Tolkien Reading Order

A Recommended Guide for Reading Tolkien's Legendarium

Want to begin reading Tolkien’s legendarium but don’t know where to begin? You’ve come to the right place!

As a Tolkien scholar and content creator, I have been asked many times to create a recommended reading order for Tolkien’s ‘legendarium’ - the corpus of primary materials pertaining to the ‘matter of Middle-earth’.

This is no simple task. There are, naturally, countless approaches one could take to reading Tolkien’s works, and there is certainly no one ‘right’ way to do it. A lot depends on one’s intentions, degree of interest, and stamina - and indeed also age. My advice for a casual adult reader would necessarily be quite different from my advice for a seasoned fantasy enthusiast, and both would be phenomenally different from my advice for a young person diving into Tolkien’s world for the very first time.

Many folks have their own preferences when it comes to reading order, and many have their advantages. It is popular, for instance, to read the works in order of publication - a relatively natural order, and certainly the one used most by those who have been reading the materials for many years. Others recommend reading everything in ‘internal’ chronological order - based on the order of events discussed, rather than publication. I would not recommend this order to just about anyone, save perhaps those who are already well familiar with Tolkien’s materials.

This reading order is designed for readers - both new and experienced - who want a clear and relatively sensible path to reading the entirety of Tolkien’s ‘primary’ texts in an organised fashion. It is certainly suitable for first-time readers, but not everyone who is interesting in dipping their toes into Middle-earth will feel called to read everything on this list. This is quite understandable.

I have also resisting adding nearly any supplementary materials to the list. If one were to set upon the path of becoming a ‘Tolkien scholar’, it is certainly necessary to go well beyond the published corpus. A complete education in Tolkien and his works demands far more than a familiarity with the legendarium itself - there are countless critical commentaries, academic papers, biographical works, and source materials out there which should really be included in any ‘Tolkien curriculum’, whether formal or self-guided. This list is merely meant to provide a guide for engaging with the legendarium itself, on its own terms.

I have, notably, not included any of Tolkien’s works relating to primary-world mythologies - books like Tolkien’s Beowulf, Sigurd and Gudrún, The Fall of Arthur, The Tale of Kullervo, and The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth are conspicuously absent. I’ve also excluded a number of his essays. This is not to suggest that these works are not interesting or valuable - they are merely excluded because this list is designed to get folks through the published legendarium (i.e. the materials directly pertaining to Middle-earth, with only a small number of exceptions). The only work which I will directly mention as a proposed supplementary text is The Tale of Kullervo, since this has a very close connection to the tale of Túrin Turambar.

But before we dive into the list, I first want to offer a couple of alternative reading plans which might be more suitable for different kinds of readers. First is ‘casual adult readers’ - those who might have some familiarity with Tolkien, but want to make their way through the ‘basic corpus’ without too many headaches.

The other is for ‘young readers’ who are perhaps not quite ready to tackle something like the History of Middle-earth series, but are ready to begin taking some steps into the Middle-earth materials. It is worth stating that the vast majority of Tolkien’s writings are explicitly not written for children, but as someone who came to Tolkien at a young age myself, I am hyper-aware of how transformative an early exposure to Tolkien’s corpus can really be.

Neither of these lists are intended to be comprehensive, but each offers an age-appropriate overview of key relevant works. Naturally, these are only suggestions - not hard-and-fast rules, and it’s important to focus on works that speak to you as an individual.

Causal Adult Readers

Adults naturally will have many different tastes and proclivities, and it’s likely that most will have already also seen the Lord of the Rings film trilogy (and perhaps also the Hobbit trilogy and Amazon Prime’s Rings of Power). This is perfectly fine. If, by some stroke of chance, they have not already seen dramatic adaptations of Tolkien’s work, then I would recommend beginning with the books. It’s a precious experience to be able to form mental images of locations, characters, etc. without the influence of Peter Jackson or other adaptors. However, if you are a strong visual learner, you may want to watch at least the Lord of the Rings films beforehand.

