In what order to read the writings of Tolkien

[jtoney08]

Just wondering the opinions regarding the order in which to best read Tolkien's tales? I have read the Hobbit numerous times, and some of LOTR. I own the Book of Lost tales 1 and 2.

I would like to read everything, just cannot figure out where to start.

I read R.A. Salvatore, and they are pretty easy to determine, but with Tolkien, I am not sure.

Thanks in advanve for your thoughts.

[Valandil]

First - finish LOTR. Then - read the Appendices in the back of LOTR.

Next - "The Silmarillion".

After that - you should definitely read "The Letters of JRR Tolkien" and "Unfinished Tales" - some will recommend one first, some the other. A Tolkien bio may also be helpful.

"Book of Lost Tales" is one of the 12-volume "History of Middle Earth" (HoME, for short) - which you should only dig into after reading that other stuff.

As you go through LOTR, you're welcome to post your thoughts in our "LOTR Discussion Project" - a subforum of this LOTR Books forum.

Happy Reading! :) And welcome to Entmoot. Hope you keep coming around!

[Gwaimir Windgem]

"Book of Lost Tales" is one of the 12-volume "History of Middle Earth" (HoME, for short) - which you should only dig into after reading that other stuff.


Actually, it's two. ;)

[The Telcontarion]

Well I think I was ver fortunate to have started at the very beggining with the silmarillion. Then I read the hobbit, then the lord of the rings. All in chronological order according to the stories of ME.

I think it gave me a huge advantage, because I did not have the idea that sil was just a back story, as it seems to so many do. But the main breath and soul of the stories of ME. It really put everything else in it's proper perspective.

[jtoney08]

Thanks for the quick replies. I think I will finish the trilogy and appendices, then tackle the sil.

I am looking forward to delving into the 12 book history of ME so I need to start hitting the trilogy hard.

[Surveyor]

Well I think I was ver fortunate to have started at the very beggining with the silmarillion. Then I read the hobbit, then the lord of the rings. All in chronological order according to the stories of ME.


You read The Silmarillion first? That's kind of cool, because for most of us, it's Hobbit, LOTR, and then SIL. I wonder what kind of understanding I'd have of Middle-earth if I'd read the books in that order.

[Valandil]

I read them in that order for one re-reading. It was actually my first reading of "The Silmarillion" - and it was a nice way to have all the historical stuff in mind while reading the later books.

I think I would have had difficulty keeping interest though - if I had just read "The Silmarillion" first - without the introduction of "The Hobbit" and LOTR. But not to knock it. :)

[Fenir_LacDanan]

I think the important thing is to hammer home to our dear sapling is to read more than LOTR. I was reading "grey havens", a quasi dead Tolkien discussion page, and a post read "Balrogs couldn't fly, and this is why, oh but by the way, I've only read LOTR". Damn I was angry.

Silmarillion, the first time I read it, almost destroyed me. It's so dense, so many names and places to remember, and the beginning has got weird music and themes and stuff. Just stick with it, I say, because I'm MUCH the better in understanding of narrrative and concepts alike from reading the "history" of the first and second ages that is in the Silmarillion.

Anyone?

Finn

[NelyafinweMaitimo]

It's true that most do start with The Hobbit and then move on to The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, HoME, and the Letters. This is the order in which I read them, and, as I have read them all at least once again, I have found that I could have chosen no better order. The Hobbit provides the most narrow scope of Middle-earth. Indeed, one can show little else through a hobbit's eyes. The Lord of the Rings broadens that view, and The Silmarillion widens it still further, offering a complete spectrum of Middle-earth, from beginning to what one supposes is The End. Once this history is established, HoME supplements the stories with which you are now familiar, the Letters supplement the writing itself, biographies tell you why Tolkien wrote what he wrote, and other books on the subject tell what others thought about it all. The Hobbit scratches the surface of this huge story, and is, therefore, the best place to begin, and as you continue you will find yourself immersed deeper and deeper in Tolkien's legendarium.

[me9996]

Edit: Oops, I read it wrong, my advice now is useless, if a mod or admin could remove this post that would likely be good.

[Peter_20]

On your first time through, you should read them in this order:

The Hobbit
The Lord of the Rings
The Silmarillion

This way you start with the easiest one, and work your way upwards. :D
However, this is the chronological order:

The Silmarillion
The Hobbit
The Lord of the Rings

[Taril]

Personally, I started with the Silmarillion, then The Hobbit, and finally the Lord of the Rings. Then after that I read all the Lost tales of Middle Earth etc.

[Sminty_Smeagol]

I started with Lord of the Rings, then I read the Hobbit, then the Sil, then I started on the HoME and Unfinished Tales (which I lost my copy of, btw).

[Wooley Baggins]

I first read the Hobbit, then the Lord of the Rings and then the Silmarillion. I am currently working my way through the Complete Guide to Middle Earth. Of course we now have the Children of Hurin to go through as well.

[bropous]

I'm not so sure in which order you read all of the books is all that important, actually. I think the most important part is to read them period.

Tolkien crammed so much in those many thousands of pages that you could read them over and over and find something new each time. That is the true value of Tolkien's writings, that he put so much in that you can discover something new the 27th time (like I did a while back).

[jusu]

I recommend to read The Hobbit first, then LotR and only then Simarillion. Silmarillion is a bit tough because there can be four names in three different languages in the same sentence and it is not as fluent readind as the two others. I read LotR first in 1978 while in high school in finnish (translations were made from 1973 on). I have also bought them as audio books in english and especially Silmarillion is much easier to adapt that way. Great listening while driving 50 minutes to work. My all time favourite is the BBC's 1980s dramatized 13 episode radio play of LotR. Movie's Bilbo Ian Holm is playing Frodo and his son Harry is the crying Eleanor!

The finnish translation of LotR was done from the 1966 edition. Could anyone tell what changes and corrections Tolkien made for that edition compared to the first edition in 1954.

[The Gaffer]

Movie's Bilbo Ian Holm is playing Frodo...
The definitive potrayal to date, IMO. Michael Hordern's Gandalf is good as well, on a par with McKellen.

[Belwen_of_nargothrond]

I read The Hobbit first and then the LOTR. I read The Silmarillion after that and I was going to start on the other stuff, but I became so obsessed with The Silmarillion that I read it again, lol.