Fantasy

The Book of Lost Tales, Part One

The Book of Lost Tales, Part One

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  • Create Date：2021-04-07 14:53:52
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：J.R.R. Tolkien
  • ISBN：0261102222
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Summary

The Book of Lost Tales stands at the beginning of the entire conception of Middle-earth and Valinor， for the Tales were the first form of the myths and legends that came to be called The Simarillion。 Embedded in English legend and English association， they are set in the narritive frame of a great westward voyage over the Ocean by a mariner named Eriol （or Ælfwine） to Tol Eressëa， the Lonely Isle， where Elves dwelt; from them he learned their true history， the Lost Tales of Elfinesse。 In the Tales are found the earlies 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 the invented world。

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Reviews

EmmaPorzee ，

Great story; I love how it was given。 Good job writer！ If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top

Kristen （belles_bookshelves） ，

RTC

Sarah Dunmire ，

I have mixed feelings about the first of these History of Middle Earth volumes。 First， super cool that JRR Tolkien’s son pulled all these stories out of his father’s notes to make these pre-Silmarillion stories available。 Second， love that these are basically Creation stories of Middle Earth。 It’s a unique glimpse into this world。 Second， I basically stopped reading Christopher’s notes as I went along。 Way too dense and way too detailed for what I’m interested in。 I love that Tolkien was so thro I have mixed feelings about the first of these History of Middle Earth volumes。 First， super cool that JRR Tolkien’s son pulled all these stories out of his father’s notes to make these pre-Silmarillion stories available。 Second， love that these are basically Creation stories of Middle Earth。 It’s a unique glimpse into this world。 Second， I basically stopped reading Christopher’s notes as I went along。 Way too dense and way too detailed for what I’m interested in。 I love that Tolkien was so through in creating a world and languages and histories， but I don’t need to read the analysis of the notes。 Too much。 。。。more

Benny Penman ，

Great detail in the writing as if I was watching a movie。 Really tells you a lot about the characters。

Cona Mieville ，

Can't wait to read part 2。 One of the best classical book。 Can't wait to read part 2。 One of the best classical book。 。。。more

Cord ，

It took a little while to get into this （because， through my own obstinacy， I took a while to fully reconcile that these are tales in various states of completion and that were 'overruled' by the final versions published in The Silmarillion and elsewhere。。。）， but once I did it was really fascinating to see the history of Middle-Earth slowly taking form。 Christopher's annotations and notes are exhaustive （and sometimes it feels detrimentally so， though it's interesting to kind of see JRR's editin It took a little while to get into this （because， through my own obstinacy， I took a while to fully reconcile that these are tales in various states of completion and that were 'overruled' by the final versions published in The Silmarillion and elsewhere。。。）， but once I did it was really fascinating to see the history of Middle-Earth slowly taking form。 Christopher's annotations and notes are exhaustive （and sometimes it feels detrimentally so， though it's interesting to kind of see JRR's editing process）。 A lot of the changes between these stories and the early Silmarillion feel really minor， but there's a lot of major changes to be found that show how much work Tolkien put into developing his mythologies。 From the behavior of the Valar to the history of the elves to the importance of the Silmarils themselves there's a lot of changes that come later and to see them develop is exciting。 。。。more

Frank J。 ，

In some odds ways it felt easier to follow than the Silmarillion。 But maybe that's just because it hasn't gotten to the parts that always lose me。 In some odds ways it felt easier to follow than the Silmarillion。 But maybe that's just because it hasn't gotten to the parts that always lose me。 。。。more

Noelia Moncada ，

It adds a really good share of world building in Tolkein's world。 I will recommend to fans。 It adds a really good share of world building in Tolkein's world。 I will recommend to fans。 。。。more

Jeff Zhao Wang ，

I just kicked off the first chapters of the book and found it difficult to read this book。 But it's Tolkien。 So wearying reading turned out to be fun and hilarious。 I just kicked off the first chapters of the book and found it difficult to read this book。 But it's Tolkien。 So wearying reading turned out to be fun and hilarious。 。。。more

Brad ，

It's clear that these tales were collections of world building notes never meant to be published， but Christopher Tolkien does an amazing job stringing them together as an analysis of the mythology， even if it can be hard to read at times。 It's clear that these tales were collections of world building notes never meant to be published， but Christopher Tolkien does an amazing job stringing them together as an analysis of the mythology， even if it can be hard to read at times。 。。。more

J。W。 Donley ，

Just some draft versions of some of the early Silmarillion。 Interesting， but reading the same story in variation is starting to get redundant。 I may need to take a break from HME for a bit and just read LOTR。

