The Lost Road and Other Writings
The fifth volume of the History of Middle-earth, containing the early
myths and legends which led to the writing of Tolkien’s epic tale of
war, The Silmarillion.
At the end of 1937, J. R. R. Tolkien
reluctantly set aside his work on the myths and heroic legends of
Valinor and Middle-earth and began The Lord of the Rings. This fifth
volume of The History of Middle-earth completes the examination of his
writing up to that time. Later forms of The Annals of Valinor and The
Annals of Beleriand had been composed, The Silmarillion was nearing
completion in a greatly amplified form, and a new Map had been made. The legend of the Downfall of Numenor had entered the work, including those central ideas: the World Made Round and the Straight Path into the
vanished West. Closely associated with this was the abandoned
‘time-travel’ story The Lost Road, linking the world of Numenor and
Middle-earth with the legends of many other times and peoples. Also
included in this volume is the The Lhammas, as essay on the complex
languages and dialects of Middle-earth, and an ‘etymological dictionary’ containing an extensive account of Elvish vocabularies.
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on 1892 in Bloemfontein, South Africa. After serving in the First World War, he embarked upon academic career and was recognized as one of the finest philologists in the world. He was a professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford, a fellow of Pembroke College, and a fellow of Merton College until his retirement in 1959.
Tolkien is the creator of Middle-earth and author of the great modern classic, his epic masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien died in 1973 at the age of 81.
The History of Middle-earth
The History of Middle-earth consists of twelve books. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
Related series The History of Middle-earth (omnibus editions)
