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r/tolkienfans•
shlam16

Recommended reading order - several approaches:

It's the simplest of questions and understandably we see many of these posts, even as often as one a day. I am making this post as a resource that can be linked to in future. Hopefully people find it helpful.

To begin, there's this old post by u/ebneter. It's an excellent resource of all* the writings of Tolkien and definitely worth a read because I won't be addressing all of them here.

^(*it's a little dated, Christopher Tolkien published Beren and Lúthien and The Fall of Gondolin since then and it hasn't been updated to address this.)

The approach I'll take with this is threefold. An "introductory" list of books which any new readers should follow. Then "advanced" and "die-hard" sections to follow for anyone who finds themselves so engrossed that they don't want to stop. So without further ado:

Recommended "introductory" reading order:

1) The Hobbit

It's the quickest and easiest entrance into Tolkien's works. Just be fully aware that it's genuinely a children's book so the writing style is not indicative of all of his works.

2) The Lord of the Rings

Not calling it a "trilogy" here because it's actually not. It's one single story which Tolkien wasn't allowed to publish as such. Instead it got split into six books, which were then packaged into the "trilogy" that most people are aware of.

3) The Silmarillion

Now we hop back to the beginning. The very beginning. The creation of the world and the deities therein. This then spans the rest of the First Age (~6500-7000 years before LOTR) as well as a snapshot of the Second Age.

It's got a reputation as being "hard to read", but any Tolkien fan is doing themselves a great disservice by not doing so because it's truly phenomenal and allows you to understand all of the history which is discussed in passing during both The Hobbit and LOTR.

4) The Children of Húrin

One of three "Great Tales" published relatively recently having been reconstructed from the notes by Christopher, son of JRR Tolkien. This is a fully formed narrative which expands upon one of the "short stories" within The Silmarillion.

5) Unfinished Tales

As the name suggests. A collection of unfinished works by Tolkien, in addition to other essays which provide excellent background and lore for the world. Most absolutely worth reading which is why I've left it in this "introductory" reading list rather than the subsequent.

If you plan on continuing into the "advanced" section then skip the First Age within this book, as it's covered and expanded upon in the remaining Great Tales.

Recommended "advanced" reading order:

6) Beren and Lúthien

Another of the Great Tales. Unfortunately, unlike Children of Húrin Tolkien never managed a complete (final) version of the Tale. Instead what is left is a series of versions which span literal decades of Tolkien's life. Christopher Tolkien performs a reconstruction/analysis whereby this book contains the chronology of the story as it was written, so you can see the story change (quite drastically) as it evolves.

7) The Fall of Gondolin

As above. The third and final of the Great Tales.

8) History of Middle Earth 10-12

#10 - Morgoth's Ring

#11 - The War of the Jewels

#12 - The Peoples of Middle Earth

Further analyses and compilations performed posthumously by Christopher Tolkien. Volumes #10 and #11 feature the latest incomplete versions of The Silmarillion and give a look at how the book may have shaped up if Tolkien lived to finish his vision. There are also excellent essays by JRR which provide incredible amounts of lore to the world which aren't published anywhere else.

#12 contains a lot of other excellent things, such as the full version of the LOTR appendices which was cut from the published release. The quickly abandoned sequel to LOTR. As well as some other excellent material.

Recommended "die hard" reading order:

9) The Letters of JRR Tolkien

Tolkien was engrossed in his world and developed it over the span of six decades. During this time many other people in his life became fascinated with his works and many correspondences resulted with Tolkien providing excellent additional lore for the world.

10) History of Middle Earth 4-5

#4 - The Shaping of Middle Earth

#5 - The Lost Road

Much earlier writings by Tolkien. #4 contains some excellent essays and maps by Tolkien concerning the geography and cosmology of his world. #5 contains some additional stories for Numenor and the Second Age. If you're a linguistics nerd this also includes all you want to know about the Elven languages.

11) History of Middle Earth 6-9

#6 - The Return of the Shadow

#7 - The Treason of Isengard

#8 - The War of the Ring

#9 - Sauron Defeated

Similar to the reconstructions of Beren and Luthien and The Fall of Gondolin, these analyse and reconstruct the development of Lord of the Rings. Read them if you want a peak behind the curtains at the development of his most famous story. #9 contains the unpublished epilogue for LOTR.

