J.R.R. Tolkien wrote an awful lot about Middle-earth, and it's often hard to know what to read next or even where to start. This list gives my suggestions for the best order in which to read the books. However, as everyone likes different things when they read, this page will let you customize a booklist that fits your own tastes. It may not turn out to be perfect for you, but it should give you an idea of where to start.

Customize Your List

(Step 1 / 4)

The first thing to specify is how detailed you would like the list to be. Depending on this setting, you can see anything from titles only to detailed notes on what parts of each book you are likely to enjoy most (and least).

Should the list include: Titles only ...plus book descriptions ...plus list parts of each book you're likely to enjoy or dislike most [default] [As above, but list all parts in database.]

(Step 2 / 4)

Some people treat some of Tolkien's writings about Middle-earth as more "canonical" (trustworthy) than others. How should your list handle this?

Ignore issues of "canon" entirely Give some preference to "canonical" texts [default] Put strong emphasis on "canonical" texts

Do you want your list to include notes on how "canonical" each book is?

Yes No

(Step 3 / 4)

The most important differences between Tolkien's writings about Middle-earth are their general styles. Select the choice that most closely describes your feelings about each type of writing below. Examples of each style come from The Lord of the Rings and its appendices. The abbreviations for the four attitude choices mean:

L: I really love this style of writing T: I can tolerate this style of writing E: I enjoy this style of writing H: I really hate this style of writing

L E T H How do you feel about... Children's stories ( The Hobbit ) Narrative stories (App. A.I.v: Aragorn and Arwen, LotR itself) Histories (Most of App. A) Historical Outlines (App. B: The Tale of Years) Detailed essays (Apps. F, D, and E) Early drafts and textual history Light poetry (Sam's Rhyme of the Troll, Oliphant) Epic poetry (Beren and Luthien, Earendil was a Mariner)

(Step 4 / 4)

Finally, for a few "influential" books you can specify if you have already read them or decided to skip them. (The list will still show where each book would go, but it can affect other priorities.) The abbreviations below answer the question "Have you read this book?" as follows:

N: Not yet; I'll read it in list order Y: Yes, I've already read this one S: I plan to skip all or most of it

N Y S Have you already read... The Hobbit The Silmarillion The Book of Lost Tales (2 vols) The Lays of Beleriand The Shaping of Middle-earth The Lost Road The History of LotR (3 1/3 vols.) Sauron Defeated Morgoth's Ring and The War of the Jewels

Recommended Reading Order for Books about Middle-earth

(Will not reflect choices above until they are submitted.)

Books in the "History of Middle-earth" series are labeled by series order: [HoMe N] is the Nth book in the series.

Keep in mind that the suggestions that follow for parts to look forward to and parts you may want to avoid are just educated guesses; don't read too much into the exact order in which they are listed. Positive recommendations are ranked from best to worst; negative ones from worst to best.