Giles of Ham as well as some pretty obscure and hard to find academic publications - or the Boxed and Slipcased Sets section. There are also some very interesting items in the 1910-1937 section, ranging from his early poetry to some of his most important work on Old and Middle English. Each section is split into subsections, which appear as galleries of thumbnail images. Click on a thumbnail to see a larger image, details of the edition and any reprints. Books are presented in order of the year of first issue and are grouped together with later printings and editions following on from the first edition. There is one image for most books, and articles are being added to fully illustrate the more important and hard to find editions. Bibliography entries give details of the edition, year of publication, publisher, format and ISBN (if applicable), together with details of any illustrations, later reprints and other handy snippets of information. As a general rule only British editions are listed, unless there isn’t one of course! Where there is only a ‘foreign’ edition, it will be listed together with any other significant reprints and variants. For a few of the older items, that are particularly difficult to find, some non-British appearances are also listed. Devon Press, a fellow collector, has compiled an excellent guide to American editions at TolkienBooks.US .   If you are looking for new, secondhand or out-of-print books then AbeBooks UK may be able to help.   Alternatively, you can search and order through AbeBooks.com. Screen Rant How to read j.r.r. tolkien's lord of the rings books in order: chronological & release date. Your changes have been saved Email Is sent Please verify your email address. You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics. Every Upcoming Lord Of The Rings Movie & TV Show Godzilla x kong: the new empire streaming release date revealed, why there are faces in lord of the rings' dead marshes. Begin with Tolkien's creation story in 'The Silmarillion' for a deep dive into the birth of Middle-earth's universe and lore. Follow the timeline from the First Age to the end of the Third Age with various novels in Tolkien's meticulously crafted Middle-earth chronology. Whether you choose to read in release order or chronological order, savor the magic of Tolkien's rich and intricate world-building at your own pace. J.R.R. Tolkien wrote several stories set in Middle-earth along with The Lord of the Rings , each taking place at different points in this fictional universe's timeline. Of course, with many of these books being prequels to Frodo's story, it can sometimes be confusing to pinpoint a reading order. Those looking to get into Tolkien's Middle-earth works can choose between the chronological and release date orders, and both come with pros and cons. Tolkien's first book set in Middle-earth was The Hobbit , and he expanded his world from there. His The Lord of the Rings books became the figurehead for the overall franchise , and, thanks to Peter Jackson's film trilogy, is what often comes to mind when thinking of Tolkien. However, the author constructed a deep and complex lore for Middle-earth and wrote dozens of stories that spanned thousands of years across his meticulous timeline. Though these were released years after Tolkien's death, many were set centuries before Frodo's story. The Lord of the Rings franchise has seen a resurgence in film and TV. Here is every project coming out of Middle-earth in the near future. How To Read J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings Books In Chronological Order Tolkien's middle-earth stories in order from creation to the end of the third age. Those looking to read all the Lord of the Rings books in chronological order will have to begin with the universe's creation. Tolkien's The Silmarillion outlines the birth of time and space, with everything brought into being by a supreme god called Eru Ilúvatar. From here, the posthumously published book describes the creation of the Ainur—the Valar and Maiar—who assisted Eru in creating Arda (the World). The Silmarillion carries on into the years before Elves and Men wake in Middle-earth , their eventual rise, and the destruction caused by the Dark Lord Morgoth. J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth Books In Chronological Order Creation of the Universe - End of the First Age Creation of the Universe - End of the Third Age First Age 464 - First Age 503 First Age 473 - First Age 501 First Age 510 Second Age 3319 Third Age 2941 Third Age 3018 Third Age 3019 Third Age 3019 - Third Age 3021 Morgoth's defeat marks the end of The Silmarillion and the end of the First Age of Middle-earth. Many of the next books in the chronology tell stories that are also included in the Silmarillion , though there are some differences in how certain events play out. Unfinished Tales Of Numenor & Middle-Earth also outlines the creation of the