12) The History of The Hobbit - John Rateliff

#1 - Mr Baggins

#2 - Return to Bag-End

Two volume set. Unlike the rest of the analyses of Tolkien's work which was performed by Christopher Tolkien, this duology was instead performed by John Rateliff. Same deal as above with HoME 6-9.

13) History of Middle Earth 1-3 (+13)

#1 - The Book of Lost Tales I

#2 - The Book of Lost Tales II

#3 - The Lays of Beleriand

#13 - Index

Volumes #1-2 contain Tolkien's earliest works. Even for a die-hard fan they can be quite difficult and archaic to read. They contain the earliest beginnings of The Silmarillion where Tolkien was attempting to craft a mythology for England. #3 contains two lengthy poems which tell the story of Beren and Lúthien and Children of Húrin in verse. Finally #13 is self explanatory in that it contains a complete index of all places, names, terms, etc from the rest of the HoME series between one set of covers.

14) The rest

You're still here? Head on over to this post and see the rest of the works by Tolkien which haven't been addressed here.

Phew that was complicated! But let's complicate things a little further shall we? Here are some alternate reading orders:

What if I'm not a first time reader?

Bring The Silmarillion and The Children of Húrin up to the #1 and #2 spots, but otherwise nothing else changes. See above.

What if I want to read them chronologically? (in-universe)

  1. The Silmarillion

  2. Beren and Lúthien

  3. The Children of Húrin

  4. The Fall of Gondolin

  5. Unfinished Tales (Second Age section)

  6. LOTR Appendices (Second Age section)

  7. The Hobbit

  8. The Lord of the Rings

  9. Unfinished Tales (Third Age section)

This is all the "completed" works chronologically. After this point it basically becomes choose your own adventure again with the HoME stuff.

What if I want to read them in publication order?

  1. The Hobbit

  2. The Lord of the Rings.

Short list. The rest are all published posthumously by his son. The obvious next choice is The Silmarillion, as this was published next, but also it's something that he wanted to publish long before even LOTR. After that it'd be simpler to just provide the wiki link for his posthumous publications.

I think that just about covers things. Hopefully it is helpful for some people!

Posted Jun 13, 2020, 12:14 PM UTC

33360
CastFromHitpoints•

On a somewhat related note, I‘d recommend people to re-read LotR after finishing the Silmarillion, before proceeding any further.

36
cdavis7m•

Seconded. It's a delight to recognize them. Some are very subtle.

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ScienceMan612•

Why is that?

8
PrinceKaine•

The references to the First and Second ages are literally everywhere in LOTR. They really start to pop out if you've read the Silmarillion.

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shlam16OP•

Definitely helps to pick up on a tonne of things that you don't really understand the first time round and enriches things greatly. Though that said it's a pretty big commitment for someone who just finished reading 1400 pages a mere 300 pages ago to go back and re-read those 1400 pages all over again for the easter eggs.

It would be better for people to just begin with The Silmarillion in that case, but I didn't consider it a good thing to recommend all newcomers because it would scare away more than it would entice. Starting with the easier stuff and developing a taste for the world is best.

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solidsnape115•

You are the MVP, I have all these HoME books and I have no idea where to start with them! Thank you!

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shlam16OP•

Happy to help! Best advice I can give with them is not to feel obliged to read every last thing. Sometimes stuff just may not interest you, don't burn yourself out on it when a different volume may contain other things that interest you a little more.

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pbgaines•

This looks good, but it is nonetheless difficult to get the whole story in order and without a lot of repetition. For those interested in just the story in JRRT's words, I'm in the middle of editing a complete version, from Ainulindale to The New Shadow. It includes everything gleaned from all the texts mentioned, plus some more. I'm interested in feedback if anyone wants to check out what I have so far.

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shlam16OP•

I am so glad to hear this is being done. It is something I have long thought about wanting to do but never have I had the time (or motivation) to get down to it.

How are you formatting it? Splitting it into digestible "novels"?

