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User:Luotiansha/3

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The Reprint of the Old English Exodus, coming in May 2026

Materials by J.R.R. Tolkien, Accessible as of Today

Background

J.R.R. Tolkien was an exceptional author, writer, scholar, and storyteller, who left (besides the books published during his lifetime) a vast amount of written materials when he passed away, these include but are not limited to writings, drawings, sketches, maps, calligraphy, etc. Not all of them survived to this day, and those that did are now in the archives of certain libraries, universities, and collectors throughout the world. Within the latter some portions have been studied, edited, and prepared for publication, while others have not. The unfortunate thing is, even within the already published materials, some are still unavailable to the readers today, one main reason for that is that some earlier publications have gone out of print for ages and, having never been reprinted, have become very rare and hard to find.

This page, hence, tries to make a list for the general reader (who is not inclined to trace those rare materials), everything by Tolkien's hand that can be accessed with relative ease.

The List

2025
2024
  • Tolkien on Chaucer, 1913-1959
    • Assorted writings from Tolkien's student and early career period
    • Materials from the abandoned 'Clarendon Chaucer' project
    • Essay "Chaucer as a Philologist: The Reeve's Tale"
    • An edition of the Reeve's Tale, with extra material
    • Lecture notes on three texts by Geoffrey Chaucer
    • Essay "Middle English 'Losenger'"
    • A lecture series on the Pardoner's Tale
    • A variety of letters and other writings, for a detailed list of the book's content, see here
  • Parma Eldalamberon 23
    • Texts of "The Feanorian Alphabet", part two
    • Collected writings on 'pronouns' in the invented languages
2023
  • The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, expanded edition
    • 354 letters in the original edition (1981)
    • 154 new letters in the expanded edition, 45 original ones are extended
  • The Battle of Maldon: together with The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth
    • Poem "The Homecoming" with its two essays
    • Prose translation of "The Battle of Maldon", with introduction and notes
    • A related essay on versification
    • In appendices:
      • Several pieces of related scholarly writings
      • An early version of "The Homecoming"
      • Textual history of certain parts of it
  • Letters from Father Christmas, newest standard edition
    • A series of 'Christmas letters' across 22 years, transcribed and reproduced in facsimile
      • These include letters themselves, envelopes with drawn stamps, and many full-page artwork
2022
2021
  • The Nature of Middle-earth
    • 62 pieces (or groups) of writing, of varying length and nature, that mainly deal with the philosophic or technical side of things in the legendarium
2019
  • Tolkien's Lost Chaucer
    • Throughout the book are quotes, excerpts, and traces of work from an abandoned edition of Chaucer's works
2018
2017
2016
  • The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun
    • Poem "The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun"
    • Two shorter poems that precede it
    • A related fragment, and a complete draft version, of "The Lay"
2015
  • The Story of Kullervo
    • Story "The Story of Kullervo", with some draft notes
    • Two drafts of an essay on Kalevala
  • Parma Eldalamberon 22
    • Texts of "The Feanorian Alphabet", part one
    • Writings on 'spelling'
    • Collected writings on 'verb structures' in the invented languages
  • "Henry Bradley, 3 Dec., 1845 - 23 May, 1923", from Tolkien Studies 12
    • A memorial to Henry Bradley
2014
  • The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, second revised edition
    • A 'nomenclature' that explains the meanings of names
    • Also integrated into the book, all of TLotR, are:
      • Variant texts from the past editions
      • An unfinished glossary-index
      • Notes from Tolkien's check copies
      • Numerous quotes from his drafts, papers, and letters
  • Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary
    • Prose translation of Beowulf
