J.R.R. Tolkien

Unfinished Tales: The Lost Lore of Middle-earth

J.R.R. Tolkien

• 1981 Mythopoeic-Adult winner
• Score: 10.31

Unfinished Tales is a collection of narratives ranging in time from the Elder Days of Middle-earth to the end of the War of the Ring, and further relates events as told in The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings. The book concentrates on the lands of Middle-earth and comprises Gandalf’s lively account of how he came to send the Dwarves to the celebrated party at Bag-End, the story of the emergence of the sea-god Ulmo before the eyes of Tuor on the coast of Beleriand, and an exact description of the military organization of the Riders of…

The Book of Lost Tales

J.R.R. Tolkien

• 1985 Mythopoeic-Adult finalist
• Score: 6.35

The Book of Lost Tales was the first major work of imagination by J.R.R. Tolkien, begun in 1916-1917 when he was twenty-five years old and left incomplete several years later. It stands at the beginning of the entire conception of Middle-earth and Valinor, for the Lost Tales were the first form of the myths and legends that came to be called The Silmarillion. Embedded in English legend and English association, they are set in the narrative frame of a great westward voyage over the Ocean by a mariner named Eriel (or AElfwine) to Tol Eressea, the…

The Book of Lost Tales: Part 1 of The History of Middle-Earth

J.R.R. Tolkien

The Book of Lost Tales was the first major work of imagination by J.R.R. Tolkien, begun in 1916-1917 when he was twenty-five years old and left incomplete several years later. It stands at the beginning of the entire conception of Middle-earth and Valinor, for the Lost Tales were the first form of the myths and legends that came to be called The Silmarillion. Embedded in English legend and English association, they are set in the narrative frame of a great westward voyage over the Ocean by a mariner named Eriel (or AElfwine) to Tol Eressea, the…

The Book of Lost Tales: Part 2 of The History of Middle-Earth

J.R.R. Tolkien

The Book of Lost Tales was the first major work of imagination by J.R.R. Tolkien, begun in 1916, when he was twenty-five years old, and left incomplete several years later. It stands at the beginning of the entire conception of Middle-earth and Valinor, for the Lost Tales were the first form of the myths and legends that came to be called The Silmarillion. Embedded in English legend and association, they are set in the narrative frame of the great westward voyage of a mariner named Eriel (or AElfwine). His destination is Tol Eressea, the Lonely Isle where…

The Fellowship of the Ring: Book 1 of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

J.R.R. Tolkien

For over fifty years, J.R.R. Tolkien”s peerless fantasy has accumulated worldwide acclaim as the greatest adventure tale ever written. No other writer has created a world as distinct as Middle-earth, complete with its own geography, history, languages, and legends. And no one has created characters as endearing as Tolkien”s large-hearted, hairy-footed hobbits. Tolkien”s The Lord of the Rings continues to seize the imaginations of readers of all ages, and this new three-volume paperback edition is designed to appeal to the youngest of them.

In ancient times…

The Return of the King: Book 3 of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

J.R.R. Tolkien

As the Shadow of Mordor grows across the land, Aragorn is revealed as the hidden heir of the ancient kings. Gandalf miraculously returns and defeats the evil wizard, Saruman. Sam leaves his master for dead after a battle with the giant spider, Shelob; but Frodo is still alive—in the hands of the Orcs. And all the while the armies of the Dark Lord are massing—and the One Ring comes ever closer to the Cracks of Doom.

The Two Towers: Book 2 of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

J.R.R. Tolkien

Frodo and his Companions of the Ring have been beset by danger during their quest. They have lost the wizard Gandalf in a battle in the Mines of Moria. And Boromir, seduced by the power of the Ring, tried to seize it by force. Now Frodo and Sam continue the journey alone down the great river Anduin—alone, that is, save for the mysterious creeping figure that follows wherever they go.