The Book of Lost Tales 1 (The History of Middle-earth, Book 1)
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About this ebook
The first of a two-book set that contains the early myths and legends which led to the writing of Tolkien’s epic tale of war, The Silmarillion.
The Book of Lost Tales stands at the beginning of the entire conception of Middle-earth and Valinor for the Tales were the first form of the myths and legends that came to be called The Silmarillion. Embedded in English legend and English association, they are set in the narrative frame of a great westward voyage over the Ocean by a mariner named Eriol to the lonely Isle where the Elves dwelt; from them he learned their true history, the Lost Tales of Elfinesse. In the Tales are found the earliest accounts of Gods and Elves, Dwarves, Balrogs and Orcs; of the Silmarils and the Two Trees of Valinor; of the geography and cosmology of Tolkien’s invented world.
This series of fascinating books has now been repackaged to complement the distinctive and classic style of the ‘black cover’ A-format paperbacks of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales.
Christopher Tolkien
Christopher Tolkien (1924–2020) was the third son of J.R.R. Tolkien. Appointed by Tolkien to be his literary executor, he devoted himself to the editing and publication of unpublished writings, notably The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, and The History of Middle-earth.
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Reviews for The Book of Lost Tales 1 (The History of Middle-earth, Book 1)
11 ratings7 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tolkien as always
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Many of the "lost tales" are early versions of portions of the Silmarillion. I would definitely recommend that the aspiring writer read this to see how Tolkien wrote and rewote and in some cases totally discarded ideas. Otherwise this book is not for the casual Hobbit and Lord of the Rings fan.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Read this one for Afrasiab. I don't know if Tolkien deliberately borrowed an incident from the Shahnameh, but I'm willing to bet he would have read it, and I can think of much worse borrowings to make.The Silmarillion in its earliest form. This is the first half, without the charismatic megafauna, but very interesting reading nonetheless.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Precursor to "The Silmarillian" and heavily annotated by Christopher Tolkien. You might call this book a "behind the scenes" look at the making of The Silmarillion.The one major gripe I have with BLT (the book, not the burger) is that there are no breaks between the fictional story and the non-fictional annotation. I'm reading along, enjoying the tale, and before I know it, I find myself reading some bunch of words that somehow don't seem to fit in with the plot. Then I have to dig through pages of minuscule text to find where the annotation ends and the story continues.At least, that's the experience I had while reading my particular edition.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book is almost dauntingly dense. The collection of stories rewritten over and over by Tolkien, that formed the basis for the myth and history behind the world behind The Lord of the Rings is a scholar's paradise, but a little daunting for the layperson. The stories are intriguing, and the annotations provide influences and varying earlier versions. Haven't finished it yet, but it is fascinating, particularly for someone like me, who loves knowing the background and influences to beloved works.It is, however, the most prized book in my collection, not because it is Tolkien, and not because it is a first edition, although both are true. This was the very first gift I recieved from my boyfriend, and is inscribed with a touching note, and houses the letters and notes he's written me, and call me a sentimental sap, but that is more than enough to launch it into the 5 star category for me. *blushes*
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5In my opinion there were excellent reasons why these tales were lost. These do not represent treasures that mistakenly went unpublished in Tolkien's lifetime. Rather, he must have known that these dabblings did not deserve the fame and acclaim of his primary body of work.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Well, to put it simply: These volumes are for the extreme Tolkien fan. It's a very inricate journey into the process of one man's idea that transformed into a wonderful world we all enjoy: Middle-Earth. Like I say, it's an incredible source of knowledge for die-hard Tolkien Fans, but it is not an easy read! Prepare to have a notebook handy to take notes because it is CHALK full of stuff.