I would also recommend, though it’s not the purpose of this scheme, for adult readers who enjoy biographical works to read the official biography written by Humphrey Carpenter (J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography). John Garth’s Tolkien and the Great War is also extraordinary, and a very important piece of scholarship which has had a significant impact on modern research - but this might be stretching it for ‘casual’ readers…

1. On Fairy-stories

   • I recommend that every adult begins their journey with Tolkien through the essay On Fairy-stories, which can be found in a few resources (including Tree and Leaf, Tales from the Perilous Realm, and the standalone On Fairy-stories volume edited by Verlyn Flieger). An older version of the essay was published in a now-rare book called Essays Presented to Charles Williams, a PDF of which can be easily found online. Simply read the essay and let it set in. This is functionally Tolkien’s ‘manifesto for mythopoeia’, and helps to explain why he did what he did.

2. The Lord of the Rings

   • From a literary perspective, it’s quite difficult to beat The Lord of the Rings. Everyone should read this book(/trilogy).

   • For those who enjoy the films, and also prefer to listen to books rather than read them, I do highly recommend the audiobook versions read by Andy Serkis (who plays Gollum in the Peter Jackson films).

3. The Hobbit

   • The Hobbit was intended as a children’s book, though it certainly becomes more complex as the story progresses. I do not recommend that adult readers begin with it unless they specifically want to start with something with a tone that is often more whimsical than epic. But it remains a classic, and an essential read for anyone with a passing interest in Tolkien.

   • Again, the Andy Serkis audiobook of The Hobbit is top-notch, and likely a perfectly sufficient method of taking in this story for most people. Alternatively, I always recommend trying to read it out loud to a child in your life, if you are able.

4. The Silmarillion

   • This is the most prominent repository of the ‘deep lore’ that everyone talks about - an account of the elder days of the world, followed by a couple texts dealing with the Fall of Númenor and the Rings of Power.

   • This is NOT an easy read, no matter what anyone says. You will need to take notes, and re-read it multiple times if you really want the information to set in. For casual readers, this may be unnecessary. See how you feel. My only recommendation is to try, as best you can, to read the entire thing at least once. Some of the most important chapters are in the second half, but you will need to get through some very dense material first. Resources like the Prancing Pony Podcast are very useful supports.

   • Again, Andy Serkis has an excellent audiobook version, but I do not recommend using that to ‘read’ The Silmarillion for the first time.

5. Children of Húrin

   • Outside of the ‘big three’ (LOTR, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion), Children of Húrin is the only other Tolkien work that I would put on every adult’s ‘must-read’ list. Unlike the majority of the other works, it is written in a truly narrative style, and is profoundly engaging while also touching on some very dark and mature themes. It also begins with a brief overview of the elder days (written in plainer English than The Silmarillion), which provides context for the main drama.

   • An audiobook version was recorded by Sir Christopher Lee (who played Saruman in the Peter Jackson films), and it is wonderful.

6. The Fall of Númenor

   • I do not recommend Unfinished Tales to casual readers. Instead, for those who want to explore the rise and fall of Númenor (and gain some critical context for one of the main storylines to be presented in the Rings of Power series), this is the best resource available. It is presented in a far more comprehensible and straightforward manner than UT and other works.
     

Young Readers

Many young people will be hard-pressed to read Tolkien’s works before seeing any of the films. This is alright. There is nothing wrong with seeing the films before reading the books - having a sense of place, mental images of characters, etc., may make it easier for them to imagine events and keep all of the characters straight. This may also depend on how familiar they are with fantasy literature, as well as their reading level. This is perhaps the most difficult category to be prescriptive with, since much depends on the young person in question. But these are the works that I would begin with.

1. The Hobbit

   • This will depend largely on age, maturity, and individual taste. If you are able to introduce The Hobbit to a child at the *right* time, it can have a lasting lifelong impact. But some older children/teenagers may find it difficult to appreciate at the beginning. I recommend approaching it as a family experience, reading out loud whenever possible.