universe, but rather than ending with the First Age, it continues all the way to the destruction of the One Ring. Though this takes us to the end of the chronology, its First Age stories place it earlier in the lineup. From here, three individual novels (all posthumously published) go more in-depth into First Age stories discussed in The Silmarillion . Beren and Lúthien is Tolkien's most famous love story set in the First Age (464 - 503). T he Children Of Húrin follows the tragic story of Húrin's cursed descendants and is set around the same time as Beren and Lúthien . The Fall of Gondolin tells the story of the Secret City , which was destroyed by Morgoth's forces after its location was betrayed. In canon, Gondolin was destroyed in SA 510, so the book is set shortly after the previous two novels. The Fall Of Númenor is the only Tolkien novel set in the Second Age of Middle-earth. It tells of the downfall of the island kingdom of Númenor , an event depicted in Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power . Finally, the last four books in Tolkien's chronology are The Hobbit and the three Lord of the Rings , set at the end of Middle-earth's Third Age. The Lord of the Rings were initially published as six books but were later republished as three. How To Read J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings Books In Release Order Tolkien's middle-earth books weren't released in chronological order. Tolkien's Middle-Earth Books By Order Of Release 1937 1954 1954 1955 1977 1980 2007 2017 2018 2022 The release dates of Tolkien's works differ significantly from the chronology. The author originally published The Hobbit as a stand-alone novel in 1937, and it wasn't until many years later that he decided to expand the story with the Lord of the Rings books . These were the only Middle-earth novels to be published before Tolkien died in 1973, but he had written innumerable notes and stories about his fictional world, which were collected and published by his son, Christopher Tolkien, in the following years. Ultimately, there's no wrong way to enjoy Tolkien's life's work, so long as the magic is thoroughly savored and enjoyed. The Lord of the Rings is a rare case in which the release-year order may be preferred to the chronological one . The Silmarillion is written more like a textbook than a novel, and it is far easier to read with the context of The Lord of the Rings to build upon. However, since the stories of Beren and Lúthien and The Fall of Gondolin are mentioned in the Lord of the Rings books, there may be some value in reading these stories first. Ultimately, there's no wrong way to enjoy Tolkien's life's work, so long as the magic is thoroughly savored and enjoyed. The Lord of the Rings The Lord of the Rings is a multimedia franchise consisting of several movies and a TV show released by Amazon titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The franchise is based on J.R.R. Tolkien's book series that began in 1954 with The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings saw mainstream popularity with Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience and security. J.R.R. Tolkien J.R.R. Tolkien (b. January 3rd, 1892 in Bloemfontain, South Africa--d. September 2nd, 1973) was an English author and poet most famous for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. He is also the author of The Hobbit and a literary criticism of Beowulf entitled Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics as well as several children's books. Tolkien had a keen interest in linguistics, which he studied in university, and his passion for language comes through in many of his works, particularly the invented language of Elvish in the Lord of the Rings triology. He was ranked by Forbes as the 5th highest-earning dead celebrity in 2009. Books By J.R.R. Tolkien #2 in Fantasy #2 in Teen & Young Adult #2 in Fantasy Epics #3 in Science Fiction & Fantasy #5 in Foreign Language Study & Reference The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers The Silmarillion The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King The History of the Hobbit Middle-earth Universe Frank Herbert Christopher Paolini Arthur Conan Doyle Philip Pullman Richard Adams Jules Verne Daniel Keyes William Goldman James Lamar Roberts Bram Stoker Monarch Press Michael Page Kinuko Y. Craft June Edwards Peter S. Beagle Christopher Tolkien Books by J.R.R. Tolkien $ 3.99 - $ 107.29 $ 3.59 - $ 91.69 $ 3.99 - $ 47.09 $ 4.39 - $ 133.53 $ 3.59 - $ 63.19 The Lord of the Rings Trilogy $ 4.89 - $ 216.81 The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings $ 28.08 - $ 56.40 The Children of Húrin $ 4.19 - $ 40.89 Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth $ 4.79 - $ 44.59 The Book of Lost Tales. Part I $ 5.29 - $ 27.39 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo $ 6.49 - $ 112.09 The Father Christmas Letters $ 6.89 - $ 24.98 The Book of