The Lost Road and Other Writings (The History of Middle-Earth Volume 5) (V.5 1) [Paperback]

Christopher Tolkien (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 18, 1993

The fifth volume of the History of Middle-earth, containing the early myths and legends which led to the writing of Tolkien's epic tale of war, The Silmarillion. At the end of 1937, J R R Tolkien reluctantly set aside his work on the myths and heroic legends of Valinor and Middle-earth and began The Lord of the Rings. This fifth volume of The History of Middle-earth completes the examination of his writing up to that time. Later forms of The Annals of Valinor and The Annals of Beleriand had been composed, The Silmarillion was nearing completion in a greatly amplified form, and a new Map had been made. The legend of the Downfall of Numenor had entered the work, including those central ideas: the World Made Round and the Straight Path into the vanished West. Closely associated with this was the abandoned 'time-travel' story The Lost Road, linking the world of Numenor and Middle-earth with the legends of many other times and peoples. Also included in this volume is the The Lhammas, as essay on the complex languages and dialects of Middle-earth, and an 'etymological dictionary' containing an extensive account of Elvish vocabularies.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This is the fifth of six projected volumes on "The History of Middle-Earth." The complex revisions to Quenta Silmarillion , included here, give yet another insight into Tolkien's methods of reworking the rich ore of his linguistic knowledge and imagination, while the etymological dictionary of the Elvish languages reinforces his achievement in creating a self-contained world that yet penetrates our own. Still, only readers steeped in Tolkien's mythology will fully appreciate the discussion of The Lost Road 's relation to The Fall of Numenor. Riches for linguistic scholars and initiates, but casual readers will be much perplexed. Barbara J. Dunlap, City Coll. Lib., CUNY
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

'Christopher Tolkien shows himself to be his father's son! Tolkien devotees will rejoice' The New York Times Book Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 462 pages
• Publisher: Grafton (August 18, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0261102257
• ISBN-13: 978-0261102255
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,120,409 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

J.R.R. Tolkien (1892.1973), beloved throughout the world as the creator of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, was a professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford, a fellow of Pembroke College, and a fellow of Merton College until his retirement in 1959. His chief interest was the linguistic aspects of the early English written tradition, but even as he studied these classics he was creating a set of his own.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For any Tolkien linguist this is REQUIRED READING, January 16, 2000

By 

Claude Heyman - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lost Road and Other Writings (The History of Middle-Earth, Vol. 5) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book contains the Etymologies of the Elvish languages. This is the prime source of all current vocabulary in Quenya, Sindarin, Telerin and all other Elvish tongues.

I HIGHLY recommend that any serious student of Tolkien's languages buy this book.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Lost Road - A must-have for the Tolkienian linguist, January 5, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Lost Road and Other Writings (The History of Middle-Earth, Vol. 5) (Mass Market Paperback)

The Lost Road, the fifth book in the History of Middle Earth series, publishes for the first time the background material on Middle Earth J.R.R. Tolkien created for his own use as he wrote Lord of the Rings. Some of this draft material was edited and published posthumously in The Silmarillion. The Lost Road includes much of the material found in The Silmarillion in its previous incarnations, all with commentary from JRRT's son, Christopher Tolkien. Included as well is The Lost Road, a time-travel story Tolkien wrote at the behest of his good friend, C.S. Lewis (who was to work on a space-travel story). The Lost Road was never completed; Tolkien abandoned the idea midway.

Especially of interest to Tolkienian linguists are the Lhammas, or book of tongues, which outlines Tolkien's former conception of the dividing and multiplying of the Elvish languages. While this scenario is extremely out of sync with Tolkien's final conception, it is still of interest historically and important in order to understand the section that follows, the Etymologies.

The Etymologies are a /must/ for any Tolkienian linguist. They were and remain the greatest source of vocabulary in all the Elvish languages, and almost the only source for Primitive Elvish stems. While confusing to the non-technical reader, the Etymologies are still the main reference used by Tolkienian linguists. Allthough some of the material in the Etymologies is out of sync with what Tolkien imagined his languages to be as when he wrote Lord of the Rings, the changes necessary to bring Etymologies-style languages to 'modern' languages are mostly well documented.

In short, if you're just someone who enjoys Tolkien's works, this would be a fun read. If you're a serious Tolkienian linguist, this is a requirement.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great by Christopher Tolkien, September 25, 1998

By 

[e-mail] - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lost Road and Other Writings (The History of Middle-Earth, Vol. 5) (Hardcover)

In the fifth volume of The History of Middle Earth, Christopher Tolkien brings to light even more of his father's great stories. What started as a competition between Inkling members J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis almost became what looks to be a very good story (it ends after only two chapters), and was the foreshadowing of an even greater story--the Fall of Numenor. Tolkien also includes the later Annals of both Valinor and Beleriand, not to mention an early version of the Ainulindale. He also teases die hard fans with the Llamas and the Etymologies, which give new insight on Elvish languages. Also included is Tolkien's second Silmarillion map which shows how his understanding of Middle Earth's geography evolved. I recommend this book to any die hard Tolkien fan and to those who are casually strolling through this beautiful world of Middle Earth.