Reading order: Difference between revisions

From Tolkien Gateway
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*The Lord of the Rings
*The Lord of the Rings
The conclusion of the story of the Hobbit as well as things mentioned in the Silmarillion (like Sauron and the Line of Númenorean Kings).
The conclusion of the story of the Hobbit as well as things mentioned in the Silmarillion (like Sauron and the Line of Númenorean Kings).
{||Ainulindalë|
|-
|Valaquenta|
|-
|Of the Beginning of Days|
|-
|Of Aulë and Yavanna|
|-
|Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor|
|-
|Of Thingol and Melian|
|-
|Of Eldamar and the Princes of the Eldalië|
|-
|Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor|
|-
|Of the Silmarils and the Unrest of the Noldor|
|-
|Of the Darkening of Valinor|
|-
|Of the Flight of the Noldor|
|-
|Of the Sindar|
|-
|Of the Sun and Moon and the Hiding of Valinor|
|-
|Of Men|
|-
|Of the Return of the Noldor|
|-
|Of Beleriand and Its Realms|
|-
|Of the Noldor in Beleriand|
|-
|Of Maeglin|
|-
|Of the Coming of Men into the West|
|-
|Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin|
|-
|Of Beren and Lúthien|Lay of Leithian
|-
|Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad|
|-
|Of Túrin Turambar|The Children of Húrin
|-
|Of the Ruin of Doriath|
|-
|Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin|Of Tuor and his Coming to Gondolin
|-
|Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath|
|-
|Akallabêth|Aldarion and Erendis
|-
|sdhsd|jyjsy
|-
|sdhsd|jyjsy
|}
==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.chronology.org/tolkien/ Chronological Tolkien] discusses the issue and also provides a calculator to find the exact reading order.
*[http://www.chronology.org/tolkien/ Chronological Tolkien] discusses the issue and also provides a calculator to find the exact reading order.
*[http://home.earthlink.net/~dbratman/tolkien_order.html The order to read Tolkien's books]
*[http://home.earthlink.net/~dbratman/tolkien_order.html The order to read Tolkien's books]

Revision as of 00:56, 21 January 2009

New Tolkien fans are usually puzzled with the complexity of the works and the reading order. The most famous works take place lately in the legendarium's history, with hints to the backstory. The stories that comprise the background are relatively complex and have no obvious links to the most famous works. Furthemore, the stories-chapters-essays overlap each another, or take place simultaneously, differing only in the extensiveness of the details.

Hardcore fans read the works more than once. For example one can read the Lord of the Rings first, then The Hobbit and sometime later, again the LotR, in light of the backstory seen in The Hobbit.

There can be various approaches:

Publication history

This can be one of the most famous approaches.

  • The Hobbit

People can start with The Hobbit, as an easy and lighthearted fantasy story, which Tolkien wrote first, without having much backstory and historical details in mind.

  • The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings is the natural sequel of The Hobbit and completes the story. However it has many allusions to the greater world and ancient history of Arda.

  • The Silmarillion

Published after Tolkien's death, it provides the cosmogony and earlier stories of Arda. It can give the reader insight about the world they already know.

  • Unfinished Tales / The Children of Húrin

These books provide additional and extensive details about several aspects of the greater History

Rough chronological order

A less common approach is to read the saga in chronologically accurate order

  • The Silmarillion

The Silmarillion can be a complex and tedious reading for someone not already acquainted with Tolkien, however it describes the beginnings of his world.

  • The Children of Húrin

This book gives an extended version of the story of Túrin, featured as a part of the Silmarillion

  • Unfinished Tales

Parts of this book give insight about Númenor, the Second Age (mentioned in the Silmarillion) and early Third Age, with elements that will play their role in the Lord of the Rings.

  • The Hobbit

Althought directly unrelated to the Silmarillion, it is the next big story.

  • The Lord of the Rings

The conclusion of the story of the Hobbit as well as things mentioned in the Silmarillion (like Sauron and the Line of Númenorean Kings).


Lay of Leithian
The Children of Húrin
Of Tuor and his Coming to Gondolin
Aldarion and Erendis
jyjsy
jyjsy


External links

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