The peoples of Middle Earth: The History of Middle Earth, Volume 12

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0261103377 ISBN 13: 9780261103375

Publisher: Harper Collins, 1996

The concluding volume of The History of Middle-earth series, which examines the Appendices to The Lord of the Rings.The Peoples of Middle-earth traces the evolution of the Appendices to The Lord of The Rings, which provide a comprehensive historical structure of the Second and Third Ages, including Calendars, Hobbit genealogies and the Westron language. The book concludes with two unique abandoned stories: The New Shadow, set in Gondor during the Fourth Age, and the tale of Tal-elmar, in which the coming of the dreaded Numenorean ships is seen through the eyes of men of Middle-earth in the Dark Years.With the publication of this book, the long history of J.R.R. Tolkien's creation is completed and the enigmatic state of his work can be understood.

From the Back Cover:

When in 1937 J. R. R. Tolkien laid aside The Silmarillion, the extension of his original mythology into later Ages of the world had scarcely emerged. Tolkien himself noted that he knew nothing of the peoples and history of these Ages until he "met them on the way". It was in the appendices to The Lord of the Rings that there emerged a comprehensive historical structure and chronology of the Second and Third Ages, embracing all the diverse strands that came together in The War of the Ring. Tolkien's difficulty - bordering on despair - in providing these appendices, leading to delay in the publication of The Return of the King, is well known. In The Peoples of Middle-earth, however, Christopher Tolkien shows that the work had in fact been achieved years before, in essays and records differing greatly from the published forms. A number of other writings by J. R. R. Tolkien are also included in this book; they derive chiefly from his last years, when new insights and constructions freely arose as he pondered the history that he had created.

About the Author:

J.R.R.Tolkien (1892-1973) was a distinguished academic, though he is best known for writing The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, plus other stories and essays. His books have been translated into over 30 languages and have sold many millions of copies worldwide