What is the Tolkien need-to-read list?

[ecthelion]

I would say The hobbit, Lord of the rings, The Silmarillion, and then I'd get lost :confused:

[Valandil]

Those are a good solid start.

If you have not done so - read the appendices in LOTR as well - there's actually a lot of information in them.

Beyond those, you could read 'The Letters of JRR Tolkien' and 'Unfinished Tales'. There are also a number of shorter works that are either ME-related ('The Adventures of Tom Bombadil') or otherwise relevant (JRRT's essay on Fairy Tales, 'Smith of Wootton Major' - 'Farmer Giles of Ham').

Then... there's the 12 volume - "History of Middle Earth" series. Enough to keep you reading for some time.

[ecthelion]

Thanks V, I read them as I can get them, where I live they are not easy to come by...

[Maerbenn]

This (http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Bistro/9656/tbchron.html) is my need-to-read list. ;)

[Rían]

*checks Maerbenn's list*

Wow! A bit too much for me :eek:

ecthelion, I would say Hobbit, LOTR, Sil, then Letters. Then Unfinished Tales. After that, it depends if you like the old elvish history better, or LOTR-type-stuff better. Some of the HoME ("History of Middle Earth") books cover LOTR development, and others cover elvish stuff like in the Sil. Personally, I like the elvish stuff, so I liked Morgoth's Ring, Peoples of Middle Earth, War of the Jewels, Book of Lost Tales 1 and 2, and Lays of Beleriand. I didn't buy the LOTR-development HoME books.

[littleadanel]

As for myself, I started with The Hobbit, hardly knowing what I was reading, I only knew that I liked it - and then the LOTR. It was a christmas present for my mum, but in secret I started to read and I just COULDN'T STOP! :) And then the Sil and Unfinished Tales (only Tolkien books available in the library), then serious hunting in bookstores.

So my list of <own> books: Hobbit, LOTR, Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales both in my language and in original, and The Lays of Beleriand in original because of The Lay of Leithian. I love it - one of the most beautiful things I've read so far... wonder if HoME is published at all in my language? it wouldn't be the same anyway :) lucky me, I mostly understand and really enjoy it.

And that's all. (ran out of money :( )

Anyway, The Hobbit, LOTR and Sil are really need-to-read :) then you can go on deeper and deeper...