2. The Lord of the Rings

   • While not intended for children or young readers, The Lord of the Rings is one of those books which will help to expand a young person’s mind and get their creative juices flowing. They likely will not understand everything - that’s okay. In fact, it’s arguably even better, since it may spark their curiosity in ways that many adults struggle to experience. I first read The Lord of the Rings at 10 years old. I did not internalise everything, but it still changed my life.

3. Tales from the Perilous Realm

   • This is a collection of short stories, poems, and an essay by J.R.R. Tolkien. Of all the works it contains, only one is ‘properly’ a part of the Middle-earth legendarium, but everything is very much a part of the enchanted domain of Faërie. There are stories here which will be suitable for all ages, from children to adults. Some will understand certain stories better than others. The poems are a joy. The essay, ‘On Fairy-stories’, may very well be too cerebral for some young readers, and might be saved until teenage years at least. But this remains an excellent collection for family readings and early forays into the ‘Perilous Realm.’

4. The Silmarillion

   • This will greatly depend on the age and reading level of the reader. Even most adults struggle significantly with this text. Nevertheless, I am a firm believer in giving young people literature that they can grow into, rather than trying to play it safe. While I am no expert on child reading levels relative to age, I first attempted The Silmarillion around age 11 and, while I probably understood a fraction of it, the spirit of the text struck me deeply and inspired a lifetime of mythic and spiritual exploration. It may very well be that your young reader will get a couple chapters in and then leave it sitting on their bookshelf for years. That is totally fine. It will be there for them if/when they are ready to continue their Tolkien journey.

Deep Immersion Reading Order

Now that we’ve gotten our more ‘casual’ reading recommendations out of the way, let’s turn to what I’d call a ‘Deep Immersion’ curriculum. This is, again, intended for those who wish to read all *available* published materials written by J.R.R. Tolkien on the matter of Middle-earth. I will start with a simple list of texts you will need (which are not in the reading order).

The Texts

Under ‘primary texts’, you will find all published materials featuring primary materials on Middle-earth composed by J.R.R. Tolkien. While I have included a couple of materials which are not properly part of the legendarium, I have not included Tolkien’s writings dealing with primary-world mythologies (like Beowulf, The Fall of Arthur, etc.).

Primary Texts

• Tolkien On Fairy-stories (Expanded edition with commentary and notes, ed. Verlyn Flieger)

• The Hobbit

• The Lord of the Rings

• The Adventures of Tom Bombadil

• The Silmarillion

• Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth

• Beren and Lúthien

• The Children of Húrin

• The Fall of Gondolin

• The Book of Lost Tales I (HoME I)

• The Book of Lost Tales II (HoME II)

• The Lays of Beleriand (HoME III)

• The Shaping of Middle-earth (HoME IV)

• The Lost Road and Other Writings (HoME V)

• Return of the Shadow (HoME VI)

• The Treason of Isengard (HoME VII)

• The War of the Ring (HoME VIII)

• Sauron Defeated (HoME IX)

• Morgoth’s Ring (HoME X)

• The War of the Jewels (HoME XI)

• The Peoples of Middle-earth (HoME XII)

• The Nature of Middle-earth (ed. Carl F. Hostetter)

• Bilbo’s Last Song

• Tales from the Perilous Realm

• Smith of Wootton Major (ed. Verlyn Flieger)

• Vinyar Tengwar (Issues 1-50)

• Parma Eldalamberon (Issues 1-23)

• A Secret Vice (ed. Dimitra Fimi and Andrew Higgins)

• The History of the Hobbit (ed. John Rateliff)

• The Fall of Númenor (ed. Brian Sibley)

• The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien (ed. Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond)

• The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien: Expanded and Revised Edition

• The Road Goes Ever On: A Song Cycle (text by Tolkien, music by Donald Swann)

• Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien

Recommended Supplementary Resources

• Robert Foster, A Complete Guide to Middle-earth

• Karen Wynn Fonstad, The Atlas of Tolkien’s Middle-earth

• Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull, The Lord of the Rings: A Reader’s Companion

• Tom Shippey, The Road to Middle-earth

• Verlyn Flieger, Interrupted Music: The Making of Tolkien’s Mythology

• Verlyn Flieger, Splintered Light: Logos and Language in Tolkien’s World (revised edition)

• Dimitra Fimi, Tolkien, Race and Cultural History: From Fairies to Hobbits

Key Biographies

• Humphrey Carpenter, J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography

• John Garth, Tolkien and the Great War

• Tom Shippey, J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century

Reading Order

Please note that The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien is not included as a specific ‘step’ in this process. This is something to absorb slowly and carefully, and can act as a supplement (using the index) when topics arise that you want to explore more deeply.

Introduction

1. On Fairy-stories

   • I describe this as Tolkien’s ‘manifesto for mythopoeia’, offering an excellent primer for his creative project and the philosophical ramifications of myth-making.

   • I have included the edited volume with commentary and notes on the list above, which was masterfully edited and prepared by Verlyn Flieger, but it’s not necessary (at this point) to read all of the drafts, etc. At a bare minimum, read the final essay itself, and perhaps Flieger’s introduction, though you might also wish to read the earlier version (as published in Essays Presented to Charles Williams), which can easily be found online.

Module I: The Rings of Power and the Third Age

2. The Hobbit

   • In truth, this is not always the best starting place for adult readers encountering Tolkien for the first time. You may wish to read The Lord of the Rings first, then return to The Hobbit. Do as you please, but do read both.

   • If you have a child (or niece, nephew, younger sibling, etc.), I recommend that - at some point - you read the story out loud to them. This is an excellent way to experience this story as an adult.

3. The Lord of the Rings

   • Usually the best place to start for new adult readers. DO NOT SKIP the Prologue or Appendices - read these carefully and take notes. Read everything all the way through.

   • As a companion guide, I recommend Hammond & Scull’s The Lord of the Rings: A Reader’s Companion.

4. Part III, Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth

   • This section of UT deals specifically with the Third Age, and includes a number of interesting texts. This will also be your first introduction to Christopher Tolkien’s scholarship, which will become much more central when you reach the History of Middle-earth materials.

5. Part IV, Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth

   • Includes essays on the Drúedain, the Istari, and the Palantíri - all of which we have encountered in our readings so far, so best to get this out of the way now.

6. ‘Akallabêth’, The Silmarillion

   • Worth reading at this juncture to provide some expanded information introduced in the appendices of The Lord of the Rings. Also good to read at this point, because it will be a while before you get to the main Second Age materials.

   • For context, this text represents a ‘mixed Dúnedanic tradition’ of the account of the Fall of Númenor. It may have been composed by Elendil the Tall himself, but was certainly based - at least in part - on earlier Elvish and Mannish accounts of the Númenórean cataclysm.

7. ‘Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age’, The Silmarillion

   • An abbreviated account of the forging of the rings of power and the Third Age, likely composed by a Gondorian scribe well into the Fourth Age. Notice the discordant details (e.g. the claim that Frodo “cast the Great Ring of Power” into the fires of Mt. Doom, completely ignoring Sméagol’s role.

8. The Adventures of Tom Bombadil

   • Properly a part of the Red Book of Westmarch, compiled by Sam’s descendants. Be sure to read the introduction, as this explains the ‘internal’ origins of various poems.

   • There is a good recording of Tolkien himself reading many of these poems. It is available on Audible as ‘A Rare Recording of JRR Tolkien’.

9. Bilbo’s Last Song

   • This one is very short, and rather quaint. It is a song which was sung by Bilbo Baggins as he prepared to leave the Grey Havens at the end of the Third Age. It is available as a short illustrated book, though it can also easily be found online.

