The Lays of Beleriand
| The Lays of Beleriand | |
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| Author | J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien |
| Publisher | George Allen and Unwin (UK) Houghton Mifflin (US) |
| Released | 22 August 1985 (UK) 20 November, 1985 (US) |
| Format | Hardcover |
| Pages | 400 |
| ISBN | 0395394295 |
The Lays of Beleriand is the third volume of The History of Middle-earth. It contains the five poems that Tolkien began to write short after The Book of Lost Tales phase. Only two of them were continued beyond the beginning, The Lay of Leithian being the longest poem Tolkien ever composed, although he didn't finish it.
From the publisher
The third volume that contains the early myths and legends which led to the writing of Tolkien's epic tale of war, The Silmarillion.
This, the third volume of The History of Middle-earth, gives us a privileged insight into the creation of the mythology of Middle-earth, through the alliterative verse tales of two of the most crucial stories in Tolkien's world – those of Túrin, Beren and Lúthien. The first of the poems is the unpublished Lay of The Children of Húrin, narrating on a grand scale the tragedy of Túrin Turambar. The second is the moving Lay of Leithian, the chief source of the tale of Beren and Lúthien in The Silmarillion, telling of the Quest of the Silmaril and the encounter with Morgoth in his subterranean fortress.
Accompanying the poems are commentaries on the evolution of the history of the Elder Days. Also included is the notable criticism of The Lay of The Leithian by C.S. Lewis, who read the poem in 1929.
Contents
- "The Lay of the Children of Húrin"
- "Poems Early Abandoned"
- "The Lay of Leithian"
- "The Lay of Leithian Recommenced"
Publication history and gallery
- UK Editions
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- George Allen & Unwin hardcover (1985), pp. 393. ISBN 0048232777
- Unwin Paperbacks paperback (1987), ISBN 0044400187 (cover art by Roger Garland)
- HarperCollins paperback (1994), ISBN 0261102265 (cover art by John Howe)
- HarperCollins paperback (2002), ISBN 0261102265
- HarperCollins hardcover (2010), ISBN 0007365276
| 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) | |
