Tolkien's Legendarium: Essays on the History of Middle-Earth

by Verlyn Flieger, Carl F. Hostetter

As a scholar of medieval languages and literature, J.R.R. Tolkien brought to his fiction an intense interest in myth and legend. When he died in 1973, he left behind a vast body of unpublished material related to his fictive mythology. Now edited and published as The History of Middle-earth by his son and literary executor, Christopher Tolkien, these 12 volumes provide a record of the growth of J.R.R. Tolkien's mythology from its beginnings in 1917 to the time of his death more than 50 years later. The material in these volumes offers an unparalleled insight into Tolkien's process of myth-making and is a guide to the world of his literary works. This book is the first comprehensive critical examination of Christopher Tolkien's compilation of his father's Middle-earth legends.

An opening essay by Rayner Unwin, Tolkien's publisher for many years, surveys the publication history of the collection. The essays that follow, each written by an expert contributor, explore a wide range of topics related to The History of Middle-earth. Included are discussions of Tolkien's languages, the evolution of his vision over time, the shifting importance of central characters, and the effect of his mythology on The Lord of the Rings. By exploring this mythological compendium, the volume sheds further light on the entire body of J.R.R. Tolkien's works and is a valuable resource for all readers interested in his writings.

Genres: Essays, Nonfiction, Literature, Literary Criticism

296 pages, Hardcover

Published January 30, 2000

About the author

Verlyn Flieger is an author, editor, and professor in the Department of English at the University of Maryland at College Park. She teaches courses in comparative mythology, medieval literature and the works of J. R. R. Tolkien.

Flieger holds an M.A. (1972) and Ph.D. (1977) from The Catholic University of America, and has been associated with the University of Maryland since 1976. In 2012, Flieger began teaching Arthurian studies at Signum University.

Reviews

[emnello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

[Michael Joosten · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic collection of essays--only missing Shippey from the Who's Who of the top Tolkien scholars (at least of the day; somehow two decades have passed since the late '90s). The soft focus on The History of Middle-earth series, whose completion with the publication of The Peoples of Middle-earth shortly before occasioned the collection, is completely to my tastes.

[Andrew Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A seminal book in Tolkien scholarship. A must read.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of very comprehensive and intriguing essays. I will never read Tolkien the same again (in a good way). A must read for fans of fantasy, Tolkien or literary criticism/theory.

[Norbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the essays of the first part best