How many books?

[Elbereth]

Uh
I guess I should know better:blush:
but is there anywhere I can find a list of everything Tolkien wrote about Middle Earth?
I want to read more of the books but I'm finding it hard to find out what there is.
I would be really grateful for any recomendations

[Mirkgirl]

Well he didnt actually write (in sense of publish) anything but Lord of the Ring and The Hobbit.
Christopher Tolkien, his son, published some of his work - The Silmarillion (which is like history of Middle-Earth, a great book, IMO a must for everyone who like Tolkiens work)... another book which has few pieces that add to the Silmarillion is Unfinished Tales (there are comments from Christopher, but most of it is the text of J.R.R. Tolkien, I enjoyed reading it a lot, it's not hard read) and last comes History of Middle-Earth (bits of J.R.R.'s writting, often many variants of the same story, many comments by his son, good for a serious scholar, but not really worth the effort for a Tolkien fan IMO)

And the Letters ofc

Tolkien has some books which arent based in Middle-earth... but from your post I understand you're interested only in the ME based ones...

[Elbereth]

Thanks a lot. Out of interest what other books did he write? I know about the letters from Father Christmas but that's all I know.

[Mirkgirl]

Well I dont have a list of all, so I might miss some...

"Farmer Giles of Ham", "Smith of Wootton Major", "Tree and Leaf" - short stories

"Roverandom" - a children's book

"The Homecoming of Beorthnoth", "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" "Beowulf"- translations and comments

"On Fairy Stories" - a lection on fairy stoories

Ah and I forgot about "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil"

[Thorondor of Manwe]

Principal Works:

"The Hobbit," 1937;

"The Lord of the Rings," 1954-55.

Related Middle-Earth Works:
Any writing by J.R.R. Tolkien that extends our knowledge of Middle-Earth.

"The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien," 1981;

"The Road Goes Ever On: A Song Cycle," Poems by J.R.R. Tolkien set to music by Donald Swan, 1967;

"A Tolkien Compass," includes J.R.R. Tolkien's "Guide to the Names in the Lord of the Rings," 1975;

(Note - The two following books are not listed under "principal works" because they are not considered completed works written exclusively by Tolkien. Rather, it marks Christopher Tolkien's involvement as the editor for his father's unfinished works.)

"The Silmarillion," 1977;

"Unfinished Tales," 1980.

The History of Middle-Earth Series (Edited by Christopher Tolkien):

"The Book of Lost Tales, Part One," 1984;

"The Book of Lost Tales, Part Two," 1984;

"The Lays of Beleriand," 1985;

"The Shaping of Middle-Earth: The Quenta, The Ambarkanta, and The Annals," 1986;

"The Lost Road and Other Writings: Language and Legend Before The Lord of the Rings," 1987;

"The Return of the Shadow: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part One," 1988;

"The Treason of Isengard: The History of The Lord of the Rings. Part Two," 1989;

"The War of the Ring: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part Three," 1990;

Sauron Defeated: The History of The Lord of The Rings, Part Four," 1992.

This bibliography doesn't include Tolkien's Children Stories or Short Works, some of which feature characters from Middle-Earth. Those pieces are listed elsewhere on this thread.

[Elbereth]

Thanks a lot - evidently I need never fear running out of things to read!!

[Thorondor of Manwe]

Yes. There are plenty of books in the Tolkien collection. However, a word of warning.

Other than the Principal Works and the Children Stories, the other works are posthumous works. All of those works have been edited by Christopher Tolkien. Although difficult, the most readable posthumous works are the Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, and the Book of Lost Tales - Part One. The remaining works - despite their tantalizing titles - have been heavily edited by C. Tolkien. Basically, C. Tolkien took bits and pieces of his father's notes and essays and stitched them together as books. Because they lack a narrative flow, and don't have, for the most part, beginnings, middles and ends, they can be extremely difficult to read. Rather, the stories may have a beginning but lack a middle and an end; or they may have a middle but lack a beginning and end, etc.

However, the importance of the posthumous works is that they offer a glimpse into the mind of Tolkien and show us that he was a true visionary of the mythic world that he created.

[Periantari Andruil]

wow that's a lot to read... i guess i have to spend much time before i become a "Tolkien Scholar" ;)
hehe :p (I'm reading Sil now! it's good so far! =)

[Dúnadan]

I have a list on my website. There are a book that isn't included (that I haven't been aware of), one is the book "A Tolkien Compass" (which I first heard of a minute ago, in this thread). There might be other works as well, such as the Dictionary that aren't included.

The list is found here: http://alqua.tolkiens.net/main.php?id=book_list