Unfinished Tales 40th Anniversary

 

40 years ago today marks the publication of Unfinished Tales (sometimes titled as Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-earth) . It's written by Tolkien, and edited by Christopher Tolkien. It is the last of my 'Middle-earth essentials' (the other being The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion).

The book expands upon aspects of The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion that go well with those stories. With the way that Unfinished Tales is presented, it can sort of seen as 'an extended appendix.' Note, that doesn't mean that this book REPLACES the Appendices in The Lord of the Rings.

I've always wondered where each chapter of what is known as Unfinished Tales today WOULD have fit in, had they been included in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. The chapter The Quest For Erebor, for instance, would most likely have been in The Lord of the Rings, as part of one of the Appendices.

The work was also the very beginning of the archival research that Christopher Tolkien undertook, which continued with The History of Middle-earth series. I am unsure if he had multiple 'projects' where he delved into his father's archives, or just the one BIG one. I'm inclined to believe that it was multiple, otherwise The Silmarillion would've been a bit larger and a bit different. I've yet to read all 12 History of Middle-earth books, though I believe Christopher had discovered material after The Silmarillion had been published that he wished he could've included.



There is an illustrated edition - for the first time ever - with artwork by Ted Nasmith, Alan Lee and John Howe. It is available as both a standard hardback, and as a collector's edition. (See the previous few posts for more info). I imagine that the paperback edition OF the illustrated edition is likely to follow Sept - Nov 2021.

Here is the table of contents for Unfinished Tales, and more information about the book can be read here: http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Unfinished_Tales .

Part One: The First Age:
"Of Tuor and his Coming to Gondolin"
"Narn i Hîn Húrin (The Tale of the Children of Húrin)"

Part Two: The Second Age:
"A Description of the Island of Númenor"
"Aldarion and Erendis: The Mariner's Wife"
"The Line of Elros: Kings of Númenor"
"The History of Galadriel and Celeborn"

Part Three: The Third Age:
"The Disaster of the Gladden Fields"
"Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan"
"The Quest of Erebor"
"The Hunt for the Ring"
"The Battles of the Fords of Isen"

Part Four
"The Drúedain"
"The Istari"
"The Palantíri"