The Fireside

  A new Tolkien book has been announced for publication in the fall: The Bovadium Fragments . It's certainly one that I haven't heard of before, and as such, was not expecting. Off the bat, it is not  Middle-earth related. I know there's some readers that only care for the Middle-earth material, so I wanted to make that distinction. It would fit more in line with material such as Mr. Bliss  and Tales From the Perilous Realm . It has been announced as both hardback and eBook, from both publishers. As such, ISBNs won't be needed, as finding it should be simple enough at this stage. I'm undecided as to which format I'd want: hardback (I understand the appeal of a new Tolkien book in hardback, though I'm looking forward to unboxing/'look inside' type videos), eBook (to have  and read, without taking up physical space) or to wait for the paperback edition. As time draws near and I see  more of the book....I'll reach a decision. But I will get it!  To ...

  Coming this August, is The Great Tales Trilogy as a boxed set! Finally! Both HarperCollins and William Morrow will be publishing this: HarperCollins:  9780008360108 William Morrow:  9780063447981 The Great Tales of Middle-earth  is a beautiful box set of the three final novels of Middle-earth:  The Children of Húrin ,  Beren and Lúthien , and  The Fall of Gondolin , packaged together and ready for gifting. Completing Christopher Tolkien’s lifelong achievement as the curator of his father J.R.R. Tolkien’s manuscripts,  The Great Tales  features handsome color plates and maps by famed illustrator Alan Lee and a map by Christopher Tolkien. The Children of Húrin  was the first standalone story by J.R.R. Tolkien since the 1977 publication of  The Silmarillion . Six thousand years before the One Ring is destroyed, Middle-earth lies under the shadow of the Dark Lord Morgoth. The greatest heroes among elves and men have perished, and all ...

  Christopher Tolkien's translation of The Saga of King Heidrek the Wise  is coming to paperback, in continued celebration of his centenary. It will be published May 8 by HarperCollins, with the ISBN of  9780008767631  . The description follows: Christopher Tolkien’s masterly translation of the Icelandic Heidrek’s Saga, including the dramatic Battle of the Goths and the Huns, the lyrical Waking of Angantyr, and the unique riddle-contest between King Heidrek and the god Odin. Heidrek’s Saga  is a medieval entertainment – a ‘romance’, but a romance that derives little of its matter from the literature of France or Germany. It is an example of a kind of story-telling that was flourishing in Iceland by the beginning of the twelfth century, and which (in contrast to the more celebrated ‘Sagas of the Icelanders’) told of legendary figures whose origins lie far back in time beyond the settlement of the country. The elements of the story, diverse in age and atmosphere, ...

  Don't they look great together?! All four History of Middle-earth Boxed Sets are now out.  For those waiting until all the boxed sets are out, this post is for you. Here are their ISBN's: ~ I:  9780008663162 ~ II:  9780008669232  ~ III:  9780008669294 ~ IV:  9780008669393 WORTHY OF NOTE Matching Hobbit + Lord of the Rings  Boxed Set:  9780008376109 Other Notable Titles: ~ The History of The Hobbit:  9780007440825 ~ The Nature of Middle-earth :  9780008387921 All of those titles above get you pretty much all the major Middle-earth related titles - with little to no duplication. 

I may be a bit late to the game (meant to do this post a few days ago) though the info for The History of Middle-earth: Boxed Sets III & IV have recently come out, seemingly at the same time.  Arriving June 6 (that's the scheduled date as of this post) with an ISBN of  9780008669294, is Box III.  Box III contains: The Return of the the Shadow, The Treason of Isengard, The War of the Ring  and (spoiler alert! Kidding) Sauron Defeated . All of those are immediately associated with Tolkien writing The Lord of the Rings .  Next, and lastly for these History of Middle-earth Boxed Sets, is Boxed Set IV. Arriving on August 15 (again, that date is as of this post) with an ISBN of  9780008669393, is Boxed Set IV. It contains Morgoth's Ring, The War of the Jewels, The  Peoples of Middle-earth  and the very handy Index  to the entire series.  Once History of Middle-earth: Box IV is out, I'll do a post with all their ISBNs collected into one pos...