Module II: The First Age

10. ‘The Cottage of Lost Play’ (ch. 1), The Book of Lost Tales I

    • Begin with Christopher Tolkien’s Foreward to The Book of Lost Tales.

    • Chapter one introduces the original framing narrative for the tales of the elder days, centred around Ælfwine/Eriol and his journey to Tol Eressea. Christopher removed this from the published Silmarillion, which he eventually came to (somewhat) regret.

11. ‘The Music of the Ainur’ (ch. 2), The Book of Lost Tales I

    • You can simply begin this chapter, reading up to the section marked ‘Commentary on the Link between The Cottage of Lost Play and The Music of the Ainur’.

    • The purpose of reading this at this point is to further establish Tolkien’s framing narrative, and to understand where these stories ‘came’ from.

12. The Silmarillion (first half: ch. 1-18)

    • Start with a ‘reader’s copy’ (not a collectible edition) and take copious notes throughout. Highlight and annotate your text, write down names and terms, etc.

    • You will like need to read The Silmarillion numerous times before it all starts to make sense.

    • I recommend stopping after chapter 18 (‘The Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin’).

13. Beren and Lúthien

    • This book provides early drafts of the Beren and Lúthien story, including excerpts from the poetic version, as well as Christopher Tolkien’s commentary on the story’s inception and evolution. This will give you the fullest version of the tale, as well as an understanding of how it evolved over time.

14. The Children of Húrin

    • Unlike the other ‘Great Tale’ books, this is not simply a rehashing of existing published material, but rather a full narrative account of the tale of Túrin Turambar. Outside of The Lord of the Rings, this is some of the most satisfying and compelling narrative prose that Tolkien ever wrote.

    • As a stretch goal, you may wish to supplement your reading of this text with Tolkien’s The Tale of Kullervo - Tolkien’s take on the story of Kullervo the hapless from The Kalevala - which served as a primary inspiration for the character of Túrin.

15. The Fall of Gondolin

    • This will give you the fullest version of the tale of the Fall of Gondolin, and discussion of how the story evolved over time.

16. The Silmarillion (second half: ch. 18-end)

    • Read through the remainder of the published Silmarillion, which will take you back through the tales explored in the above volumes.

    • After finishing, I highly recommend immediately re-reading The Silmarillion in its entirety.

Module III: Early Materials on the Elder Days

17. The Book of Lost Tales I

    • This is the earliest version of the tales of the elder days. Read the entire thing (including the sections you’ve already read) from beginning to end.

18. The Book of Lost Tales II

    • Same as above, read from beginning to end.

19. Part I, Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth

    • Begin with Christopher’s Introduction - this isn’t necessarily the best place for it, but be sure to read it at some point.

    • There will be quite a bit of repeated information here (mostly presented in the ‘Great Tales’ books), but is worth re-visiting nevertheless.

20. The Lays of Beleriand

    • Read all the way through. One of the most interesting volumes in the collection, featuring tales of the elder days presented in various forms of epic verse. Savour these - they are precious.

21. The Shaping of Middle-earth

    • Read all the way through. This includes some of the earliest ‘Silmarillion’ materials, including Eriol’s Old English ‘translations’ of accounts. This also includes early forms of the ‘Quenta’, the ‘Ambarkanta’, and the earliest ‘Annals’.

22. Part II, The Lost Road and Other Writings

    • This section discusses Valinor and Middle-earth before Tolkien began The Lord of the Rings. Includes later version of the ‘Annals’, the ‘Ainulindalë’, the ‘Lhammas’, and a more developed version of the ‘Quenta Silmarillion’.

23. Appendix, The Lost Road and Other Writings

    • Includes genealogies, lists of names, and maps. Not long, but good to explore at this juncture.

Module IV: The Second Age

24. Part II, Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth

    • This is the section of the text that deals directly with the Second Age, and includes a wealth of fascinating material on Númenor. Much of this information is also found in Sibley’s The Fall of Númenor, which you can read later if you wish.