Jessica Peace ，

While of course the genius of Tolkien is on detailed display making his thoughts known as he was writing， I found it a bit difficult to follow at first。 However， as the stories unfolded， I began to see patterns and parallels of a magnificent linguist and writer。 So enlightening！

Andrea Ambroso ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Antologia di racconti che esplora le origini della Terra di Mezzo ancora prima della Prima Era: la Genesi del mondo creato da Ilùvatar， la creazione degli dei e le loro caratteristiche specifiche e della Terra （mare， foreste， montagne， oceani ecc。）; gli Aindur che fanno la conoscenza del popolo degli Eldar e la loro divisione ed esodo anche a causa di Melko。 Il tutto è raccontato tramite storie concatenate da diversi interlocutori davanti al focolare。 Stile chiaro e preciso dell'autore， world bu Antologia di racconti che esplora le origini della Terra di Mezzo ancora prima della Prima Era: la Genesi del mondo creato da Ilùvatar， la creazione degli dei e le loro caratteristiche specifiche e della Terra （mare， foreste， montagne， oceani ecc。）; gli Aindur che fanno la conoscenza del popolo degli Eldar e la loro divisione ed esodo anche a causa di Melko。 Il tutto è raccontato tramite storie concatenate da diversi interlocutori davanti al focolare。 Stile chiaro e preciso dell'autore， world building molto apprezzato ma d'altronde Tolkien è una sicurezza nel genere fantasy。Assolutamente apprezzato dopo ogni storia il commento di Cristopher che spiega la vicenda in ogni sua parte， compreso il processo creativo （non sempre chiaro） di suo padre tra i vari appunti lasciati nei taccuini。 Un altro piccolo pezzo da aggiungere al puzzle del mondo di Tolkien。 。。。more

Linda ~ they got the mustard out！ ~ ，

Among one of Tolkien's very first conceptions for Middle-earth was as a series of stories， or tales， that are told to a traveler， Eriol， who found the not-so-hidden realm of Valinor。 This touches on a lot of the stories and world building that will later be found in The Silmarillion。 It's interesting to see what was kept， what was left behind， and how some of the story ideas and characters evolved over the span of years that Tolkien tinkered away at his mythology for Middle-earth。 There's a lot Among one of Tolkien's very first conceptions for Middle-earth was as a series of stories， or tales， that are told to a traveler， Eriol， who found the not-so-hidden realm of Valinor。 This touches on a lot of the stories and world building that will later be found in The Silmarillion。 It's interesting to see what was kept， what was left behind， and how some of the story ideas and characters evolved over the span of years that Tolkien tinkered away at his mythology for Middle-earth。 There's a lot here and frankly it's probably not of much interest to a non-Tolkien geek， and even for me it was a bit dry at times。 But if you ever want to feel comforted about your own manuscripts going nowhere， or starting and stopping and mutating into completely different stories from what you started with， this might do the trick。I didn't even try to keep track of which of these characters end up as different characters later on （with not just different names， but sometimes different genealogies and motivations）， but Christopher does provide that information if it's important to you。 This first Book of Lost Tales covers the creation of the Valar and Eä up through to hiding of Valinor， and even hints at Túrin， Luthien， and other greater tales to come。One of the more interesting early concepts was that this traveler， Eriol， could theoretically at least be given an elixir， limpë， which when drunk kept the drinker young and healthy。 Probably only of interest since I had recently had a conversation elsewhere with someone who insisted there was a drink the Ringbearers could be given when they got to Tol Eressëa that would allow them to live forever。 They didn't have a reference when I asked for one， but now I stumble upon it here。 Of course， being an early conception， it's up to each person to decide how much this should play into canon。 （And it doesn't make a Man immortal， just youthful。 So that person was still wrong， lol。 Not that the Ringbearers， being practical hobbits， would want to live forever anyway， especially after everything they went through to get rid of the Ring。 Geesh。）I also got a kick out of Tolkien's little notes to himself， jotting down lists， ideas， sentences/paragraphs on random pieces of paper。 This was a man who needed a computer。 But he'd probably be one of those guys whose desktop would be littered with shortcuts and documents and empty folders。 LOL。 I don't envy Christopher's job of trying to make sense of his father's notes and journals。 Bad enough the man erased his pencilled texts and wrote over them in ink （paper was precious in those days！）， but trying to follow the paper trail would leave one with a migraine， I can only imagine。 So one down， eleven more to go！ （I've read the HoME volumes for LOTR years ago， so I'm looking forward to rereading those。） 。。。more

