Morgoth's Ring

A detailed examination of the origins of the concepts that provide the genesis of the extensive history of the environment created by Tolkien that is best known in his The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings.

A massive 13 volume work of Tolkein's work by his son Christopher. It's heavy reading but nice to dip into it from time to time especially if you have Tolkien's most famous works, you are a fan of Middle Earth and want to know more. Volumes 1 to 5 and 10 to 11 relate to "The Silmarillion", volumes 6 to 9 to "Lord of the Rings", volume 12 is an appendix and volume 13 an index. There is a shorter version of volume 9 "Sauron Defeated" called "End of the third age". They are available in hardcover which make a fine collection but not so easy to find and would cost nearly £300. I got them all as paperbacks for about £60 which is not a bad buy as you get plenty of insight into Tolkien's mind and how thorough his research was when he wrote "Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings". There are numerous essays, quotes and different versions of his published works so you can see how involved he was with his creation and the meticulous care he took to fill in every detail.

Having read Tolkien's LOTR he is mentioned several times in the appendixes and now I know the books in a clearer way

I will get around to reading it eventually .

Don't be confuse this is not a JRR Tolkien story. This is a compilation of JRR Tolkien's notes, stories and rewrites set into chronological order with annotations by his son Christopher. The book does a lot to set the background about the creation of the world and the early history of the Elves. But it is more about Tolkien's writing and rewriting of the story than anything else. A lot of the tales are repeated in whole or in part to show this redrafting and revision of the text. As such it is a great book if you are a 'real' fan and are looking for a in depth feel for how the great man thought and wrote. Not a book for a new comer to Tolkien to start with, better they start with The Hobbit and enjoy the story not the writing.

Ace

i am a fan and this is a biased review. if you are into tolkien's mythology, this series will come handy to enhance your knowledge and understanding of the history of the middle-earth - from silmarillion to the lord of the rings, and much more. a must have for any hardcore tolkien fan!

Working my way through the whole sequence of these - some 12 or 13 in all. Excellent for real Tolkien afficionados.