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pbgaines•

I'm not sure exactly what to do with the final product. It's called "The Histories of Arda". I'm making several "books", as per JRRT's apparent organization. Starting with Ainulindalie and Silmarillion. The books are broken into a total of about 30 chapters. I'm also creating (or surmising) headings for sub-chapters of about 2000 words each. This breaks it up for the readers and helps clarify certain facts. That's basically the extent of my input; the rest is JRRT verbatim.

The idea is to leave out nothing of the story itself, including poetry, essays, dictionaries, etc. Style-wise, this can get to be an incohesive mix of statements from different sources; so, I arranged it like a script for a oral performance piece with multiple narrators, which hopefully leverages that issue. I expect the final product will be in the 300,000-word range--about twice the length of Christopher's published Silmarillion. Now, I have a draft of about 100,000 words, which is through the Darkening of Valinor The Flight of the Noldor.

I expect the final result will include a Power Point presentation. The story, especially in the first 10 chapters, has a lot of names and geography, and the reader/listener needs portraits, family trees, and maps to get it straight. I'll be looking for a graphic artist to do some simple old-school icons.

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shlam16OP•

Sounds fascinating. When you say that you're "leaving nothing out of the story" - are you refining it so that it's only the final "canon" version of the stories? Or are you doing the whole CJRT HoME approach with the iterations therein?

from Ainulindale to The New Shadow

I expect the final product will be in the 300,000-word range--about twice the length of Christopher's published Silmarillion

I guess this means you're just leaving a footnote that effectively says "Read LOTR here" rather than having the narrative included in the master file?

If you have a list of names that you're sharing it with I'd very much love to be included and get a look at it.

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pbgaines•

I'm happy to share. I'll message you.

So, yeah, "leaving nothing" is a loaded term. Technically, I leave a lot. JRRT often wrote many versions of the same story, and the challenge is to pick one or (more often) combine elements. The final version is as much an artistic venture as anything.

For instance, the last section I finished is the speech of Feanor before leaving Valinor. There are five versions: two older poems, one later prose version, and one newer prose version, AAM. Christopher Tolkien basically published the AAM text. On the other hand, I treated AAM as the final story, and I supplemented portions from the other versions that were not precluded or conflicting with AAM (definitely erring on the side of inclusion). In a few instances, I deleted small portions of AAM if they could be completely replaced with verse, which I must admit I am favoring. Interspersed are several comments taken from letters and other essays that JRRT wrote late in life.

I am definitely doing my duty to Copyright law. Get your own LOTR. :)

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Shooter-__-McGavin•

This was a pretty awesome write-up, A+

On a side note, Tolkien will always be my favorite author, by a large margin, but I've always had trouble bringing myself to enjoy any of the material either finished or written by Christopher. No disrespect meant towards him, but just knowing that it wasn't J.R.R.'s completed, refined work gives me some sort of mental block towards them. Stupid I know.

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shlam16OP•

I can certainly understand where you're coming from, especially if the incomplete work was subsequently finished by Christopher from his own imagination - but that's not the case here.

Nowhere does Christopher take up the mantle of "author" and continue the unfinished works of his father. Instead he publishes them as they are in their unfinished states and then provides some annotated discussion.

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Shooter-__-McGavin•

Gotcha

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napoleoninrags98•

I don't think it's stupid at all, I totally agree! Just because Christopher was his son doesn't mean he had even a fraction of the genius, talent, and wisdom of his father... J.R.R. actually lived through the experiences that informed the themes of his stories (e.g. the war, industrialisation etc) and that's a big part of the reason that these stories are so powerful. To me, it seems (to a degree) kind of wrong for anyone else to have had the final say, unless they made virtually no artistic contributions of their own.

And J.R.R.'s vision was so dynamic and nuanced that I that I can't help but feel like he wouldn't necessarily approve of some of these works in their current, published form. I'm sure he would have had issues with them and at that stage, you're no longer really absorbing the true vision of the same man who built and created the world that we love. I mean, props to Christopher for all the work he did of course... But I kind of abhor the idea of him adding any of his own stuff into the stuff he published on his father's behalf, if that did happen at all. I don't know.

