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Ilandir
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Post RE: Order to read books in?
on: June 19, 2007 07:40
Thanks alot for your post cirdaneth. It sounds very interesting! I'll sure put it on my buylist hehe
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Sam_is_my_hero
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Post RE: Order to read books in?
on: January 17, 2008 05:38
I saw Tolkien's book The Children of Hurin in Barnes & Noble, but I 've heard there's another book similar to that one, and I don't remember the name. A friend of mine told me to read one of these books before the other because one had a happy-ish ending and one had a depressing ending, but I don't remember which one. Sorry I can't be more specific, but can anyone help me?
Morwinyoniel
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Post RE: Order to read books in?
on: January 18, 2008 01:41
At least I don't know anything about a book similar to The Children of Húrin. I wonder if your friend was thinking of the story of Beren and Lúthien from the Silmarillion? It hasn't been published as a standalone book, though.
Sam_is_my_hero
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Post RE: Order to read books in?
on: January 18, 2008 11:15
No, that wasn't it. Darn! I can't believe I don't remember. I do know that The children of Húrin costs around $28. It was over my $25 giftcard, so I couldn't get it for Christmas.

Oh, well. I'll try to find it at the library.

[Edited on 18/1/2008 by Sam_is_my_hero]
Elbereth_Gilthoniel27
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Post RE: Order to read books in?
on: June 15, 2008 06:41
1. The Hobbit, since it's the easiest
2. The Lord of the Rings series
3. The Silmarillion two or three times to take it all in, since you have the movies to help you with #1-2
4. The Children of Húrin. If you're adventurous you could put this as #2, but it helps to know the context it is taking place in first.
5. The Unfinished Tales
6. The HoME series
7. Other Tolkien works, such as The Road Goes Ever On and Bilbo's Last Song
Note: The Atlas of Middle-earth and The Complete Guide to Middle-earth can be used as reference materials for any of these (excluding #4-6)
_Meldë_
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Post RE: Order to read books in?
on: March 25, 2009 09:13
1) Book of Lost Tales 1
2) Book of Lost Tales 2
3) Lays of Beleriand
4) The Shaping of Middle-earth
5) The Lost Road and Other Writings
6) The Return of the Shadow
7) The Treason of Isengard
The War of the Ring
9) Sauron Defeated
10) Morgoth's Ring
11) The War of the Jewels
12) The People of Middle-earth
13) The History of Middle-earth Index

Ok but what is the order now of all the 13 books?
Morwinyoniel
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Post RE: Order to read books in?
on: April 01, 2009 02:10
The order of the HoME series is more or less chronological, and comes from what is handled in them:

The first two volumes (Book of Lost Tales 1 and 2) deal with the earliest drafts of the mythology that later evolved into the Silmarillion.

The Lays of Beleriand (Vol. 3) is about the poetic presentations of the two most prominent tales: Beren and Lúthien, and Túrin.

Volumes 4 and 5 deal with the development of the sagas before The Hobbit and the LOTR.

Volumes 6-8 and the first half of Vol. 9 are about writing the LOTR; the second half of it deals with another try to bring the legend of the Fall of Númenor into publishable form.

Volumes 10 and 11 are about the later development of the Silmarillion mythology, and Vol. 12 is about the appendices of the LOTR and Tolkien's late writings. Vol. 13 is a general index for the whole series.

They don't have to be read in order, and you can also just read those parts that you're most interested in.
dimple_hardbottle
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Post RE: Order to read books in?
on: June 11, 2009 04:37
what i want to know is why the books are not just in one volume?
Morwinyoniel
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Post RE: Order to read books in?
on: June 12, 2009 06:13
If you mean the HoME series, it's probably simply because each volume has something like 400 to 500 pages. The series takes something like 0.5 metres of a shelf in my bookcase...
Isilla21
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Post RE: Order to read books in?
on: October 02, 2009 08:54
I actually liked Unfinished Tales better than the Sil for some points. I've also read HoME 1-5 and have 7 and 8 i think. Need to look for 6. I really liked the Lost Road, particularly the time-travel bit. It was relaly cool how he and C.S. Lewis decided that one would do sci-fi and the other time travel. Lewis kept his end of the bargain (Perelandra trilogy was great). Too bad Tolkien got distracted.

Regards

Isilla

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evenstar_arwen_
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Post RE: Order to read books in?
on: December 24, 2009 05:47
I was just wondering where The Children of Hurin falls into all the rest of the books. Or could it be read as a stand alone book (I already know the background info from The Silmarillion).

And as for the order I read the books;
-The Fellowship of the Ring
-The Two Towers
-The Return of the King
-The Hobbit-The Simarillion
-Unfinished Tales

I don't think that this was the best order though. It made sense though if you base it all around LotR and then think of the others, including The Hobbit, as background info.

Personally I don't think the order matters very much but I think you should DEFINATLY read LotR or The Hobbit first or else the other books will seem really random.

Hope this helps!
tolkeinreader
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Post RE: Order to read books in?
on: December 01, 2010 02:14
Hello All.

As a comparative newcomer, I Have The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of The King, The Silimarilion. However, I want please to add to those all other stories by JRR & Christopher Tolkien that are relevant to that series – and to order them chronologically.

* Which of the following relevant to this ?

Adventures of Tom Bombadil
The Alcalabeth
Bilbo’s Last Song
End of the Third Age
History of Middle Earth
Home
Mr Baggins
People of Middle Earth
Return of the Shadow
Return to Bag End
The Rings Of Power & The Third Age
The Shaping Of Middle Earth
Tales From The Perilous Realm
Treason of Isengard
Unfinished Tales.
Which others ?

Right now, I am only interested in stories. Not background nor histories and so forth.


* Is there a version of ‘Unfinished Tales’ which has been completed by Christopher Tolkien? Where does it fit in the series I am trying to assemble?

* As far as I can understand, the Silmarilion is, in fact, the first book in the series as it is about the ‘First Age’ ? The Hobbit and LOTR are about the ‘Third Age’ ?.... So which books are about the interim Second Age?Any books on any other Ages?

* Please, what I need is a single list of all titles in chronological order

Help !

Many Thanks
Tolkeinreader

[Edited on 30/11/2010 by tolkeinreader]
R.J.J Tolkien
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on: October 23, 2021 12:49
I think chronological is best. Start with the silmarillion, hobbit, then LOTR.Then move on to UT and HOME.
Hanasian
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on: November 05, 2021 12:28
R.J.J Tolkien said:I think chronological is best. Start with the Silmarillion, hobbit, then LOTR. Then move on to UT and HOME.


My gawd... if I was handed the Silmarillion as my introduction to J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth, I would never have been a fan. Start with The Hobbitt, then go to Lord of the Rings, then select the chapters from Unfinished Tales that have an insight on the Lord of the Rings (e.g. Gladden Fields, Fords of Isen, The Palantiri), THEN move on to the the Silmarillion or the Children of Hurin then Lost Tales if you are so inclined.
Eighth King of Arthedain - It was in battle that I come into this Kingship, and it will be in Battle when I leave it. There is no peace for the Realm of Arnor. Read the last stand of Arthedain in the Darkest of Days.
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