I have the PDF’s of all 12 volumes. Amazing look into the history of the saga of middle earth, from unfinished works to concepts, and early prototype versions. Fantastic stuff I’ve gotta say.
I am currently reading these books, and I can say that they are Amazing!!! There are so many interesting concepts in them, and it gives you a closer look at Tolkien's earliest thoughts! : )
This took a long time to hit my suggestions but I'm very glad it did. I was gifted the lost tales vols 1 & 2 one xmas, and while I read thru them completely, I didn't really enjoy them nearly as much as the later works. As a result, I ignored the other 10 books in the series. My 2-3 times a year Tolkien reads are : Smith of Wooten Major & Farmer Giles of Ham, The Hobbit, The Trilogy, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales. I usually also hit Nat'l Lampoon's "Bored of the Rings" annually for a good laugh. With this video I expect to see if any of the other 10 history books are for me.
I’ve now read everything up through The Lays of Beleriand, and my favorite elements of the Histories is the proto/surreal Elven stuff and the poetry (Kortirion for example). Am I right in my understanding that the books that come after The Lays is void of this kind of material? Thank you!
Other than Vols 1 and 3 of the Histories of Middle Earth I bought the 1st edition hardcover versions of the rest. Same with The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales. At one time I even had the unauthorized American edition from Ace publishers. Edit: I think a video regarding Ballentine Books "Only Authorized American Edition..." copyright issues, and Tolkien's opinion regarding paperback books would be great.
This video came out at the perfect time I own the first 5 books in the series and I'm on the third ( after really enjoying the book of lost tales ) and I started the lays of Beleriand but it's been dragging on so much and I've already read the story about the children of hurin 3 times so it's been less intriguing but i should really go on because I think reading morgoths ring would be really good / keep up the good work
Luckily the whole series in PDF format is available free online! If you have a PDF reader you can read it all. The other 7 volumes are just as good, if not even more interesting.
Re-reading and reading these now in anticipation of the 2nd edition of the roleplaying game, which is just being Kickstarted for release at the end of the year. I'm in War of the Jewels now, but some of the earlier books I read way back when they were published so I'll probably read them again. Lots of interesting stuff buried in these but they can get a bit tedious & repetitious. Still prefer the "core" texts of Hobbit, LOTR, Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales.
I'm truly heartbroken because Christopher Tolkien read the italian translation of the first two books and hated it so much he forbade to continue it. I'll have to read it in english although it's not very easy unfortunately!
@@TolkienLorePodcast He actually read the translation of The Lays of Beleriand before it was published and refuse to make it happen. Apparently it was too bad! He refused to allow the publisher (at the time was Rusconi, now it's Bompiani) to publish other translations of the HoME.
I would like to see your opinion of the top ten oldest living in Middle Earth at the time of The War of the Ring. Of course Gandalf states in "The Two Towers" Book 3, Chapter 5 'The White Rider'...Treebeard is the oldest living Ent and the oldest living thing that walks in Middle-Earth...so he is older than Tom Bombadil.
@@TolkienLorePodcast When Gandalf is explaining to Eragorn, Legolas and Gimli their search for Merry and Pippin is not needed, Legolas asks Gandald, "Who is Treebeard?" "Ah! now you are asking much," said Gandalf. "The little that I know of his long slow story would make a tale for which we have no time now. Treebeard is Fanghorn, the guardian of the forest; he is the oldest of the Ents, the oldest living thing that still walks beneath the Sun upon this Middle-Earth." So, either Gandalf forgot about Tom Bombadil or perhaps the old moss gatherer is Fanghorn? [humor]
@@TolkienLorePodcast...That's right, in a way, Yavanna created the Ents at the time of the Two Trees, after the Two Lamps, but before the Sun and Moon. So...Bombadil is older, but the phrase "under the sun" doesn't refer to the age of the Sun and the Moon in this case.
with nevr ending knowledge can you recvomend the nest encyclopedia or novels that yell the most lore from start of first age? thank you and your knowledge has made me bend the knee lol thnks
Robert Foster’s Complete Guide to Middle-earth (which I don’t have lol) is widely considered a really good resource. Unfinished Tales is where I would go next after LOTR and the Silmarillion for just interesting stuff.
Managed to snag a set of the 12 volumes yesterday. Can’t wait to dive into these!
I have the PDF’s of all 12 volumes. Amazing look into the history of the saga of middle earth, from unfinished works to concepts, and early prototype versions. Fantastic stuff I’ve gotta say.
I am currently reading these books, and I can say that they are Amazing!!! There are so many interesting concepts in them, and it gives you a closer look at Tolkien's earliest thoughts! : )
This took a long time to hit my suggestions but I'm very glad it did. I was gifted the lost tales vols 1 & 2 one xmas, and while I read thru them completely, I didn't really enjoy them nearly as much as the later works. As a result, I ignored the other 10 books in the series. My 2-3 times a year Tolkien reads are : Smith of Wooten Major & Farmer Giles of Ham, The Hobbit, The Trilogy, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales. I usually also hit Nat'l Lampoon's "Bored of the Rings" annually for a good laugh. With this video I expect to see if any of the other 10 history books are for me.