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jacobbd99•

From what I understand Christopher didn’t add any additional creative material, and merely edited to provide a coherent narrative where there were odd jumps or inconsistencies since Tolkien never fleshed our everything, or did so over time with revisions and edits himself. The Silmarillion is thus a result of Christopher taking the most fleshed out and latest versions of Tolkien’s stories and putting them together chronologically with edits where things were inconsistent or didn’t match up between versions.

If that were all Christopher did I’d be inclined to agree with your feelings of abhorrence, but he’s been super careful about giving us all the edits and versions with the various notes in the Silm appendices and in the HoME books, that if you’re up to/enjoy doing the work, you can get through all the notes and decide for yourself if Christopher was successful in portraying his fathers vision.

I too wish that Tolkien could have finished everything up himself and given us a fully fleshed out work chronicling the entirety of his mythos, but I think the unfinished nature almost adds to the wonder in which I view the professors work. Because there are so many differing strands, the feeling of reality is heightened. It feels like it could just almost be the true (albeit alternate) history of Britain/the world, with all the messy records and things to discover that come with real history, and to me that adds magic to the world of Arda and Tolkien’s vision, and I for one am grateful for Christopher and his monumental task of giving us a glimpse into his fathers world. He almost certainly didn’t get it exactly as his father would have liked, but at least it’s there, and it’s presence adds value to LOTR and the Silm. Even if I never get around to reading them all, knowing that the HoME books and essays and letters and collections of Tolkien’s endless revisions make the created world that much more endless and beautiful.

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shlam16OP•

To me, it seems (to a degree) kind of wrong for anyone else to have had the final say, unless they made virtually no artistic contributions of their own.

I would fully agree if Christopher had been completing the stories with his own words. But that's not the case. Nowhere (to my knowledge) has he added anything to the world or lore of his fathers Legendarium. Instead he devoted his entire life to poring over the thousands of pages of manuscripts and arranging them into such a way that we the public could see an infinite amount of things that we otherwise would never know.

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humaninnature•

Hmmm. After the non-HoME books, my first foray into the Die-Hard section was the Book of Lost Tales (both parts). They were tough going, but I thoroughly enjoyed them. This post is great motivation to get more of the HoME volumes, thanks!

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shlam16OP•

The writing in the Books of Lost Tales is certainly a hurdle to overcome. Then the Lays are even more of a hurdle for most people who don't particularly associate with poetry. But the latter volumes which provide new and more mature content are definitely worth delving back into!

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humaninnature•

I will do! Beren and Luthien was my first exposure to Tolkien's poetry, and it was the first poetry that I've genuinely enjoyed. I actually found it almost more emotive than the prose versions.

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Dark-Arts•

There is a simpler way: The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, then any of the remaining books in any order. It’s a diminishing returns situation to nitpick over the precise order of the other books.

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shlam16OP•

Not incorrect, but also people often ask for advice when they reach this point and would prefer even diminishing returns than the open-world answer of "doesn't matter".

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DarrenGreyFëanor laughed as one fey•

Great post, though I'm very sad to see Lays so far down your list. It's probably my second favourite of the whole HoME series (after Morgoth's Ring).

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shlam16OP•

Glad you like the list. Lays was a difficult one for me personally. I very much struggled with it because about 80% of my brainpower went towards trying to get the poetry to flow musically in my mind which meant that I wasn't concentrating on the actual stories themselves. I had to read most things 2-3x to get the gist of them.

I think it just boils down to personal preference. If people enjoy the poetry in The Hobbit and LOTR then Lays may be something they would prefer to bump higher in the list.

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ExcellentWeatherShepard of the Trees•

This isn't part of the Legendarium but somewhere along the way I'd read his short story Leaf: by Niggle. It's sort of about his writing of the Silmarillion and generally just an interesting little story.

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lacour1234•

Absolutely agree! I’d add Letters to Father Christmas. They are for children but I think you get a better sense of Tolkien as a person from reading them.

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DerekJoists•

Really the whole of the Tales From The Perilous Realm collection should be in there, as should On Fairy Stories. They'll give you a lot of insights into Tolkien's thoughts, and are more entertaining than much of HOME.

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shlam16OP•

To be perfectly honest I haven't read any of his material that isn't part of the Legendarium which is why I didn't want to include it here and instead deferred to the post by u/ebneter. I suppose I really should get around to it sooner or later.