    • Notably, this includes the tale of Aldarion and Erendis (‘The Mariner’s Wife’), regarded as the only complete tale composed in Númenor to survive the cataclysm. It also includes writings on the history of Galadriel and Celeborn which, according to Christopher Tolkien, is ‘more full of problems’ than any other part of the history of Middle-earth.

25. Part I, The Lost Road and Other Writings

    • This section features two important writings, ‘The Lost Road’ and ‘The Fall of Númenor’. The former was an abandoned ‘time travel’ tale that Tolkien began, which introduced his second ‘framing narrative’ for the legendarium as well as the first materials on Númenor. The latter represents the ‘Elvish tradition’ recounting Númenor’s fall.

26. Part II, Sauron Defeated

    • This is one of the most texts Tolkien ever wrote, ‘The Notion Club Papers’. There is too much to say about it, but this will expand upon Tolkien’s second ‘framing narrative’, offering a highly novel conceptual framework for the story of Númenor’s fall. This almost became a complete novel, venturing into the ‘science fiction’ genre, but was ultimately abandoned in order to write The Lord of the Rings.

27. Part III, Sauron Defeated

    • This section offers additional materials relating to ‘The Notion Club Papers’, including a few key texts. ‘The Drowning of Anadûne’ represents a ‘Mannish tradition’ recounting the fall of Númenor, for which Christopher Tolkien provides some important context. It also includes ‘Lowdham’s Report on the Adûnaic Language’ - the most important source of information for the language used in Númenor.

28. ‘Tal-Elmar’ (ch. 17), The Peoples of Middle-earth

    • This single chapter in The Peoples of Middle-earth provides an invaluable ‘subaltern’ account of Númenor’s colonisation efforts in Middle-earth during the Second Age.

29. The Fall of Númenor (optional)

    • This is somewhat optional, as you will already have encountered the materials it contains. However, it is presented by Sibley in a much more comprehensible and satisfactorily chronological manner. Worth reading through to assist in assimilating the so-called ‘canonical’ materials on the Númenórean myth.

Module V: Later Writings

30. Morgoth’s Ring

    • Read all the way through. This book (and the next) deals with writings on the elder days composed after The Lord of the Rings. In this volume, the focus is exclusively on affairs in Valinor, including the ‘Annals of Aman’. It is likely that Tolkien intended for this latter text to be published alongside The Silmarillion proper.

    • This book also includes ‘Myths Transformed’ - in which Tolkien explores the possibility of radically augmenting the terms of some of his primary myths. This includes his poignant reconsideration of the ‘flat-to-round Earth’ motif, among other things. Folks have some intense feelings about this work, but I consider it to be endlessly fascinating.

31. The War of the Jewels

    • Read all the way through. Like the above volume, this presents later writings on the elder days composed after The Lord of the Rings, but focusing on the affairs of Middle-earth/Beleriand, including the ‘Grey Annals’. As above, it’s likely that Tolkien intended for this latter text to be published alongside The Silmarillion proper.

32. Part II, The Peoples of Middle-earth

    • This section includes some of Tolkien’s last writings, including the essays ‘Of Dwarves and Men’, ‘The Shibboleth of Fëanor’, ‘The Problem of Ros’, and an assortment of ‘Last Writings’.

33. Part III, The Peoples of Middle-earth

    • This section includes the ‘Teachings of Pengoloð’ - including Pengoloð’s explanation of the evolution of elvish language as well as a short piece on lembas. Both of these are positioned as teachings given from Pengoloð to Ælfwine.

34. The Nature of Middle-earth

    • This is a dense and complicated text, involving a good deal of math, as well as a wide range of fascinating texts (largely essays and ‘internal’ documents) which Tolkien used to work through some confounding elements of his mythology.

Module VI: Third Age Compositional History

Please note - I recommend approaching the following texts in the context of a re-read of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, since they deal with the compositional process behind these books.

35. The History of The Hobbit

    • This is the essential history of the composition of The Hobbit, which is otherwise left out of the History of Middle-earth series.