Vol. 12 is mandatory reading for every GM who does ttrpgs i Middle Earth. What a gold mine!
I’ve now read everything up through The Lays of Beleriand, and my favorite elements of the Histories is the proto/surreal Elven stuff and the poetry (Kortirion for example). Am I right in my understanding that the books that come after The Lays is void of this kind of material? Thank you!
Eh, I wouldn’t say void of it, but it gets more and more like the published Silmarillion. There are lots of other really interesting things though....
@@TolkienLorePodcast Understood. Are there any poems after The Lays?
Nothing that long, certainly. It’s been a while since I read some of the later volumes so I’m not sure if there are shorter ones.
Other than Vols 1 and 3 of the Histories of Middle Earth I bought the 1st edition hardcover versions of the rest. Same with The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales. At one time I even had the unauthorized American edition from Ace publishers.
Edit: I think a video regarding Ballentine Books "Only Authorized American Edition..." copyright issues, and Tolkien's opinion regarding paperback books would be great.
This is very informative, thank you.
This video came out at the perfect time I own the first 5 books in the series and I'm on the third ( after really enjoying the book of lost tales ) and I started the lays of Beleriand but it's been dragging on so much and I've already read the story about the children of hurin 3 times so it's been less intriguing but i should really go on because I think reading morgoths ring would be really good / keep up the good work
Luckily the whole series in PDF format is available free online! If you have a PDF reader you can read it all. The other 7 volumes are just as good, if not even more interesting.
Re-reading and reading these now in anticipation of the 2nd edition of the roleplaying game, which is just being Kickstarted for release at the end of the year. I'm in War of the Jewels now, but some of the earlier books I read way back when they were published so I'll probably read them again. Lots of interesting stuff buried in these but they can get a bit tedious & repetitious. Still prefer the "core" texts of Hobbit, LOTR, Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales.
I'm truly heartbroken because Christopher Tolkien read the italian translation of the first two books and hated it so much he forbade to continue it. I'll have to read it in english although it's not very easy unfortunately!
Oh wow, I didn’t know that. Any idea why?
@@TolkienLorePodcast He actually read the translation of The Lays of Beleriand before it was published and refuse to make it happen. Apparently it was too bad! He refused to allow the publisher (at the time was Rusconi, now it's Bompiani) to publish other translations of the HoME.
The poetry must have been terrible I’m guessing lol.
I would like to see your opinion of the top ten oldest living in Middle Earth at the time of The War of the Ring. Of course Gandalf states in "The Two Towers" Book 3, Chapter 5 'The White Rider'...Treebeard is the oldest living Ent and the oldest living thing that walks in Middle-Earth...so he is older than Tom Bombadil.
I don’t think he’s actually older than Bombadil, but I have been thinking of doing a video on that issue.
@@TolkienLorePodcast When Gandalf is explaining to Eragorn, Legolas and Gimli their search for Merry and Pippin is not needed, Legolas asks Gandald, "Who is Treebeard?"
"Ah! now you are asking much," said Gandalf. "The little that I know of his long slow story would make a tale for which we have no time now. Treebeard is Fanghorn, the guardian of the forest; he is the oldest of the Ents, the oldest living thing that still walks beneath the Sun upon this Middle-Earth."
So, either Gandalf forgot about Tom Bombadil or perhaps the old moss gatherer is Fanghorn? [humor]
I suspect Gandalf is excluding Bombadil, because “beneath the sun” wouldn’t apply to Tom who we know was around before the sun.
@@TolkienLorePodcast...That's right, in a way, Yavanna created the Ents at the time of the Two Trees, after the Two Lamps, but before the Sun and Moon. So...Bombadil is older, but the phrase "under the sun" doesn't refer to the age of the Sun and the Moon in this case.
But the Ents didn’t awake until the sun came.
Thanks 🙏 for the info! I really appreciate it. 👍
Thank you for this!
Language nerd. So I like the notes in the Book of Lost Tales.
with nevr ending knowledge can you recvomend the nest encyclopedia or novels that yell the most lore from start of first age? thank you and your knowledge has made me bend the knee lol thnks
Robert Foster’s Complete Guide to Middle-earth (which I don’t have lol) is widely considered a really good resource. Unfinished Tales is where I would go next after LOTR and the Silmarillion for just interesting stuff.
What order do I buy and read all the books in please. There is so many it's confusing.
This video should help: All Tolkien's Middle-Earth Books, Ranked by Importance
ua-cam.com/video/8CEZ5GP54JQ/v-deo.html
I like the video by the way hi uncle
I'm sorry. But I don't know why anyone would need any of this.