The Book of Lost Tales 1

My title really says it all. This book is excellent, but... It is only for people so into Tolkien, Middle Earth, and its lore, that they'd want to read early drafts, never published revisions, and tales abandoned along the way. Some of them are good, some are terrible and were abandoned for a reason. They all provide valuable insights for the Tolkien student. If that last term doesn't describe you, give this a pass. It's not for you. It will bore you to tears.

It was really long and drawn out but very helpful at times to understand Tolkien's world it was a enjoyable read

Worn out the copies of the LOR and Hobbit and now have more to read. Am also reading Greene's History of the English People which was Tolkien's history text in school. He took so many names and concepts from the ideas and style of this book.

THIS IS the book one should read after reading The Silmarillion. If you've just finished reading The Silmarillion and you want to go on to the next volume, well this is it. This book begins the "Histories Of Middle-Earth." That means that you are reading the stories of The Silmarillion in earlier forms. I DO BELIEVE that one should have read The Silmarillion before going into the "Histories Of Middle-Earth" in order to have an understanding of the back stories and some knowledge of who's who. You get to see a lot more of the details of things that happen in The Silmarillion. These have enough differences to keep the readers interest and yet having read the ultimately published works gives them an ease to read. This IS required reading for every Tolkien student. And if you want to REALLY understand what you've read about Middle-Earth then this is your next step. This is the small paperback printing which is great and easy to have with you all the time.

This is the first US hardcover edition published in 1984 by Houghton Muffin, and was part of a collection of 12 similarly sized and designed books. Book 1 and 2 titled 'The Lost Tales' are actually published in 'The Silmarillion'. Read individually, these tales are stunning additions to the lore of Middle-earth, but as others have observed, ignore those of the Hobbits, and introduces many new words in Quenya and Gnomish which begs a comprehensive dictionary, and fortunately we have a spare glossary in the Appendix. Even so cross-referencing is necessary. In the Tale of the Sun and Moon, we read of the Kulullin, but what is it? The glossary refers to this as from the Gnomish culu, and no more. Investigate further and you find out what it means in Quenya... Apparently, Tolkien - son and father - want you, the reader and enthusiast - to encounter the text as it is, as if these were exactly as some ancient editor left it, not indexed as if with the aid of modern computers. It's impossible to own just Book I of XII, but in fact, I bought this because this specific edition was among the missing volumes of my collection.

Christopher Tolkien offers a very detailed commentary and presentation of his father's numerous notes and incomplete volumes on the creation of the 'Lord of the Rings' universe. The material describes the very early days of the world, and is essentially its very own creation myth that starts well before the Ages of Middle Earth. Christopher Tolkien offers great commentary on the difficulties and seemingly impossible nature of properly composing his father's often scattered thoughts and notes on the direction of his epic mythology; and his insight does wonders for understanding the complex characters and events present in the Lost Tales. If you are expecting a read similar to The Hobbit or LoTR, this will be quite different given it is a very mythological/historical narrative supplemented by Christopher Tolkien's commentary and notes. Nonetheless it is engaging both as fiction and as a fantastic look into mind of JRR Tolkien and the elaborate world he strived to create.

Like the Unfinished Tales, The Book of Lost Tales, Part I is a collection of J.R.R. Tolkien’s unpublished manuscripts, this time coming from earlier in Tolkien’s life (approximately 1916-1927). In a way, this work was Tolkien’s first draft of The Silmarillion. Tolkien’s early writing differed significantly from his later work. That makes The Book of Lost Tales both fascinating and frustrating for Tolkien fans. The biggest and most immediate difference is Tolkien’s prominent use of a framing device. The book begins when Eriol the Elf enters the Cottage of Lost Play, which is exactly what it sounds like – a small cottage where people tell stories. Then he meets storytellers, who proceed to tell him about the Valar and other tales we know and love from The Silmarillion. What’s striking about this frame is its intrusiveness. Each story within the The Book of Lost Tales begins and ends with Eriol, as if the reader is listening alongside him. In Tolkien’s original conception, the frame was supposed to emphasize the importance of fantasy stories and how such stories could help readers uncover deeper truths. The children at the Cottage of Lost Play all become rapturous when a new story is told. However, for the reader, this lack of subtlety undermines the point. It’s as if Tolkien is telling rather than showing the reader why fantasy stories are valuable. As a reader, I felt the book was trying too hard to prime me to enjoy the stories. Ultimately, Tolkien’s published works make a much better case for fantasy literature by simply being good stories that speak to deeper truths about the world. Of course, Tolkien later used frame devices in his other published works. In The Lord of the Rings, we’re told that the text we’re reading is actually the Red Book of Westmarch, which Bilbo and Frodo wrote and passed onto Sam. But, aside from a brief mention at in the introduction, Tolkien’s use of this frame is subtle. It never distracts from or intrudes on the story. Readers could be forgiven for forgetting about it by the time they reach The Return of the King. Not so the Cottage of Lost Play. In The Book of Lost Tales, Tolkien expands upon the Valar, the equivalent to gods in Middle-earth. This provides some fascinating details on about the Valar and makes them more active participants in the story. Fans of The Silmarillion will likely enjoy seeing more of Tulkas. On the other hand, even in The Silmarillion, I always thought Tolkien’s best stories focused on humans. Tolkien is great at capturing the essence of the human experience. However, there’s much less thematic resonance to a story about immortal beings fighting against each other or about the fictional formation of the Sun and the Moon. Tolkien’s point about reading fantasy in order to uncover deeper truths work best when dealing with mortal beings who have the flaws and virtues we encounter in our own worlds. When talking about The Book of Lost Tales, one has to distinguish between reading the work as a story as opposed to reading it as a historical text. As an insight into Tolkien’s writing process, the book is invaluable. Christopher Tolkien did an enormous service in publishing these and providing commentary. I enjoyed seeing Tolkien's initial emphasis on the idea that his Middle-earth legendarium was originally supposed to be an epic fantasy history for England. Unfortunately, as a story, it’s not Tolkien’s best, and he probably realized this (remember, not only did Tolkien did not publish this version, but he revised it significantly).

We bought these for gifts. The game quickly and were just as described. No complaints

Muy buen libro

Very good price for a very good book even tough it came like bend in one end but everything else’s fine

Nicht nur eine Sammlung von unveröffentlichten Geschichten: HISTORY OF MIDDLE-EARTH ist die Chronik einer jahrzehntelangen literarischen Sisyphos-Arbeit. Im Zentrum steht die Evolution der Themen und Geschichten durch viele verschiedene, z.T. widersprüchliche oder schwer zu entziffernde Texte und Textfragmente. Wer sich darauf einlässt, wird mit einem tiefgehenden Verständnis für Tolkiens Lebenswerk belohnt. Anspruchsvolle Lektüre, ungeeignet für Leser, die nur neue Geschichten aus dem HdR-Universum suchen.

Awesome

The earliest writings that later formed a part of The Silmarillion. Requesting the seller to provide other volumes in the series too.