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'''''The History of The Lord of the Rings''''' is a 4-volume work by [[Christopher Tolkien]] that documents the process of [[J.R.R. Tolkien|J. R. R. Tolkien's]] writing of his masterwork ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' (LotR). The ''History'' is also numbered as volumes 6 to 9 of ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]''. Some information can also be found in volume 12, ''[[The Peoples of Middle-earth]]'' (concerning the appendices and a soon-abandoned sequel to the novel).
[[File:History of The Lord of the Rings 2002.jpg|225px|thumb|2002 boxed set by [[HarperCollins]]]]
'''''The History of The Lord of the Rings''''' is a set of four books by [[Christopher Tolkien]], also published in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' series. The independent 4-volume set was first published in [[1998]], and it was republished in [[2002]], by HarperCollins.


Although at first brush this might seem like four volumes of difficult reading, it has some saving graces. ''The Lord of the Rings'' has been enormously popular since its publication, some sales numbers showing it outdone only by the Bible, and any aspiring fantasy writer should like to know how he did it.  Second, Tolkien began writing his sequel to ''[[The Hobbit]]'' without any idea of where he was going with the story, and in the 15-year genesis there were many twists and turns before the story took on its published form.  Third, the gigantic backstory of the legends of [[Middle-earth]] that became ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' were mostly written before LotR was penned, and one can see how the tale of here-and-now adventure is stitched into the memories of ages long past.  Finally, there is an intimate note, in that the young Christopher participated in the writing of LotR, giving feedback, helping draft maps, etc, and this history includes his personal recollections of the process.  
It documents the writing of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', except for the [[The Lord of the Rings Prologue|Prologue]] and the [[The Lord of the Rings Appendices|Appendices]] (which came later in ''[[The Peoples of Middle-earth]]''). Other early versions, drafts and schemes (including the only complete scheme of the entire book) have been published in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion]]''.


# ([[HoME 6) '''''[[The Return of the Shadow]]'''''(1988) begins with the initial composition, and goes through to the episode in the [[Mines of Moria]].
The idea of separating the four volumes from ''The History of Middle-earth'' came first from the Spanish edition in [[1993]], which was made with consent by Christopher Tolkien.<ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], [[Christopher Tolkien]] (ed.), ''El Retorno de la Sombra'', "Nota del Editor", p. 5</ref>
# (HoME 7)'''''[[The Treason of Isengard]]''''' (1989) continues to the meeting with [[Théoden]] king of [[Rohan]].
# (HoME 8)'''''[[The War of the Ring]]''''' (1990) continues to the opening of the Black Gate.
# (HoME 9) '''''[[Sauron Defeated]]''''' (1992) finishes the story, which only takes about 1/3 of the volume.  The remainder consists of  ''[[The Notion Club Papers]]'', and another draft of the [[Drowning of Anadune]].


In general, the books are organized as chapters corresponding to the chapters in the final LotR, with additional chapters describing the "First Map", the "Second Map", and other matters. Each chapter begins with some context, then the text of a first or second draft, possibly some alternate drafts if there were especially large changes, and interspersed with extended discussion of confusing  or contradictory situations.  The end of each chapter includes a set of notes about points of interest, such as words that were used originally and then partially erased or struck out.
==Volumes and contents==
* I. '''''[[The Return of the Shadow]]''''' ([[1988]]) begins with the initial composition, and goes through to the [[Khazad-dûm|Mines of Moria]].


The drafts can be somewhat jarring to read; while much of the plot will be familiar, the characters are often quite different. For instance, [[Aragorn]] in his "Strider" guise is called "Trotter" instead - and he's a [[hobbit]] instead of a man - and he has wooden feet - because he had once been to [[Mordor]] and been tortured there.  We find out that the hobbits travel east initially because that was the part of the world that had been mapped out, because of ''The Hobbit'', and that the areas to the south were literally being mapped out only a few miles ahead of the fellowship.
* II. '''''[[The Treason of Isengard]]''''' ([[1989]]) continues to the meeting with [[Théoden]].


Still, even though publication of the drafts exposes some of the improvised carpentry behind the stage sets, for the Tolkien enthusiast they offer a fuller understanding of the story, and a renewed appreciation for Tolkien's creativity.
* III. '''''[[The War of the Ring]]''''' ([[1990]]) continues to the opening of the [[Morannon|Black Gate]].


Of particular interest to fans is the dropped ''Epilogue'' to LotR, in which a middle-aged [[Samwise Gamgee]] is reading the story to his children.
* IV. '''''[[The End of the Third Age]]''''' ([[1998]]) finishes the story.
** This is significantly shorter than its ''The History of Middle-earth'' counterpart, '''''[[Sauron Defeated]]''''' ([[1992]]), as it omits ''[[The Notion Club Papers]]'' and ''[[The Drowning of Anadûnê]]''.


----
In general, the books are organized as chapters corresponding to the chapters in the final ''The Lord of the Rings'', with additional chapters describing the "[[The First Map of The Lord of the Rings|First Map]]", the "[[The Second Map of The Lord of the Rings|Second Map]]", and other matters. Each chapter begins with some context, then the text of a first or second draft, possibly some alternate drafts if there were especially large changes, and interspersed with extended discussion of confusing  or contradictory situations. The end of each chapter includes a set of notes about points of interest, such as words that were used originally and then partially erased or struck out.