Lost Tales, Part II $ 4.39 - $ 21.89 The Tolkien Reader $ 4.59 - $ 18.04 $ 15.09 - $ 30.29 The Fall of Gondolin $ 10.59 - $ 43.19 Beren and Lúthien $ 15.98 - $ 22.34 The Lays of Beleriand $ 5.89 - $ 19.49 Smith of Wootton Major & Farmer Giles of Ham $ 4.99 - $ 17.79 Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary, together with Sellic Spell $ 16.62 - $ 23.36 $ 7.29 - $ 20.19 The Shaping of Middle-Earth $ 4.59 - $ 30.59 The Legend of Sigurd & Gudrún $ 6.59 - $ 23.09 Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien $ 13.39 - $ 30.74 The Lost Road and Other Writings $ 5.79 - $ 31.29 Bilbo's Last Song (At the Grey Havens) $ 12.09 - $ 39.39 The Histories of Middle Earth, Volumes 1-12 $ 37.71 - $ 339.59 Tolkien's World: Paintings of Middle-Earth Out of Stock The Return of the Shadow: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part One $ 11.69 - $ 16.65 The Hobbit With Roverandom and Tales from the Perilous Realm $ 6.39 - $ 21.12 Popular Categories Teen and Young Adult Literature & Fiction Mystery & Thriller Sci-fi & Fantasy Large Print Books Rare & Collectible Books ShareBookLove Educator Benefits Librarian Benefits e-Gift Cards View Mobile Site Shopping Cart Order History Partnerships Library Program Help & Support Shipping Costs Return Policy Website Suggestions Our Purpose Social Responsibility Testimonials How to Read The Lord of the Rings Books in Order A chronological guide to tolkien's middle-earth literature.. J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings saga is a seminal work of fantasy that spawned one of the best film trilogies ever created. Tolkien's story of good vs. evil is built around timeless themes of friendship and heroism, and now, with Rings of Power heading into season 2 and new Lord of the Rings movie announced for 2026, there's no better time to explore the rich history of Middle-earth. For those who’ve yet to read J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth saga (and its companion books), we’ve put together this guide on how to read them in order, chronologically or by release date. So bundle up, turn the lights down and grab a reading lamp for one of the best adventures of all time. How Many The Lord of the Rings Books Are There in the Series? There are four books in Tolkien’s main Middle-earth saga : The Hobbit and the three volumes of The Lord of the Rings (Fellowship of the Ring, Two Towers, Return of the King). Several other collections and companion books have been published since the author's death in 1973, and we’ve included the seven most relevant on the list below. Lord of the Rings Book Sets Whether you're just diving into the LoTR books for the first time or are looking to add additional books to your collection, there are a few great book sets to add to your shelf. Our favorite option available is the leather-bound version, but there are many different styles available. Hardcover Edition The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings Boxed Set The Hobbit and The lord of the rings books reading order. Below we’ve split Tolkien’s Middle-earth works into two sections: The Lord of the Rings saga and additional reading. The Hobbit and LotR books chronicle the stories of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins and are listed by their narrative chronology; the additional reading section contains Middle-earth-related works published after the death of Tolkien and is ordered by publication date. With potential series newcomers in mind, these brief plot synopses contain only mild spoilers such as broad plot points and character introductions. 1. The Hobbit The Hobbit is Tolkien’s first Middle-earth book by in-universe chronology and real-world release date. The tale of Bilbo Baggins was first published in 1937, 17 years before the first volume of The Lord of the Rings. The Hobbit follows Thorin and Company — Bilbo, Gandalf, and 13 dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield — as they set off to reclaim the dwarves’ ancestral home beneath Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug. Along the way, we’re introduced to Gollum and discover how Bilbo came into possession of the One Ring. The adventure culminates in the Battle of Five Armies, which lent its name to the final Hobbit film. 2. The Fellowship of the Ring Nearly two decades after The Hobbit, Tolkien published the first volume of The Lord of the Rings. The saga was conceived as a single story and written across 9,250 pages between 1938 and 1955. It was edited down and separated into three volumes for publication, with each volume containing two books. Fellowship kicks off in earnest during Bilbo’s 111th birthday, when the hobbit bequeaths the One Ring to his cousin Frodo Baggins. Unlike in the movie, there’s a 17-year gap between Bilbo’s birthday and the beginning of Frodo’s adventure when Gandalf urges him to take the ring away from the Shire. Frodo is joined by various companions along the way, leading to the formation of The Fellowship of the Ring. The members of the Fellowship — Frodo, Samwise Gamgee, Pippin Took, Merry Brandybuck, Legolas, Gimli, Aragorn, Boromir, and Gandalf — are tasked with destroying the One Ring in the same place it was forged: the fires of Mount Doom in Mordor. By the end of Fellowship, Frodo faces a betrayal and decides to set off toward Mordor on his own, though he’s joined by a stubbornly loyal Samwise. 