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rabbithasacat•

Nicely done, and thanks for the labor of love!

Having said that, I do hold a different view on HoMe: I think they should be read last, and in chron order (with perhaps an exception for Vol 12, which is fine as a standalone). Not because I feel rigid about it, but because a major part of the whole point of reading HoMe is to understand how it came to be. If you read it that way, you get to see the stages of development properly. BoLT Vol. 1 is a shock the first time. but well worth it.

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shlam16OP•

Thanks for the feedback, I definitely see your perspective and respect it. From my own perspective I just find it a little too high of a hurdle for most people (including myself). The first 3 volumes of HoME are a little brutal to get through and can turn people off reading the rest. Then the likes of 6-9 may not be for everyone either since we have the complete and canon version in LOTR, much the same way as most people who don't watch behind the scenes footage in DVD extras.

So this is why I'd recommend 10-12 and 4-5 first. Because they are more accessible and provide new material for the avid lore-seeker. Then after, if still desperate for anything more, the rest remain available.

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ScienceMan612•

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1
therandomways2002•

The obvious next choice is The Silmarillion, as this was published next, but also it's something that he wanted to publish long before even LOTR.

As the first two of own (nicely-done) lists essentially demonstrate, it was probably a good thing he didn't get his wish. The Silmarillion is essential reading for people who have already read The Hobbit and/or the LotR, but would have problems drawing in people who are going in blind because it reads like a compendium of myths from a mythological tradition readers know nothing about. With Tolkien's best-known works under your belt, you have a context for what you're reading. If Tolkien had published The Silmarillion first, there's a good chance it wouldn't have been particularly successful and that could have made publishers more reluctant to publish works like The Hobbit and LotR. Even the best and most conscientious publishers/editors have to worry about the bottom line.

Also, it's 2020. When are spell-checkers going to recognize the word "Silmarillion"? Hopefully this will be rectified after the show comes out and we won't be seeing all those squiggly red lines anymore.

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shlam16OP•

it was probably a good thing he didn't get his wish

Agreed for two reasons. First it quite possibly would have led to a world without LOTR. And second because it gave him more time to evolve his story to the state that we currently have it in The Silmarillion. If only he could have lived but a little longer then The Silmarillion may have been more advanced still, as we see in Morgoth's Ring.

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GalaxyFrauleinKrista•

Thank you so much!!! I'm doing a full re-read soon (along with reading the stand-alone Fall of Gondolin and Beren & Luthien for the first time). This is going to be very, very helpful for me

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shlam16OP•

Happy to help! I just embarked on the same journey which is what led me to making this post. Because I wish I had it beforehand. On my re-read I read the final two Great Tales (B&L and FoG) before I read Unfinished Tales and I regretted it. Then I had no real clue where to begin with HoME thereafter and those early volumes can be a tad brutal to get through.

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vohg•

This is só helpful! I’ve read the Hobbit numerous times and the Lord of the Rings about 3 times in total. Had no idea what to do next, so I just ordered the Silmarillion and the Unfinished Tales a couple of days ago. Very happy with your guidance!

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shlam16OP•

Happy to help! You're in for an absolute treat. In my personal opinion The Silmarillion is his true magnum opus. Which almost feels blasphemous in a world containing LOTR. But it's just that good.

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Penguin2359Eärendil•

I really like your guide. Thanks for updating to include fall of gondolin and beren and luthien. Do you think readers can read The Silm and stop at each of the great tales chapters to read the full books then come back to the next chapters in Silm?

By the way, Unfinished Tales is the only book I haven't read in your "introductory" section. I was putting it off as a lot of ppl say it's not essential as it's not a completed narrative. Your guide has convinced me to finally take the plunge!

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rainbowrobinEmbrace uncertainty.•

Do you think readers can read The Silm and stop at each of the great tales chapters to read the full books then come back to the next chapters in Silm?

You could with the Turin chapter. The other two 'Great Tales' aren't complete narratives and do a lot of the HoME "here are different versions of the texts", which could be rather disruptive. Reading about mecha-dragons and hordes of Balrogs in The Fall of Gondolin is going to be pretty weird compared to the Silmarillion.