    • Selection from two sets of lectures on Beowulf, as commentary
    • Story "Sellic Spell", with related texts
    • Two versions of another poem
  • The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, expanded edition
    • A preface, and 16 poems in the first edition (1962)
    • Early versions, and textual histories, of each poem
    • A prose fragment, and two additional poems
2013
  • The Fall of Arthur
    • Long poem "The Fall of Arthur", with related texts, and textual history
    • Parts from a lecture on 'Anglo-Saxon Verse'
  • Vinyar Tengwar, collected volumes 1-5
    • Found within, especially in later issues, are a variety of texts and writings that are related to the invented languages (see details)
2012
2011
  • The History of The Hobbit, revised edition
    • Full draft writings of The Hobbit
    • Writings for, and related to, the second edition (1951)
    • New chapters, and related writings, from a rewriting attempt (1960)
    • Late writings of various kinds concerning The Hobbit
  • Beowulf and the Critics, second edition
    • Two complete texts of the lecture series "Beowulf and the Critics"
    • Faithful transcription of all the editorial emendations in the manuscript
    • Assorted notes relevant to the text
  • The Art of The Hobbit
    • Collection of artwork and reproduced manuscripts that are concerned with The Hobbit
2010
  • Parma Eldalamberon 19
    • Comparisons of sounds in the various invented languages
    • Texts of "Quenya" phonology
2009
  • The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún
    • A part of a lecture on the Poetic Edda
    • Two long poems on the Völsung legend
    • Some lecture notes on the legend
    • Three other verse-pieces inspired by the Edda
2008
  • Tolkien On Fairy-stories
    • Essay "On Fairy-stories"
    • Textual history of the work
    • Faithful transcription of two draft versions
2007
  • The Children of Húrin
    • The fuller text of "The Tale of the Children of Húrin" than that published in the Unfinished Tales
  • Parma Eldalamberon 17
    • Numerous lexical and etymological writings on the fictional words in TLotR, combined and organized into:
      • A long list of words with explanations
      • A list of word roots with explanations
2006
  • Parma Eldalamberon 16
    • 16 writings of the "Pre-Feanorian script"
    • Three "Early Qenya" poems, with multiple versions
    • "Early Qenya" declensions, conjugations, and word lists
2005
  • Smith of Wootton Major, expanded edition
    • Story "Smith of Wootton Major"
    • A note, an introduction, and other relevant writings
    • An essay of the same name
    • Drafts of an early version and a passage
2004
  • "Sir Orfeo: A Middle English Version", from Tolkien Studies 1
    • Edited Middle English text of Sir Orfeo
2003
  • Parma Eldalamberon 14
    • "Early Qenya" writing fragments
    • "Early Qenya" phonology and grammar
    • 13 writings of the "Valmaric script"
2002
  • The Annotated Hobbit, second edition
    • Variant texts from the past editions of The Hobbit
    • A longer version of the text of "The Quest of Erebor"
    • Additional drawings related to the story
2001
  • Parma Eldalamberon 13
    • 26 writings of the "Rúmilian script"
    • "Early Noldorin" writing fragments and word lists
1999
  • Farmer Giles of Ham, expanded edition
    • Story "Farmer Giles of Ham", with foreword
    • The earliest version of the story
    • An unfinished sequel
1998
  • Roverandom
    • Story "Roverandom"
    • Five related drawings to the story
1996
1995
1994
  • The War of the Jewels
    • Texts of the following:
      • A last version of the "Annals of Beleriand", called the "Grey Annals"
      • Second half of the later version of the "Quenta Silmarillion"
      • "The Wanderings of Húrin", and other writings
      • "Quendi and Eldar"
1993
  • Morgoth's Ring
    • Texts of the following:
      • The later "Ainulindalë"
      • A last version of the "Annals of Valinor", called the "Annals of Aman"
      • First half of the later version of the "Quenta Silmarillion"
      • "The Debate of Finrod and Andreth", and related writings
      • Some assorted writings
1992
  • Sauron Defeated
    • Draft writings of The Lord of the Rings, part four, given in 11 chapters
    • Texts of "The Notion Club Papers"
