The Lord of Middle Earth: Tolkien, a many of many talents, and books

On July 29, 1954 — 70 years ago Monday — English author, linguist and university professor J.R.R. Tolkien published “The Fellowship of the Ring,” the first of three volumes of a richly detailed world populated by wizards, elves, dragons and other mystical beings.

Over the next few decades, Tolkien’s saga of Middle earth would sell millions of copies and become recognized as a masterpiece of fantasy storytelling.

Tolkien: A Man of Many Talents

Born in Bloemfontein, South Africa in 1892, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien moved to his parents’ native England when he was 3 years old.

Tolkien learned how to read when he was 4 and was orphaned at age 12 and taken in by a Catholic priest. At age 16, he met and fell in love with Edith Bratt, a woman three years older, but was prevented from corresponding or seeing her.

Tolkien attended Oxford University, graduating in 1915 with honors in English and literature. Right away, he was inducted into the British Army and began training to fight in the Great War that was raging in Europe.

In March 1916, he and Edith were married. Less than three months later, however, he was sent to France as a signal officer. That summer, he saw the horror of war first hand at the Battle of the Somme. He became ill from lice common in the trenches there and was sent back to England that November.

During his convalescence, Tolkien began thinking of an epic series of mythological stories he called “The Lost Tales” in which he could express his “feeling about good, evil, fair, foul” using elves in the far past in place of what he had seen in war. He called the collection “The Silmarillion.”

In 1919, Tolkien was hired to work as a lexicographer for the Oxford English Dictionary. The next year, he began teaching at the University of Leeds. He’d return to Oxford as a full professor in 1925.

Tolkien continued to work on his mythological tales, placing them in a single world and inventing languages and even painting what he imagined those worlds might look like. In 1937, a children’s book he had written, “The Hobbit,” was published featuring his own illustrations, maps and even his own design for the dust jacket.

The success of the book led to his publisher asking for more work. Aiming for a more adult-themed tale this time, Tolkien spent 12 years writing a lengthy tale he wanted published as a single volume.

His publisher balked at that, splitting “The Lord of the Rings” into three books published over a 15-month span.

Only after his retirement in 1959 did Tolkien return to “The Silmarillion.” He died in 1973 at age 81, with “The Silmarillion” still unfinished.

The Four Books During Tolkien's Lifetime

The Hobbit, or There and Back Again. Released Sept. 21, 1937.

Aimed at young readers, “The Hobbit” contained illustrations and maps drawn by Tolkien.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Released July 29, 1954.

Included a prologue for readers who weren’t familiar with “The Hobbit.”

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Released Nov. 29, 1954.

All three book jackets featured the same artwork, drawn by Tolkien himself.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Released Oct. 29, 1955.

Included six appendices, adding rich detail to the world Tolkien had created.

Published After Tolkien's Death

Tolkien’s death in 1973 left a wealth of material about Middle earth — even as the popularity of his “Lord of the Rings” work was increasing. Tolkien appointed his son, Christopher, as his literary executor, Christopher Tolkien began organizing Tolkien’s stories, poems and notes into a series of books.

Christopher would be critical of the popular “Lord of the Rings” movies directed by Peter Jackson between 2001 and 2003. "They gutted the book, making an action film for 15 to 25-year-olds," he said.

The Silmarillion. Released Sept. 17, 1977.

Christopher selected from the tales his father had left behind. In some cases, he had to create new material to fill in gaps in the story.

Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-Earth. Released Oct. 2, 1980.

Among the included material are revisions of stories that were told in “The Silmarillion.

The History of Middle-Earth. Released 1983-1996

So much material remained that Christopher compiled much of it into a 12-volume set, published over 13 years.

The Children of Hurin. Released April 17, 2007.

Tolkien wrote the original version of this story before World War I, focusing on the early era of his fictional Middle earth setting.

Beren and Luthlen. Released June 1, 2017.

Love story Tolkien based on himself and his wife. An earlier version had originally appeared in “The Silmarillion.”

The Fall of Gondolin. Released Aug. 30, 2018

Tolkien had called this tale of a mysterious city destroyed by dark forces “the first real story” of Middle earth.

The Nature of Middle-Earth. Released Sept. 2, 2021.

Previously unpublished materials providing background to Tolkien’s work. Edited by Carl F. Hostetter.

The Fall of Numenor. Released Nov. 15, 2022.

More previously unpublished material, expanding on work included in “The Lord of the Rings” appendices. Edited by Brian Sibley.

Reading Tolkien's Books in Chronological Order ...

Tolkien attempted to tell the story of Middle earth from creation through the age of elves and men. Screen Rant published this timeline showing how to read the major works, in roughly chronological order.