3. The Two Towers The Two Towers, the second volume of The Lord of the Rings, continues the journey of the Fellowship, which is now split into two parties: Frodo and Sam in one, the remaining members in the other. Part of the Fellowship fends off orcs and confronts the corrupted wizard Saruman, while Frodo and Sam encounter Gollum and continue their perilous quest toward Mordor. 4. The Return of the King The final volume of The Lord of the Rings concludes the Fellowship’s journey to Mordor. Our heroes battle with the dark armies of Sauron, while Sam and Frodo see their mission through. Following the climax, the hobbits face one last adversary back at the Shire — a sequence omitted from the film adaptation. We learn the fates of each character and bid them farewell as Frodo's journey reaches its end. Additional LotR Reading 5. the silmarillion. The Silmarillion The Silmarillion is the first Middle-earth work published after Tolkien’s death in 1973. The five-part collection of stories is described as a legendarium of Arda, the world in which Middle-earth exists. The vast collection of works was edited by Tolkien’s son, Christopher, and published in 1977. The myths and stories within The Silmarillion cover the history of Arda from its creation through the Third Age (when The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place). 6. Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth Unfinished Tales Of Númenor And Middle-Earth Unfinished Tales is a collection of over a dozen stories and Middle-earth histories edited and published by Christopher Tolkien. The book is separated into four parts and includes stories about the origins of Middle-earth’s five wizards, the alliance between Gondor and Rohan, why Gandalf orchestrated the events of The Hobbit, and Sauron’s search for the One Ring preceding The Lord of the Rings. 7. The History of Middle-earth The Complete History of Middle-Earth The History of Middle-earth is a twelve-volume series published between 1983 and 1996. The 5,400-page collection, again edited by Christopher Tolkien, compiles and analyzes The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and other Middle-earth writings. The younger Tolkien chose not to include analyses of The Hobbit in The History of Middle-earth; that can be found in The History of The Hobbit, a similar work edited by Tolkien scholar John D. Rateliff and published in 2007. 8. The Children of Húrin The Children of Hurin The Children of Húrin is the complete version of Of Túrin Turambar, one of the stories published in The Silmarillion. Set during The First Age, The Children of Húrin tells the story of Húrin Thalion and his children, Túrin and Nienor. It’s a tragic tale that explores the fallout of Húrin’s defiance of Morgoth, the main villain of Middle-earth before Sauron rose to power. 9. Beren and Lúthien Beren And Lúthien Beren and Lúthien, which first appeared in a reduced form within The Silmarillion, is a love story set during the First Age. Christopher Tolkien compiled various versions of the story to create a single narrative following the adventures of the mortal man Beren and the immortal Elf Lúthien. Beren and Lúthien are said to be inspired by Tolkien’s real-life romance with his wife Edith; the characters’ names are etched into the couple’s gravestone beneath their birth names. 10. The Fall of Gondolin The Fall Of Gondolin The Fall of Gondolin is the complete version of a tale found within both The Silmarillion (Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin) and Unfinished Tales (Of Tuor and his Coming to Gondolin). It tells the story of Tuor, a man sent to Gondolin on a divine quest. The subsequent series of events, orchestrated by the god Ulmo, would lead to the defeat of Morgoth. The Fall of Gondolin connects to The Lord of the Rings through Tuor's son Eärendil, who’d go on to father Elrond, the half-elf Lord of Rivendell who selects the nine members of Frodo’s party in Fellowship of the Ring. The Fall of Gondolin is the last Middle-earth novel edited by Christopher Tolkien. 