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shlam16OP•

The other reply answers well.

Yes you could read Children of Hurin after (or even in place of) "Of Turin Turambar", but the other two you should wait and read afterwards due to their unfinished states.

2
gytherin•

I like your orders of reading. I'd add that The Hobbit has moral dilemmas at least equal to any in the other books, despite being a children's story.

I'm amused that you put HoME vols 1 - 3 right at the end. I feel the same way. I was reading them as they came out and baulked at vol. 3. It was years before I picked the series up again - those first few books are hard going, though worth it once you've got your eye in.

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shlam16OP•

The Hobbit is a kind of weird case. It's written as a children's book, but the content matter definitely becomes more advanced in the latter sections. I just wanted to make that note because I have a friend in real life who I lent my copy of The Hobbit and she didn't like it and refused to read LOTR because the writing in The Hobbit was too kiddie.

And yeah I am very grateful to have all of HoME, but I do think that Christopher made a bit of a mistake publishing them in the order that he did. I think that they would best be published in inverse order, beginning with his latest writings and then delving back through history.

2
DAbigCheeseyFoot•

Thanks for the helpful list, been really researching this recently, want to get in to reading the books, as i really been a big fan of the movies since i was a kid, now 26 and never read them (regretful on my part) i have just ordered the hobbit with the lord of rings box set, just one question, what do people mean hard to read, regarding The Silmarillion that is.

2
shlam16OP•

Happy to help.

Regarding The Silmarillion it's not so much written as a narrative novel like you'll experience with The Hobbit and LOTR. It's kind of like a collection of short stories which all tie together to form the overall narrative. And since it chronicles the lives of the Gods and Elves from the beginning of creation it spans a huge frame of time unlike a human (or hobbit) centric story which happens over months rather than centuries/millennia.

Please don't let this scare you away though! It's honestly the best thing Tolkien ever wrote. Your best bet is to find a good map of the world from the First Age like so and try to follow the flow of events, as Tolkien doesn't hold back with his names and places.

1
DAbigCheeseyFoot•

Thanks for the response, thats great, i kept seeing that it is hard to read everywhere but people did not say why, it was kinda scaring me off, thanks for reassuring me, be picking that up shortly after i read The Hobbit and Lotr, really look forward to delving into middle-earth, even deeper than the movies.

2
Chris-Kris•

Thank you very much!

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shlam16OP•

No probs :)

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1random_redditor•

Glad I came across this. I’ve loved the films since I was a kid (they’re some of my favorites ever) but I’ve never read the books. I want to get into them and I like how you have several different orders to go about reading them. The Silmarillion is the one I want to read most probably. Would you say it has the most world building/lore?

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shlam16OP•

Glad it can be helpful for you!

Yeah The Sil is unrivalled in terms of lore. It's a masterpiece. But I wouldn't recommend it to be read first. Best to acclimate to Tolkien's style with the more familiar works first.

When you're reading The Hobbit and LOTR though, pay attention or even take notes any time you see them make a reference to some historical figure or event. Because without fail every single one of these references will be explored in The Sil.

For example remember the swords they find in the troll cave in The Hobbit, and Elrond gives a bit of a quick explanation about them? Well you get the full story and history of Gondolin in The Sil which allows you to understand and appreciate just how momentous that lucky find actually was.

The sheer amount of interconnectedness he's written which spans literally 10,000+ years is ridiculous.

2
1random_redditor•

That’s really interesting. I’m excited to read them!

2
rainbowrobinEmbrace uncertainty.•

As someone says the value of nitpickery has diminishing returns, but I would say there's no strong ordering between UT and CoH. They don't depend on each other and they extend the Silmarillion in different ways. Also if you fully read UT, you don't really need CoH.

1
shlam16OP•

Perhaps I'm mistaken here, but I thought that the standalone Children of Hurin contained slightly more material than the Narn in Unfinished Tales? On my recent re-read I skipped the UT version in favour of the CoH version so I didn't get a direct comparison.

1
rainbowrobinEmbrace uncertainty.•

My impression is that CoH is basically the Turin chapter from the Silmarillion + the Narn chapter in UT.

2