This highly-acclaimed series of books by Tolkien's son Christopher, provide an invaluable record that offers a great deal of insight into Tolkien's creative genius, his thoughts and feelings about his own work, and the evolution of his grand design for the creation of a whole new world.

Editions of "The Book of Lost Tales: Part 1," "The Book of Lost Tales: Part 2," "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," "Morgoth's Ring," "The War of the Jewels," "The Peoples of Middle-Earth," "The Histories of Middle Earth: Volumes 1-5," "The Histories of the Lord Of The Rings," "Tolkien's Legendarium: Essays on the History of Middle-Earth".

"One marvels anew at the depth, breadth and persistence of J.R.R. Tolkien's labour. No one sympathetic to his aims—the invention of a secondary universe—will want to miss this chance to be present at the creation."

~ Publishers Weekly

Tolkien is known the world over for his unique literary creation, exemplified in "The Hobbit," "The Lord of the Rings," and "The Silmarillion." What is less well known, is that he also produced a vast amount of further material that greatly expands upon the rich mythology, numerous stories, and stirring legends of Middle-earth, and also brings into greater detail, the long years of war between the Elves and the first Dark Lord, Morgoth, and his terrifying lieutenant, Sauron. It was to this enormous task of literary construction that Tolkien's youngest son and literary heir, Christopher, applied himself to produce the monumental and endlessly fascinating series of twelve books, known collectively as "The History of Middle-earth."

PAGE NOTES:

• You will find all the currently available US and UK editions of the books in "The History of Middle-earth" series listed in the sections below. Out-of-print editions are not listed.
• Learn more about "The History of Middle-earth" series, by reading the 'Wikipedia Entry' for this series of books.

• THE BOOK OF LOST TALES: VOLUME 1
  Volume 1 of "The History of Middle-earth" series.

• THE BOOK OF LOST TALES: VOLUME 2
  Volume 2 of "The History of Middle-earth" series.

• THE LAYS OF BELERIAND
  Volume 3 of "The History of Middle-earth" Series.

• THE SHAPING OF MIDDLE-EARTH
  Volume 4 of "The History of Middle-earth" series.

• THE LOST ROAD AND OTHER WRITINGS
  Volume 5 of "The History of Middle-earth" series.

• THE RETURN OF THE SHADOW
  Volume 6 of "The History of Middle-earth" series.
  Volume 1 of "The History of The Lord of the Rings" series.

• THE TREASON OF ISENGARD
  Volume 7 of "The History of Middle-earth" series.
  Volume 2 of "The History of The Lord of the Rings" series.

• THE WAR OF THE RING
  Volume 8 of "The History of Middle-earth" series.
  Volume 3 of "The History of The Lord of the Rings" series.

• SAURON DEFEATED
  Volume 9 of "The History of Middle-earth" series.
  Volume 4 of "The History of The Lord of the Rings" series.

• MORGOTH'S RING: THE LATER SILMARILLION, PART ONE
  Volume 10 of "The History of Middle-earth" series.

• THE WAR OF THE JEWELS: THE LATER SILMARILLION, PART TWO
  Volume 11 of "The History of Middle-earth" series.

• THE PEOPLES OF MIDDLE-EARTH
  Volume 12 of "The History of Middle-earth" series.

Editions of "The Histories of Middle-earth: Volumes 1-5," "The History of the Lord of the Rings."

THE HISTORY OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS
Houghton Mifflin's four volume boxed softcover subset of "The History of Middle-earth," collects only those volumes that pertain to Tolkien's masterpiece "The Lord of the Rings." Includes "The Return of the Shadow," "The Treason of Isengard," "The War of the Ring," and a special volume unique to this edition, "The End of the Third Age," the first section of "Sauron Defeated," the ninth volume of "The History of Middle-earth," and completes Christopher Tolkien's account of his father's creation of "The Lord of the Rings."

'BOXED' 'SOFTCOVER' EDITION

• Available Now @ Amazon.com
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• ISBN: 0-618-08355-3
• ISBN-13: 978-0-618-08355-8
• Boxed ('Slipcased') 'Softcover' Bindery

THE HISTORY OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS
HarperCollins' four volume boxed softcover subset of "The History of Middle-earth," collects only those volumes that pertain to Tolkien's masterpiece "The Lord of the Rings." Includes "The Return of the Shadow," "The Treason of Isengard," "The War of the Ring," and a special volume unique to this edition, "The End of the Third Age," the first section of "Sauron Defeated," the ninth volume of "The History of Middle-earth," and completes Christopher Tolkien's account of his father's creation of "The Lord of the Rings."

'BOXED' 'SOFTCOVER' EDITION

NOTE: UK (UNITED KINGDOM) EDITION

• Available Now @ Amazon.co.uk
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• ISBN: 0-261-10370-9
• ISBN-13: 978-0-261-10370-2
• Boxed ('Slipcased') 'Softcover' Bindery

Editions of "Tolkien's Legendarium: Essays on the History of Middle-Earth".

TOLKIEN'S LEGENDARIUM: ESSAYS ON THE HISTORY OF MIDDLE-EARTH (CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE STUDY OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY)
By Verlyn Flieger (Editor), Carl F. Hostetter (Editor).

As a scholar of medieval languages and literature, J.R.R. Tolkien brought to his fiction an intense interest in myth and legend. When he died in 1973, he left behind a vast body of unpublished material related to his fictive mythology. Now edited and published as "The History of Middle-earth" by his son and literary executor, Christopher Tolkien, these 12 volumes provide a record of the growth of J.R.R. Tolkien's mythology from its beginnings in 1917 to the time of his death more than 50 years later. The material in these volumes offers an unparalleled insight into Tolkien's process of myth-making and is a guide to the world of his literary works. This book is the first comprehensive critical examination of Christopher Tolkien's compilation of his father's Middle-earth legends. An opening essay by Rayner Unwin, Tolkien's publisher for many years, surveys the publication history of the collection. The essays that follow, each written by an expert contributor, explore a wide range of topics related to The History of Middle-earth. Included are discussions of Tolkien's languages, the evolution of his vision over time, the shifting importance of central characters, and the effect of his mythology on The Lord of the Rings. By exploring this mythological compendium, the volume sheds further light on the entire body of J.R.R. Tolkien's works and is a valuable resource for all readers interested in his writings.

'HARDCOVER' EDITION

• Available Now @ Amazon.com
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• ISBN: 0-313-30530-7
• ISBN-13: 978-0-313-30530-6
• Standard 'Hardcover' Bindery