Kimberley ，

this was a great collection！ it was nice to read about the more rudimentary versions of the early mythologies of middle earth。 while it was really dense， which did make it less readable at times， but i didn't pick up a tolkien book expecting accessibility。 i really enjoyed all of the stories， and the commentary on each of the stories was also a nice touch。 my favourites were probably the tale of the sun and moon and the chaining of melko this was a great collection！ it was nice to read about the more rudimentary versions of the early mythologies of middle earth。 while it was really dense， which did make it less readable at times， but i didn't pick up a tolkien book expecting accessibility。 i really enjoyed all of the stories， and the commentary on each of the stories was also a nice touch。 my favourites were probably the tale of the sun and moon and the chaining of melko 。。。more

Noemi 📚 ，

Amato e divorato。 💘Bellissimo， per ora è il mio preferito per quanto riguarda i racconti 。 Tulkas e Melkor （ si， non sono normale xD） sono i miei personaggi preferiti。 ❤️

Miguel ，

Sigo pensando lo mismo que cuando leí por primera vez está antología de cuentos。 Este es un libro para puristas del universo Tolkien。 Es muy interesante como enfoco Tolkien la construcción de su cosmogonía， pero los cuentos incluidos tienen un intereses relativo para los lectores que han disfrutado de el señor de los anillos o el Hobbit。

Cristian ，

Muy dificil de leer para mi， solo para ultra fanaticos y estudios de Tolkien。

Moritz ，

Even as an avid Tolkien fan， this one took a bit of getting used to。 But it is really worth it， especially if you’re interested in seeing how his conception of the mythology changed over mind。 What I found truly interesting to read more about was how Tolkien had initially foreseen to connect his tales with the emergence of modern day England。 What a start to the History！

Paul ，

It's enjoyable， not much else to say It's enjoyable， not much else to say 。。。more

Charly ，

The material is dense and raw and certainly reads like it was not meant to be published， but many kudos to Christopher Tolkien for transcribing it all from pencilled notebooks and putting it into something of a cohesive narrative。 It clearly was a monumental task。 Anyway， on to Book 2。

Bil Thompson ，

The first of 12 volumes by JRR Tolkien’s son Christopher。 Who I undertook the daunting task of reading through his fathers many notes and stories to let us into the history of the writing of these stories。 This book is in many ways the rough draft of the Silmarillion and gives the early version of many stories from the first half of the book。 It’s not for everyone but I’m excited to reread this entire series。

Mary Drover ，

As usual， here is my actual review， which is way longer and highly insane。 This was so interesting， and I’m so glad that I’ve finally embarked on the History of Middle-earth。 This was so much more than I thought it was going to be， and it was really interesting to be able to see all the pre-Silmarillion things that Tolkien mostly just summarizes at the beginning in his two quick short stories。 I loved learning about the Valar before they were ruling Arda in truth， and I can’t wait to see what th As usual， here is my actual review， which is way longer and highly insane。 This was so interesting， and I’m so glad that I’ve finally embarked on the History of Middle-earth。 This was so much more than I thought it was going to be， and it was really interesting to be able to see all the pre-Silmarillion things that Tolkien mostly just summarizes at the beginning in his two quick short stories。 I loved learning about the Valar before they were ruling Arda in truth， and I can’t wait to see what the next one brings。 Also， yes， I did spend about 60% of my review utterly bitter about Morgoth， and it was 100% deserved。 。。。more

Sean Solberg ，

The first part of the history of middle earth， the Book of Lost Tales part one is the initial writings JRRT made in assembling the mythology that would later become the Silmarillion。 In reading this， you have the opportunity to see into the changing vision of the author。 Including writings from as early as 1914， it is exciting to see how much of these initial myths persisted through to the end of his writing。 That said， it is important not to equate the earlier writings with what later came abou The first part of the history of middle earth， the Book of Lost Tales part one is the initial writings JRRT made in assembling the mythology that would later become the Silmarillion。 In reading this， you have the opportunity to see into the changing vision of the author。 Including writings from as early as 1914， it is exciting to see how much of these initial myths persisted through to the end of his writing。 That said， it is important not to equate the earlier writings with what later came about， but to take these stories for what they are - a different mythology and a different vision for his tales than would later be developed。 。。。more

Stephen Schroeder ，

Tolkien's dedication to his craft is evident in this publication。 However， this book overloads you with information from start to finish making it difficult to enjoy。 Tolkien's dedication to his craft is evident in this publication。 However， this book overloads you with information from start to finish making it difficult to enjoy。 。。。more