  The History of Middle-earth: Boxed Set II will be published on March 28. It's ISBN is  9780008669232 .  The contents, as you may be able to see from the photo, will be:  ~ The Lays of Beleriand ~ The Shaping of Middle-earth ~ The Lost Road With regards to these sets, I'll post again once the info for Boxed Set III is revealed. That post will follow with the fourth and final set. Possibly, in the same post as Boxed Set IV, I may recap the previous 3, or dedicate a post to all 4.  While not History of Middle-earth related, I'll be sure to post about anything else that comes along or is announced in 2024. 

  In a few months, there will be a new edition of The Silmarillion  joining the.....I don't know how to call them! Joining the new versions of the 2013 re-issues of The Hobbit , and The Lord of the Rings  (as 3 parts). I am referring to these editions:  What follows is the info. I'm surprised, as I'd thought they were going to put out a boxed set of those editions (now that The Hobbit matches. Remember, with The Hobbit  they reprinted it to match the re-issues (new ISBNs) of The Lord of the Rings ). ISBN:  9780008669140 Special unjacketed hardback edition of the prelude to J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic masterpiece,  The Lord of the Rings . This edition of  The Silmarillion  features the complete work with a unique cover design and black and red endpaper maps. The Silmarillion  is an account of the Elder Days, of the First Age of Tolkien’s World. It is the ancient drama to which the characters in  The Lord of the Rings  look back, and i...

  With the announcement of The History of Middle-earth series, more information has come to light, and I'll share thoughts/opinions afterwards.  Part of HarperCollins' official announcement reads: "B eginning in November, and continuing throughout 2024, a series of four boxed sets of hardbacks will acknowledge Christopher Tolkien’s remarkable literary achievement, with the final set appearing on what would have been his 100 th  birthday in November 2024." So now we know that the fourth and final of the HoM-e (History of Middle-earth) sets will be released then. Once it's been released, I'll showcase the 4 boxed sets here more: between the first and the third, I'll announce them, pass on info, etc; though for my Tolkien Christmas post next  year they'll be featured then, as they'll all be out at that point.  Worthy of note, is that part of the facebook post announcing the sets formally:  These boxed sets will be accompanied by a wealth of exciting n...

  Recently, it was announced that The History of Middle-earth 12-book series (13, which includes Index ) will be getting new hardback editions.  Thanks to various posters and users on the TCG (Tolkien Collector Guide) forums and Reddit, I have further info to pass along as well.  This is the first of four boxed sets coming out. What follows is the official description (and ISBN) for set 1 of 4: First in a series of hardback boxed sets celebrating the literary achievement of Christopher Tolkien, featuring double-sided dustjackets. Set 1 contains special editions of THE SILMARILLION and UNFINISHED TALES reproducing the first edition text, together with the two volumes of THE BOOK OF LOST TALES. The Silmarillion  is an account of the Elder Days, of the First Age of Tolkien’s World. It is the ancient drama to which the characters in  The Lord of the Rings  look back, and in whose events some of them, such as Elrond and Galadriel, took part. The tales of  T...

  This October marks 40th years since The History of Middle-earth book series began with The Book of Lost Tales: Part 1 . To celebrate, I have an idea for the publisher, HarperCollins, to do. Please note that the following is speculation only. HarperCollins, if you're reading, please do ahead with these if it's in the cards to begin with.  Each of the 13 (12 + the Index) books will get published as 13 individual hardbacks. These hardbacks would feature the same imagery by John Howe (some of which appears in this post) that adorns the current paperback counterparts. The dustjacket would be arranged and designed in such a manner to match the latest Tolkien hardbacks, such as The Fall of Numenor and The Nature of Middle-earth . Much like The Nature of Middle-earth , there won't be any artwork inside - the only imagery would be what's currently available inside the 12 books. Each of these hardbacks would be available on their own, and there would be 3 boxed sets (of the sa...