    • Texts of "The Drowning of Anadûnê"
1990
1989
1988
  • Tree and Leaf, second edition
    • Story "Leaf by Niggle"
    • Poem "Mythopoeia"
    • A preface to the book, later expanded to include more information
1987
  • The Lost Road and Other Writings
    • Texts of the following:
      • "The Fall of Númenor"
      • "The Lost Road"
      • A later version of the "Annals of Valinor"
      • A later version of the "Annals of Beleriand"
      • The earlier "Ainulindalë"
      • The "Lhammas"
      • The version of the Mythology known as the "Quenta Silmarillion" (the earlier)
      • A "Noldorin" lexicon known as the "Etymologies"
1986
  • The Shaping of Middle-earth
    • Texts of the following:
      • Some fragments
      • The version of the Mythology known as the "Sketch of the Mythology"
      • The version of the Mythology known as the "Quenta Noldorinwa"
      • The "Ambarkanta" with drawings
      • An earlier version of the "Annals of Valinor"
      • An earlier version of the "Annals of Beleriand"
1985
  • The Lays of Beleriand
    • Two long poems
      • The "Lay of the Children of Húrin", has two versions
      • The "Lay of Leithian", in 14 cantos, with some draft outlines
      • Texts of a rewriting of the "Lay of Leithian"
    • Two poems with only beginnings
      • "The Flight of the Noldoli"
      • A "lay of Earendel"
1984
1983
  • The Monsters and the Critics, and Other Essays
    • Essay "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics"
    • Essay "On Translating Beowulf"
    • Essay "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight"
    • Essay "English and Welsh"
    • Essay "Valedictory Address to the University of Oxford"
  • Finn and Hengest: The Fragment and the Episode
    • Lecture materials on the "Finnesburg Fragment" and a related passage in Beowulf, these are published as:
      • An introduction to the texts
      • A study of the names
      • Commentary notes to each text
      • A reconstruction of the events of the story
      • Two other notes
1982
  • The Old English Exodus
    • Edited Old English text of Exodus, a poem
    • Prose translation of Exodus
    • Lecture notes on the poem, as commentary, with introduction
      (This is the only book in this List that is physically unobtainable, but a scan of it can be found in various shadow libraries on the internet, but if that method poses difficulty, see here)
  • Mr. Bliss
    • Story "Mr. Bliss" with facsimile manuscripts and drawings
1980
  • Unfinished Tales
    • 14 pieces of writing, or groups of writing, given under 4 parts, on various matters in the legendarium
1979
1977
  • The Silmarillion
    • The Mythology, presented as a composite work, drawn and edited from a large amount of materials, only a small portion of which could be published in The History of Middle-earth
      • Consists of 5 parts, 4 of them give one text each, and the central part, part 3, is given in 24 chapters
1975
1967
1962
1954-55
  • The Lord of the Rings, first edition
    • The major body of work in the legendarium, including:
      • A foreword, a prologue, 62 chapters as 6 books, 6 appendices
      • Three maps
1937
  • The Hobbit, first edition
    • Another major body of work in the legendarium, including:
      • A prefatory note, 19 chapters
      • Two maps, 8 (or more) illustrations
1925
1922

Statistics

There are currently 78 entries in this list, totaling up to 88 physical volumes.

The editors of these works, apart from J.R.R. Tolkien himself, in the order of the publication dates, are: Christopher Tolkien, Baillie Tolkien, Humphrey Carpenter, Joan Turville-Petre, Alan Bliss, Douglas Anderson, Wayne Hammond, Christina Scull, Christopher Gilson, Patrick Wynne, Arden Smith, Carl Hostetter, Bill Welden, Michael Drout, Verlyn Flieger, John Rateliff, Dimitra Fimi, Andrew Higgins, John Bowers, William Hicklin, Peter Grybauskas

Whenever this user is reading any of these materials he is constantly in awe. He is awed not only by the capacities of Tolkien himself, but also by the dedication and unfailing labor of the editors who worked, and are still working, on these materials.

He sees in all of this the brilliant radiance of human genius, devotion, effort, and above all, a great love.


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