Sean ，

I know that there is a somewhat popular opinion among die-hard Tolkien fans that any book that his son touched is automatically not a good book。 After reading The Book of Lost Tales， as well as a few other books that Christopher edited， I find it hard to agree with this opinion。I found these early works of Tolkien to be fascinating， and the commentary provided by his son to be both informative and enlightening。 While The Book of Lost Tales is certainly on the drier side， I thought it was a wonde I know that there is a somewhat popular opinion among die-hard Tolkien fans that any book that his son touched is automatically not a good book。 After reading The Book of Lost Tales， as well as a few other books that Christopher edited， I find it hard to agree with this opinion。I found these early works of Tolkien to be fascinating， and the commentary provided by his son to be both informative and enlightening。 While The Book of Lost Tales is certainly on the drier side， I thought it was a wonderful look into the early writings that eventually developed into The Silmarillion。 Seeing how the characters and ideas developed from their earliest notes into the full-fledged story of The Silmarillion was very interesting， and Christopher Tolkien's analysis and insights really helped to provide context to how any why these writings developed over the years。I would say to anyone wary of reading anything touched by Christopher Tolkien to set aside your doubts and to give it a shot。 It may not be "pure" J。R。R。 Tolkien， but it's a wonderful look deeper into the origins of Middle-Earth and Tolkien's later works。 。。。more

Nikola Pavlovic ，

Suvo zlato <3Detaljnijem revjuu cu se posvetiti nakon drugog citanja ove knjige。

Martin Hrabal ，

It is difficult to rate this book even though I am a fan of Tolkien´s work for long years。 So if you are a hardcore Middle-Earth inhabitant and "Silmarillionologist"， then do not hesitate to read it。 If you are looking for some classical fantasy like Lord of the Rings， try rather something different。But for those Silmarillionologists like me， it is must-read book with initial versions of the mythology including creation of the world and history of elves。 There are many very interesting details a It is difficult to rate this book even though I am a fan of Tolkien´s work for long years。 So if you are a hardcore Middle-Earth inhabitant and "Silmarillionologist"， then do not hesitate to read it。 If you are looking for some classical fantasy like Lord of the Rings， try rather something different。But for those Silmarillionologists like me， it is must-read book with initial versions of the mythology including creation of the world and history of elves。 There are many very interesting details and changes compared to final versions。 You can see what were Tolkien´s inspirations， how characters and their names developed， what mistakes Valar did and that elves and men were not so black and white as might seem for common LotR reader。Although the language is difficult， worthy of reading。 。。。more

Jason Keel ，

If you are a Tolkien geek you will probably like this book。 Why would I be reserved about a 4 star book？ This book is unlike any other book I've read， and I suspect any you've read。 The Book of Lost Tales contains the earliest conceptions of the stories that became Tolkien's posthumously published masterpiece "The Silmarillion。" These are stories that faintly echo the later published stories， but are markedly different。 I can imagine the Professor， who was a perfectionist， rolling over in his gr If you are a Tolkien geek you will probably like this book。 Why would I be reserved about a 4 star book？ This book is unlike any other book I've read， and I suspect any you've read。 The Book of Lost Tales contains the earliest conceptions of the stories that became Tolkien's posthumously published masterpiece "The Silmarillion。" These are stories that faintly echo the later published stories， but are markedly different。 I can imagine the Professor， who was a perfectionist， rolling over in his grave at the thought of us reading discarded older drafts of the work he labored over for most of his life。 Yet， the stories， though different are pretty good。 In most cases I prefer "The Simarillion" but there are elements of these stories that contain more detail， and novel style story telling and dialogue; the things that the Bible-like overview style of the later works don't have that many readers wanted。 Also， for the especially geeky among us there are footnotes to explain things not readily apparent， glossaries of elven words that show the development of Tolkien's fictional languages， and commentary by Christopher Tolkien that give you a glimpse into the mind of his father as he worked out the details of his imaginary world from 1914 to his death in 1973。 Truly this is a monumental of work of imagination on the part of the father and editing and literary history on the part of the son。 It's not for everyone， but I for one enjoyed it。 。。。more

André Jan ，

So this one was very hard for me to read。The lord of the rings is slow based， highly detailed fantasy。The Silamarillion is more of a mix between Greek Mythology and the old Testament （esp。 with regards to the amount of names）。This was more a detailed analysis on how the works were written over decades and how the stories were constructed or at times how they would have been constructed if given enough time （but not their actual meanings）。 All in all， most of the changes which made it into the fi So this one was very hard for me to read。The lord of the rings is slow based， highly detailed fantasy。The Silamarillion is more of a mix between Greek Mythology and the old Testament （esp。 with regards to the amount of names）。This was more a detailed analysis on how the works were written over decades and how the stories were constructed or at times how they would have been constructed if given enough time （but not their actual meanings）。 All in all， most of the changes which made it into the final stories were for the best。 I would have liked to see the stories told differently， but how I have no idea。* This would have been three stars but for the decision to call some of the elves Gnomes。 Really glad that one wasn't kept。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Book of Lost Tales, Part One

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Book of Lost Tales, Part One&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Book of Lost Tales, Part One&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0