    • Read this straight through while re-reading The Hobbit.

36. The Return of the Shadow

    • This book deals with the textual development of the first part of The Fellowship of the Ring, including its many phases of composition.

    • Read this alongside a re-read of The Fellowship of the Ring.

37. The Treason of Isengard

    • This book takes us through the remainder of the development of The Fellowship of the Ring, and brings us into The Two Towers.

    • As above, finish re-reading The Fellowship of the Ring and begin The Two Towers while reading this text.

38. The War of the Ring

    • This book completes the draft versions of The Two Towers and brings us into The Return of the King.

    • As above, finish re-reading The Two Towers and begin The Return of the King.

39. Part I, Sauron Defeated

    • This part of Sauron Defeated presents the development process behind the end of The Return of the King, as well as the unpublished ‘Epilogue’ to The Lord of the Rings.

    • Finish re-reading the main body of The Return of the King, but save the appendices for now.

40. Part I, The Peoples of Middle-earth

    • This part of the text deals with the development of the Appendices of The Lord of the Rings.

    • Read it alongside (or before) re-reading the Appendices.

41. ‘A New Shadow’ (ch. 16), The Peoples of Middle-earth

    • This is the abandoned sequel to The Lord of the Rings. Fascinating, a bit terrifying, and ultimately deemed to be too depressing for Tolkien to continue.

Module VII: Languages

42. A Secret Vice

    • This is Tolkien’s brilliant essay/primer on language invention, introduced by two top-notch Tolkien scholars.

43. Part III, The Lost Road and Other Writings

    • This contains ‘The Etymologies’, a key source of information on Elvish languages.

44. Vinyar Tengwar (Issues 1-50)

    • One of two primary journals focusing on Tolkien’s invented languages, publishing a lot of original materials not found elsewhere. The Vinyar Tengwar focuses on Tolkien’s essays on his own languages.

45. Parma Eldalamberon (Issues 1-23)

    • Another linguistic journal focusing on Tolkien’s invented languages, specialising in longer wordlists and pragmatic linguistic details, rather than essays.

    • The latest issue was published just this year (2024), and there is still a great deal of information that remains to be published.

Module VIII: Additional Works

46. The Road Goes Ever On: A Song Cycle

    • Given that there is original written material from Tolkien in this book of sheet music, this is properly part of the ‘legendarium’ proper. It includes music composed by Donald Swann, used for setting an array of Tolkien’s songs. There is a recording of the songs performed by William Elvin (with Swann on the piano) which can be found in multiple locations. The music style is distinctive - and quite different from what many of us are used to - but it is notable for having been recorded in Tolkien’s lifetime.

47. Tales from the Perilous Realm

    • Read all the way through. In addition to ‘The Adventures of Tom Bombadil’, this book features Tolkien’s short ‘fairy-stories’ as well as his essay ‘On Fairy-stories’. Besides the AoTB, these tales are not properly part of the legendarium, but they are nevertheless very worth reading. I also think it’s important to re-visit the OFS essay.

48. ‘Smith of Wootton Major Essay’, Smith of Wootton Major

    • Tolkien’s final essay on the topic of fairy-stories, primarily structured as a commentary to his story, ‘Smith of Wootton Major’. However, it offers some of his most poignant comments on the nature and importance of Faërie/Faery, which offers a compelling companion ‘book-end’ to the OFS essay.

49. The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien

    • There is really no simple place to put this remarkable series and, given that I’m still working through it myself, I would not want to attempt to complicate matters by trying to shoe-horn it in somewhere. This is a massive body of work which deserves its own attention. Furthermore, only some of these poems are directly related to the legendarium. Nevertheless, it warrants a proper mention.

At this point, you will have effectively worked your way through the entirety of the legendarium. You may now wish to deepen your exposure with some critical works of Tolkien scholarship, and I’d also very much recommend working through Tolkien’s other works (like Beowulf, Sigurd and Gudrún, his essays, etc.).

Happy reading and good luck!