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The Book of Lost Tales, Part One

by J. R. R. Tolkien

Other authors: Christopher Tolkien (Editor)

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: The History of Middle-Earth (1)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
5,632231,813 (3.62)64
Fantasy. Fiction. HTML:

The Book of Lost Tales was the first major work of imagination by J.R.R. Tolkien, begun in 1916-17 when he was twenty-five years old and left incomplete several years later. It stands at the beginning of the entire conception of Middle-earth and Valinor, for these tales were the first form of the myths and legends that came to be called The Silmarillion. Embedded in English legend, they are set in the narrative frame of a great westward voyage over the Ocean by a mariner named Eriol (or AElfwine) to Tol Eressea, the Lonely Isle, where elves dwelt; from him they learned their true history, the Lost Tales of Elfinesse. In these Tales are found the earliest accounts and original ideas of Gods and Elves, Dwarves, Balrogs, and Orcs; of the Silmarils and the Two Trees of Valinor; of Nargothrond and Gondolin; of the geography and cosmology of Middle-earth. Volume One contains the tales of The Music of the Ainur, The Building of valinor, The Chaining of Melko, The coming of the Elves and The Flight of the Noldoli, among others. Each tale is followed by a short essay by Christopher Tolkien, the author's son and literary executor.

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» See also 64 mentions

English (21)  Italian (1)  Swedish (1)  All languages (23)
Showing 1-5 of 21 (next | show all)
There is a considerable amount of editorial material in this series. To me, it seems a bok for serious students only. ( )
  DinadansFriend | Mar 5, 2024 |
Christopher Tolkien systematizes his father's papers. ( )
  Mama56 | Dec 4, 2023 |
A return to the very beginnings of Tolkien's Middle Earth ethos and the Elder Days. A rich collection of wild and energetic tales much different than the distillation found in The Silmarillion, such as the cosmological poem "Habannan Beneath the Stars." There is much here that is stylistically reminiscent of The Canterbury Tales and The Decameron. Recommended for those interested in the mythos of men and elves, or the Tolkien completist. ( )
1 vote wyclif | Sep 22, 2021 |
Rating this a 3 primarily so as not to invoke Dave's ire. He's right that the tales are "turgid, tedious, and unconscionably self-indulgent." But then, he also uses "belike" in a nonsensical way.

Where I differ from him is in trying to imagine what the reviews would be in a world that didn't contain Tolkien's other published works. First of all, I shudder to think of such a world. Secondly, we don't live in that world, so what's the point in rating a book from that subjunctive point of view? Such arguments are simply attempts to justify one's own peevishness.

The Book of Lost Tales is a solid 3. No, the tales are not great, and yes sometimes they are downright terrible. But the book does precisely what it's supposed to do: Provide early, unrefined versions of stories that NEVER got to a point where Tolkien himself was comfortable publishing them. It's for the Tolkien lovers who want to delve into that minutiae. There's no reason to criticize the book simply because you're not one of those people.
( )
1 vote octoberdad | Dec 16, 2020 |
I read The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and the Silmarilion (in that order). I read them after seeing the movies. I love those books. Part one of the Book of Lost Tales is interesting and continuously shows the author's surprising amount of imagination. However, my comments here are based upon reading only about half the book. It really is like reading a history book and doesn't draw you in to fall in love with any characters, places, or groups of people. I may pick up the book and try finishing it later, but it's going on the shelf for now. I was planning on buying the whole set. I'm glad I bought only the first one. ( )
1 vote 014 | May 4, 2020 |
Showing 1-5 of 21 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (17 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Tolkien, J. R. R.primary authorall editionsconfirmed
Tolkien, ChristopherEditorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Adlerberth, RolandTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Edelfeldt, IngerIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Gottlieb, TeresaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Kot, RadosławTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Manini, LucaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Masera, RubénTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Pieruccini, CinziaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Schütz, Hans J.Translatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Tolkien, AdamTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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On the cover of one of the now very battered 'High School Exercise Books' in which some of the Lost Tales were composed my father wrote: The Cottage of Lost Play, which introduceth [the] Book of Lost Tales; an on the cover is written, in my mother's hand, her initials,l E.M.T., and a date, Feb. 12th 1917.
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Fantasy. Fiction. HTML:

The Book of Lost Tales was the first major work of imagination by J.R.R. Tolkien, begun in 1916-17 when he was twenty-five years old and left incomplete several years later. It stands at the beginning of the entire conception of Middle-earth and Valinor, for these tales were the first form of the myths and legends that came to be called The Silmarillion. Embedded in English legend, they are set in the narrative frame of a great westward voyage over the Ocean by a mariner named Eriol (or AElfwine) to Tol Eressea, the Lonely Isle, where elves dwelt; from him they learned their true history, the Lost Tales of Elfinesse. In these Tales are found the earliest accounts and original ideas of Gods and Elves, Dwarves, Balrogs, and Orcs; of the Silmarils and the Two Trees of Valinor; of Nargothrond and Gondolin; of the geography and cosmology of Middle-earth. Volume One contains the tales of The Music of the Ainur, The Building of valinor, The Chaining of Melko, The coming of the Elves and The Flight of the Noldoli, among others. Each tale is followed by a short essay by Christopher Tolkien, the author's son and literary executor.

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The Book of Lost Tales was the first major work of imagination by J.R.R. Tolkien, begun in 1916-17 when he was twenty-five years old and left incomplete several years later. It stands at the beginning of the entire conception of Middle-earth and Valinor, for these tales were the first form of the myths and legends that came to be called The Silmarillion. Embedded in English legend, they are set in the narrative frame of a great westward voyage over the Ocean by a mariner named Eriol (or AElfwine) to Tol Eressea, the Lonely Isle, where elves dwelt; from him they learned their true history, the Lost Tales of Elfinesse. In these Tales are found the earliest accounts and original ideas of Gods and Elves, Dwarves, Balrogs, and Orcs; of the Silmarils and the Two Trees of Valinor; of Nargothrond and Gondolin; of the geography and cosmology of Middle-earth. Volume One contains the tales of The Music of the Ainur, The Building of valinor, The Chaining of Melko, The coming of the Elves and The Flight of the Noldoli, among others. Each tale is followed by a short essay by Christopher Tolkien, the author's son and literary executor.
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