Three of the titles of the volumes of ''The History of The Lord of the Rings'' were also also used as book titles for the 7-volume edition of ''The Lord of the Rings'' - ''The Return of the Shadow'' for Book I, ''The Treason of Isengard'' for Book III and ''The War of the Ring'' for Book V.
==Book titles==
The titles of the volumes derive from discarded titles for the separate books of ''The Lord of the Rings''. J.R.R. Tolkien conceived the work as a single volume comprising six "books" plus extensive appendices, but the [[George Allen & Unwin|original publisher]] split the work into three, publishing two books per volume with the appendices included in the third.


[[Category:Books]]
The titles proposed by Tolkien for the six books were:
* [[The Fellowship of the Ring#Book I|Book 1]] — ''The First Journey'' or ''The Ring Sets Out''
* [[The Fellowship of the Ring#Book II|Book 2]] — ''The Journey of the Nine Companions'' or ''The Ring Goes South''
* [[The Two Towers#Book III|Book 3]] — ''The Treason of Isengard''
* [[The Two Towers#Book IV|Book 4]] — ''The Journey of the Ring-Bearers'' or ''The Ring Goes East''
* [[The Return of the King#Book V|Book 5]] — ''The War of the Ring''
* [[The Return of the King#Book VI|Book 6]] — ''The End of the Third Age''
 
The title ''The Return of the Shadow'' was a discarded title for Volume 1 — ''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]''.
 
Three of the titles were also used as book titles for the seven-volume edition of ''The Lord of the Rings'': ''The Treason of Isengard'' for Book 3, ''The War of the Ring'' for Book 5, and ''The End of the Third Age'' for Book 6.
 
==Publication history and gallery==
;UK Editions
{{Gallery
|width=126
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|File:History of The Lord of the Rings 1998.jpeg|1998 boxed set
|File:History of The Lord of the Rings 2002.jpg|2002 boxed set
}}
*[[HarperCollins]] boxed set ([[1998]]), ISBN 0261103709
*[[HarperCollins]] boxed set ([[2002]]), ISBN 0261103709
 
==See also==
*''[[The History of The Hobbit]]''
 
{{References}}
{{home}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:History of The Lord of the Rings}}
[[Category:Books by J.R.R. Tolkien]]
[[Category:Books by Christopher Tolkien]]

Latest revision as of 19:41, 2 November 2022

2002 boxed set by HarperCollins

The History of The Lord of the Rings is a set of four books by Christopher Tolkien, also published in The History of Middle-earth series. The independent 4-volume set was first published in 1998, and it was republished in 2002, by HarperCollins.

It documents the writing of The Lord of the Rings, except for the Prologue and the Appendices (which came later in The Peoples of Middle-earth). Other early versions, drafts and schemes (including the only complete scheme of the entire book) have been published in The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion.

The idea of separating the four volumes from The History of Middle-earth came first from the Spanish edition in 1993, which was made with consent by Christopher Tolkien.[1]

Volumes and contents[edit | edit source]

In general, the books are organized as chapters corresponding to the chapters in the final The Lord of the Rings, with additional chapters describing the "First Map", the "Second Map", and other matters. Each chapter begins with some context, then the text of a first or second draft, possibly some alternate drafts if there were especially large changes, and interspersed with extended discussion of confusing or contradictory situations. The end of each chapter includes a set of notes about points of interest, such as words that were used originally and then partially erased or struck out.

Book titles[edit | edit source]

The titles of the volumes derive from discarded titles for the separate books of The Lord of the Rings. J.R.R. Tolkien conceived the work as a single volume comprising six "books" plus extensive appendices, but the original publisher split the work into three, publishing two books per volume with the appendices included in the third.

The titles proposed by Tolkien for the six books were:

  • Book 1 — The First Journey or The Ring Sets Out
  • Book 2 — The Journey of the Nine Companions or The Ring Goes South
  • Book 3 — The Treason of Isengard
  • Book 4 — The Journey of the Ring-Bearers or The Ring Goes East
  • Book 5 — The War of the Ring
  • Book 6 — The End of the Third Age

The title The Return of the Shadow was a discarded title for Volume 1 — The Fellowship of the Ring.

Three of the titles were also used as book titles for the seven-volume edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Treason of Isengard for Book 3, The War of the Ring for Book 5, and The End of the Third Age for Book 6.

Publication history and gallery[edit | edit source]

UK Editions
1998 boxed set  
2002 boxed set  

See also[edit | edit source]

References

  1. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), El Retorno de la Sombra, "Nota del Editor", p. 5
The History of Middle-earth series
i.The Book of Lost Tales: Part One · ii.The Book of Lost Tales: Part Two · iii.The Lays of Beleriand ·
iv.The Shaping of Middle-earth · v.The Lost Road and Other Writings · vi.The Return of the Shadow ·
vii.The Treason of Isengard · viii.The War of the Ring · ix.Sauron Defeated ·
x.Morgoth's Ring · xi.The War of the Jewels · xii.The Peoples of Middle-earth · (Index)
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