Approaching J.R.R. Tolkien

One of the most common questions I encounter from readers approaching J.R.R. Tolkiens writings is Where do I start? The list of books written by J.R.R. Tolkien can be overwhelming and confusing.

Most readers are familiar with The Lord of the Rings and The hobbit, but locate the Tolkien section at your local bookstore and youll likely find a dozen or more title staring back at you. Whats more, many of those will proclaim themselves as prequels to The Lord of the Rings.

Ironically, Tolkien only published four books on Middle-earth (his fictional world) during his lifetime - The hobbit and the three-volume Lord of the Rings series.

The two major posthumous publications are The Silmarillion and the recently published The Children of Hurin. So where should you start? With the prequels? The Lord of the Rings? The hobbit?

Here are my simple ordering suggestions for reading Tolkiens works:

• The hobbit
• The Lord of the Rings (three volumes)
• The Silmarillion
• The Children of Hurin

While the events chronicled in The hobbit and The Lord of the Rings may occur thousands of years after many of the tales in The Silmarillion and The Children of Hurin, these tales stand on their own, without the background necessary for the latter two pieces.

The time to tackle The Silmarillion and The Children of Hurin is after reading The Lord of the Rings, and reaching an understanding of the basic heroic structure of Tolkiens created world.

While browsing Tolkiens books, you may also come across a number of other titles not listed above - for example The book of lost Tales, The return of the Shadow, Morgoths Ring (and many others).

These books are collections of Tolkiens unfinished and abandoned writings on Middle-earth, generally of interest only to those who have read his core writings and are interested in the development and writing process of Tolkiens mythology. They are fascinating snapshots of the creative process at work, but would likely be confusing and nearly unreadable to someone unfamiliar with his earlier works.

Yoga Mat With Printed Positions