The Peoples of Middle-earth
| The Peoples of Middle-earth | |
|---|---|
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| Author | J.R.R. Tolkien |
| Editor | Christopher Tolkien |
| Publisher | HarperCollins (UK) Houghton Mifflin (US) |
| Released | 2 September 1996 (UK) 6 December 1996 (US) |
| Format | Hardcover; paperback |
| Pages | 496 |
| ISBN | 0261103377 |
| Preceded by | The War of the Jewels (1994) |
| Followed by | The Children of Húrin (2007) |
The Peoples of Middle-earth, published in 1996, is the twelfth and final volume of Christopher Tolkien's 12-volume book series, The History of Middle-earth, in which he analyzes the unpublished manuscripts of J.R.R. Tolkien.
This book covers the development of the Prologue and Appendices of The Lord of the Rings, information on Elvish tongues and other languages of Middle-earth as provided by Pengoloð, and two stories Tolkien didn't finish: The New Shadow (a quickly-abandoned sequel to TLotR) and an account of Númenóreans of which Tal-Elmar is the protagonist.
Contents[edit]
- Foreword
- Part One: The Prologue and Appendices to The Lord of the Rings
- I. "The Prologue"
- II. "The Appendix on Languages"
- III. "The Family Trees"
- IV. "The Calendars"
- V. "The History of the Akallabeth"
- VI. "The Tale of Years of the Second Age"
- VII. "The Heirs of Elendil"
- VIII. "The Tale of Years of the Third Age"
- IX. "The Making of Appendix A"
- (i) The Realms in Exile
- (ii) The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen
- (iii) The House of Eorl
- (iv) Durin's Folk
- Part Two: Late Writings
- X. "Of Dwarves and Men"
- XI. "The Shibboleth of Fëanor"
- XII. "The Problem of Ros"
- XIII. "Last Writings"
- Part Three: Teachings of Pengoloð
- XIV. "Dangweth Pengoloð"
- XV. "Of Lembas"
- Part Four: Unfinished Tales
- XVI. "The New Shadow"
- XVII. "Tal-Elmar"
Inscriptions[edit]
There is an inscription in the Tengwar characters in the first pages of every History of Middle-earth volume, written by Christopher Tolkien and describing the contents of the book. The inscription in Book XII reads:
- "This is the last volume of the work of Christopher Tolkien in which he has collected a great part of all that his father John Ronald Reuel Tolkien wrote of Middle-earth and Valinor. In this book is traced the devising of the history of the later ages in the Northwest of Middle-earth after the Great Battle and the Fall of Morgoth."
From the publisher[edit]
The concluding volume of The History of Middle-earth series, which examines the Appendices to The Lord of the Rings.
The Peoples of Middle-earth traces the evolution of the Appendices to The Lord of The Rings, which provide a comprehensive historical structure of the Second and Third Ages, including Calendars, Hobbit genealogies and the Westron language. The book concludes with two unique abandoned stories: The New Shadow, set in Gondor during the Fourth Age, and the tale of Tal-Elmar, in which the coming of the dreaded Númenórean ships is seen through the eyes of men of Middle-earth in the Dark Years.
With the publication of this book, the long history of J.R.R. Tolkien’s creation is completed and the enigmatic state of his work can be understood.
Publication history and gallery[edit]
- UK Editions
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- HarperCollins hardcover (1996), pp. 496. ISBN 0261103377
- HarperCollins paperback (1997), ISBN 0261103482 (cover art by John Howe)
- HarperCollins paperback (2002), ISBN 0261103482
- HarperCollins hardcover (2010), ISBN 0007365365
| 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 · xiii.Index | |
