The Peoples of Middle-Earth (The History of Middle-Earth, Vol. 12) (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Christopher Tolkien (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Throughout this vast and intricate mythology, says Publishers Weekly, "one marvels anew at the depth, breadth, and persistence of J.R.R. Tolkien's labor. No one sympathetic to his aims, the invention of a secondary universe, will want to miss this chance to be present at the creation." In this capstone to that creation, we find the chronology of Middle-earth's later Ages, the Hobbit genealogies, and the Western language or Common Speech. These early essays show that Tolkien's fertile imagination was at work on Middle-earth's Second and Third Ages long before he explored them in the Appendices to The Lord of the Rings . Here too are valuable writings from Tolkien's last years: " The New Shadow," in Gondor of the Fourth Age, and" Tal-elmar," the tale of the coming of the Nœmen-rean ships.

About the Author

J.R.R. Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892. After serving in the First World War, he embarked upon a distinguished career as a professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University. He is the renowned creator of Middle-earth and author of the great modern classic, The Hobbit, the prelude to his epic masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings. Other works by J.R.R. Tolkien include The Silmarillion. J.R.R. Tolkien died in 1973 at the age of 81.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 496 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; First American Edition edition (December 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395827604
• ISBN-13: 978-0395827604
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #421,288 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 12 in The History of Middle-earth Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

76 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This isn't the end, it's the beginning, December 13, 2000

By	Michael Martinez (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews

Christopher Tolkien takes the reader back to the years 1950-1952 when his father was preparing the appendices and prologue for The Lord of the Rings. So much that had been written for publication was lost because the book was so big it simply couldn't all be used. So the appendices we have today were created by condensing the material originally intended for publication.

What we learn from the lengthy source material is that Tolkien really did anticipate many fannish questions and tried to answer them. A great deal of information concerning Hobbits, Elves, and the Edain (and Dunedain) was to be included. The essay "Of Dwarves and Men" also provides a fantastic study of early Second Age culture in the lands beyond the Misty Mountains. Unfinished Tales had led us to believe there was nothing more to be learned about the Second Age, but at the end of the History of Middle-earth series Christopher Tolkien unloaded a bombshell.

Peoples of Middle-earth also includes the previously unpublished opening pages for The New Shadow, the sequel J.R.R. Tolkien almost wrote to The Lord of the Rings. It begins after Aragorn has died and hints at a dark plot to overthrow King Eldarion. Sadly, Tolkien felt no passion for the story, which he deemed would be no better than a thriller. So he abandoned it just as the first taint of evil arose.

Tolkien researchers will also find that "The Shibboleth of Feanor" sets out the final and complete genealogy for Finwe's descendants, and several accompanying essays explain minor details alluded to throughout the History of Middle-earth books.

42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All the questions you need answered about Tolkien's world..., October 16, 1997

By A Customer

For years J.R.R. Tolkien's fans have wondered and speculated endlessly about whether Moria was retaken, who the Princes of Dol Amroth were, whether Cirdan's real name was "Cirdan", how the Dwarves ate if they spent their time digging and working mines, etc., etc., etc. The great mysteries are solved, and we learn for the first time just how extensive the Appendices to THE LORD OF THE RINGS were originally intended to be. Tolkien had to cut much of the material he had written, and only now, more than forty years later, we can officially declare the canon expanded. Of course there are the usual glimpses into other works -- arcane essays about the names of Finwe's descendants, a bit of history about the Dwarves (all seven Houses are named), some clues about the relationship of the Dunlendings and Breemen to the Dunedain, and how long the Hobbits actually lived beside men in the Vales of Anduin. And added treat is the full text of the abandoned sequel to THE LORD OF THE RINGS -- THE NEW SHADOW. Although many fans have eschewed THE HISTORY OF MIDDLE-EARTH books as too redundant, too boring, too expensive, this is the one volume that anyone who has read through the Appendices and wondered, "Is that all?", must have.

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At long last, the tale of Middle-Earth is brought to a close, August 24, 2001

By	Drogo Moss (Lake-by-Downs, The Shire, Middle-Earth) - See all my reviews

But is this the end -- or only the beginning? This book, the 12th in "The History of Middle-Earth" series, wraps up the final loose ends of Christopher Tolkien's 25 year labor. Unlike many of the other titles in this series, "The Peoples of Middle-Earth" does not concentrate on a single "Age" or storyline. Instead, it attempts to answer remaining questions, correct errors and misimpressions, and provide extra bits of information about the lives and histories of the many peoples populating Middle-Earth. Of special interest are the two fragments of unfinished stories: one, dealing with the coming of the Numenorean ships to the shores of Middle-Earth (told from the perspective of the men living in desperation under the tyranny of the Dark Lord), two, dealing with the return of evil in Gondor, some 100+ years after the downfall of the Lord of the Rings. This hobbit wishes that these two stories had been finished. This book is a delight for all lovers of Middle-Earth -- Elves, Dwarves, Men and Hobbits will all find something of interest. Highly Recommended.