11. The Fall of Númenor The Fall of Númenor The Fall of Númenor, published in November 2022, is a collection of Tolkien’s works related to the Second Age of Middle-earth. The stories within have appeared in The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, and The History of Middle-earth, though here they are assembled in a single volume by Brian Sibley, co-writer of the 1981 radio adaptation of The Lord of the Rings and author of over a dozen Middle-earth-related works. (Christopher Tolkien, long the steward of his father’s work, died in 2020.) Like other post-Lord of the Rings publications, The Fall of Númenor is a collection of writings rather than a single narrative. The stories cover the rise and fall of Númenor, the forging of the Rings of Power, the rise of Sauron, the building of Barad-dûr (Sauron's tower), and the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. How to Read The Lord of the Rings By Release Date The Hobbit* (1937) The Fellowship of the Ring* (1954) The Two Towers* (1954) The Return of the King* (1955) The Silmarillion (1977) Unfinished Tales (1980) The History of Middle-earth (1983–1996) The Children of Húrin (2007) Beren and Lúthien (2017) The Fall of Gondolin (2018) The Fall of Númenor (2022) *Part of the main four-book Lord of the Rings saga Jordan covers games, shows, and movies as a freelance writer for IGN. In This Article 271 IMAGES JRR Tolkien All BOOKS in Order (As Originally Published) The Hobbit JRR Tolkien Paperback book set The Hobbit: Illustrated Edition by J.R.R. Tolkien (English) Hardcover Jrr Tolkien Books In Order : New And Exclusive Print On Demand Books The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien VIDEO CAPTAIN BURLE 3 Things Harry Potter Stole From Lord of the Rings? #shorts #harrypotter #lordoftherings #jkrowling Rating JRR Tolkien’s books from 0 to 10! #tolkien #lotr Pictures by JRR Tolkien #books #LOTR #tolkien #art Unknown Interesting Facts About J.R.R Tolkien || Pastimers Why JRR Tolkien wrote the Lord of the Rings! #shorts #peterjackson #lotr #jrrtolkien #tolkien COMMENTS J. R. R. Tolkien bibliography Middle-earth. 1937 The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, ISBN -618-00221-9 ( HM) 1954-1955 The Lord of the Rings. 1954 The Fellowship of the Ring: being the first volume of The Lord of the Rings, ISBN -618-00222-7 (HM) 1954 The Two Towers: being the second volume of The Lord of the Rings, ISBN -618-00223-5 (HM) Books by J.R.R. Tolkien Sir Gawain & The Green Knight. Ed. J.R.R. Tolkien and E.V. Gordon. The Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1925. (Now available in a second edition edited by Norman Davis.) A modern translation of the Middle English romance from the stories of King Arthur. The Hobbit: or There and Back Again. A list of all books written by J.R.R Tolkien The Tolkien Reader. ballantine Books.Contains 'The homecoming of Beortnoth Beorthelm's Son', 'Tree and Leaf', 'Farmer Giles of Ham' and 'The Adventures of Tombombadil'. 1966. The Jerusalem Bible. Darton, Longman & Todd. 1966. Diplomat. New York, October 1966. Contains the article 'Tolkien on Tolkien' by JRRT, p.39. List of Books by J. R. R. Tolkien J. R. R. Tolkien (1892-1973) was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor who is best known as the author of the classic high-fantasy books The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series (The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King).After his death, his son Christopher Tolkien published books based on Tolkien's notes and unpublished manuscripts ... Complete List of Jrr Tolkien Books in Order J.R.R. Tolkien is what many writers dream of becoming—he was a successful author, poet, university professor, and philologist. The English author is best known for his high fantasy novels including The Hobbit (a children's book) and The Lord of the Rings (a three-volume novel cycle), but apart from writing his middle-earth related books, Tolkien wrote essays, made contributions to ... Reading order Rough chronological order. A less common approach is to read the saga in chronologically accurate order: The Silmarillion. The Silmarillion describes the beginnings of Tolkien's world. The Children of Húrin, Beren and Lúthien and The Fall of Gondolin. These books give an extended version of the Great Tales of the Elder Days, featured as a ... Books by J.R.R. Tolkien (Author of The Hobbit) J.R.R. Tolkien has 492 books on Goodreads with 17836803 ratings. J.R.R. Tolkien's most popular book is The Hobbit (The Lord of the Rings, #0). Books by J.R.R. Tolkien (58 books) Books by J.R.R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, WWI veteran (a First Lieutenant in the Lancashire Fusiliers, British Army), philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the high fantasy classic works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings . Books written by J.R.R. Tolkien J.R.R. Tolkien is for sure one of the most important writers of the 20th century. He is recognized by most for The Lord of the Rings, a three-volume novel cycle, and for The Hobbit, a children's book (in origin) published in 1937. His work was turned into movies, theater plays and even portrait tattoos. By academics he is recognised for his ... List of Books by J. R. R. Tolkien J. R. R. Tolkien (1892-1973) was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor who is best known as the author of the classic high-fantasy books The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series (The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King).After his death, his son Christopher Tolkien published books based on Tolkien's notes and unpublished manuscripts ... All Book Series by J.R.R. Tolkien 3.89 avg rating — 1,131 ratings. J.R.R. Tolkien has 492 books on Goodreads with 17822876 ratings. J.R.R. Tolkien's most popular series is The Lord of the Rings. J.R.R. Tolkien It was a series of three books and one of the most popular ones in the modern times. The book is inspired by European myths. The there books of the trilogy are the 'Fellowship of the Ring', 'The Two Towers' and the last one 'The Return of the King.'. These three books were published in the year 1954 and 1955. List of writings This article is a list of all books by J.R.R. Tolkien and writings contained in these books (stories, essays, poems, etc.) related to his Middle-earth legendarium. The list is not necessarily complete or up to date — if you see an article that should be here but is not (or one that should not be here but is), please do update the page accordingly. It lists also articles that haven't been ... Books by J.R.R. Tolkien The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien The Silmarillion is actually tolkien's first book and also his last. In origin it precedes even The Hobbit, and is the story of the First Age of tolkien's Middle-earth.It shows us the ancient history to which characters in The Lord of the Rings look back, talk, rhyme and sing about. Tolkien worked on it, changed it, and enlarged it throughout his entire life. 301 Moved Permanently A comprehensive list of all of Tolkien's major publications, ordered by date of publication. Includes his famous works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, as well as his translations, essays, poems, and letters. JRR Tolkien Books in Order (45 Book Series) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo. J. R. R. Tolkien. 2021. View on Amazon. Browse our complete guide to all 45 JRR Tolkien books in order (from the series written by J. R. R. Tolkien). Plus, we've organized our list in order. TolkienBooks.net TolkienBooks.net aims to list all British editions of the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien (author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings) published between 1910 and 2010, and to illustrate changes to the texts and covers.. The site was put together to act as a companion piece to a book called J.R.R. Tolkien: A Descriptive Bibliography by Wayne G. Hammond. . This is a veritable mine of useful ... Tolkien's Middle-earth Books Reading Order The Lord of the Rings is an epic fantasy novel written by English academic and philologist J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a continuation of Tolkien's earlier work, The Hobbit, but has evolved into a much larger and more complex story. It was written in stages between 1937 and 1949, and much of it originated during World War II. How To Read J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings Books In Order The Fall Of Númenor is the only Tolkien novel set in the Second Age of Middle-earth. It tells of the downfall of the island kingdom of Númenor, an event depicted in Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Finally, the last four books in Tolkien's chronology are The Hobbit and the three Lord of the Rings, set at the end of ... Best books by J.R.R. Tolkien (38 books) Post a comment ». 38 books based on 199 votes: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Tw... J.R.R. Tolkien Books J.R.R. Tolkien (b. January 3rd, 1892 in Bloemfontain, South Africa--d. September 2nd, 1973) was an English author and poet most famous for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. He is also the author of The Hobbit and a literary criticism of Beowulf entitled Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics as well as several children's books. How to Read The Lord of the Rings Books in Order Hardcover Edition The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings Boxed Set. 8. Immerse yourself in Middle-earth with J.R.R. Tolkien's classic masterpieces behind the films, in this pocket-sized boxed set. $59 ... J. R. R. Tolkien J. R. R. Tolkien. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien CBE FRSL ( / ˈruːl ˈtɒlkiːn /, ROOL TOL-keen; [a] 3 January 1892 - 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings . From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon and a ... The Hobbit: 20 Differences Between The Book & The Movies The Hobbit is a rather short book, especially in comparison to the intimidating size of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. The question remains as to why Jackson or the studio would ever think ... case study cover letter presentation problem solving rewiew prompts websites tips