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 the Lost Tales were the first form of the myths and legends that came to be called The Silmarillion. Embedded in English legend and English association, they are set in the narrative frame of a great westward voyage over the Ocean by a mariner named Eriel (or Elfwine) 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 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 cosmography of the invented world. These views of Tolkien's original visions of the beginning of time and first ages of his invented universe are fascinating and vary in countless ways from the Silmarillion. The poetry is charming and has a certain innocence. Through Christopher Tolkien's extensive notes, appendix and Index, the evolution of J. R. R. Tolkien's plots, characters and languages can be traced through alterations both minor and massive. Every effort has been made to preserve the formatting of text and poetry and to include all of the accents as they appear in the book. The validator has described 2 unique maps drawn by J. R. R. Tolkien which are analyzed in detail by his son. This book is a scholarly, textbook-like recording of Tolkien's unpublished notes with lengthy analysis by his son after each section. The appendix and index are 51 pages long. This book will be a reliable resource for any Tolkien reader or student interested in understanding his languages exactly as he wrote them.
Copyright:
1983
Book Details
Book Quality:
Excellent
Book Size:
305 Pages
ISBN-13:
9780395354391
Publisher:
N/A
Date of Addition:
09/26/08
Copyrighted By:
Frank Richard Williamson and Christothe Espher Reuel Tolkien as Executors of Estate of J. R. R. Tolkien
