The Book of Lost Tales, Part One

More about the book

The Book of Lost Tales marks J.R.R. Tolkien's first major imaginative work, initiated in 1916-1917 at the age of twenty-five and left incomplete years later. It represents the foundation of Middle-earth and Valinor, serving as the initial form of the myths that would evolve into The Silmarillion. Set against a backdrop of English legend, the narrative follows a mariner named Eriel (or AElfwine) on a westward voyage to Tol Eressea, the Lonely Isle of the Elves, where he discovers their true history, the Lost Tales of Elfinesse. Within these tales are the earliest accounts of Gods, Elves, Dwarves, Balrogs, and Orcs, alongside the Silmarils and the Two Trees of Valinor, and the geography of this invented world. This work will be published in two volumes; the first includes the Tales of Valinor, while the second will feature stories like Beren and Luthien, Turin and the Dragon, the Necklace of the Dwarves, and the Fall of Gondolin. Each tale is accompanied by commentary and associated poems, with extensive information on names and early Elvish languages. Further volumes are planned to expand the history of Middle-earth, including additional writings, annals, maps, and more.