Hi All,

I have read TLOTR twice, the Silmarillion (although I think I skipped a few bits) and am currently reading The Hobbit again (first time was when I was at school, a long time ago). What I would like though is a list of books other TOR players would recommend getting, which would be helpful to other TOR Loremasters.

Really what I'm interested in is a good reference work which gives a summary of the history of Arda and the parts played by the "big-players" in Tolkien's universe up to the events of TLOTR and also includes some good pictures and maps.

Thanks.

For maps you can't go wrong with The Atlas of Middle Earth. It has maps from all 3 ages, and depicts all sorts of stuff from climates to the movement of armies to the layout of specific places (like the Elvenking's Hall) extrapolated from the texts.

For a more readable and engaging experience with the First Age, The Children of Hurin is great. You'll recognize the basic story from the Silmarillion (which is a summary of the entire First Age), but it obviously goes into greater depth and detail (still nothing like LotR though).

Finally, if you're really interested in The Silmarillion you might consider checking out The Histories of Middle Earth. It's basically a lot of older drafts and commentaries about the tales that you've already read about in The Silmarillion. It can be VERY tough to muddle through at times but if you have an interest in the minutiae it's a worthwhile read (just remember to pace yourself, lol). By far the most enjoyable for me was Volume 3, The Lays of Beleriand. In it are unfinished drafts of the 3 Great Tales of the First Age (Beren and Luthien, Children of Hurin, and Fall of Gondolin) in verse. It's been a while, but Children of Hurin (and I believe Fall of Gondolin as well) is in alliterative meter similar to Old English epic poems such as Beowulf, and Beren and Luthien is structured around rhyming couplets.

Finally, my other suggestion is that if it's been a while, re-read The Silmarillion again. It's one of those books that's tough to get through the first time, but is easier and more enjoyable when re-read (since you're already somewhat familiar with the events and characters).

Thanks for that list alien270.

As Loremaster, I think I need something a little easier-going than the Silmarillion, which when I read it was akin to reading the Old Testament!

What I am thinking of is material which can be used to put words into the mouths of my Loremaster characters to give them more life, such as knowledge of the First and Second Age they might relate to a character through tales or songs, information on all the "bad" places to go in Middle Earth, past and present (e.g. Angband, Angmar, Dol Guldur)

If the Atlas of Middle Earth has sufficient accompanying text, this might be the only reference I need. Does it?

There have been several "Tolkien Companions" and such published over the years that include notes on all the various characters, places, etc.

David Day has written and illustrated several books touching on various areas of Middle Earth, litterary and Mythological inspirations, etc. I do not always agree with wat he says, but it is very readable and accessible.

Atlas of Middle Earth is a must have, she really did her homework properly.

The appendices of Lord of the Rings contain a lot of information.

Cheers,

Not so much big picture stuff, but given TOR's focus on the Wilderland, the History of the Hobbit was a fabulous read.

One thing to keep in mind with the Atlas is that their are two versions, with the second one being slightly better (I think). From what I've read elsewhere certain errors from the first edition were corrected. Unfortunately some new ones were introduced.

As I recall (from posts elsewhere) one of the major issues was the placement of Angbad. The 1st Edition Atlas placed it immediately to the north of the map of Beleriand (as seen in the Silmarillion). Like, one pixel north of where Christopher's map stops. Further investigation into ME materials (HoME?) revealed it could not be located there, it would have to be farther N/NE. In the 2nd Edition Atlas, rather than moving Angbad to it's proper , the original map has had Angbad surgically removed but is otherwise unchanged. The text references Angbad's on the map (because the 1st Edition text was not updated here (some others were)) but of course it cannot be found there any more.

It is not a deal breaker. Don't get pulled into spending a bazillion dollars for a particular version because it is 'that' version. Just thought you should be aware that their are issues with both of these Atlases. Neither is perfect, but either can be extremely helpful in getting a better understand of how things were geographically arranged. Particularly with movement of people / armies.

Yeah, if you want easier than The Silmarillion then the Histories of Middle Earth aren't a good idea. While there won't be much directly related to a TOR campaign, The Children of Hurin is a great window into the First Age, describing many of the major geographic areas of Beleriand. An Elf that casually references Melian, Turgon, or Mablung the Hunter would be much appreciated by any players that are familiar with First Age lore. A company of masked Dwarves that call to mind the Nirnaeth Arnoediad where only the Dwarves could withstand the great wyrm Glaurung would also be a neat throwback. Etc.

Point being, IMO it's the most accessible way to read about the First Age, as it reads like an actual story but still deals with a lot of the major personas of that time.

OK, you've convinced me to get The Children of Hurin, which I downloaded to my Kindle a few minutes ago. I may also pick up The Atlas of Middle Earth at a later date but will get that as a physical book rather than on Kindle as I don't think Kindle will do it justice.

Thanks for everyone's suggestions.

Don't forget the Unfinished Tales. I seem to recall that in addition to further information on the coming of Tuor to Gondolin, there is also quite a bit of background on the Second and Third Ages.

I'm sure the more erudite scholars will correct me if I am wrong but aren't there sections dealing with the Rohirrim and also the Disaster at the Gladden Fields when Isildur was slain by an Orc ambush?

One piece of lore in particular always intrigued me and that was the description of the Numenorean/early Gondorian/Arnorian battle formations in the latter section.

Definitely worth a look and much easier to get into than The Silmarillion. None of the rather dry Genesis type chapters on the "Shaping of the World" - cuts straight to the action!

I think Unfinished Tales is terrific, thanks to its material regarding the Third Age (Disaster at the Gladden Fields, Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan, The Quest of Erebor, the Hunt for the Ring, The Battle of the Ford of Isen, and The Istari). I would not dive into the HoME series willy-nilly unless you're a Tolkien nut, but I do recommend MORGOTH'S RING (some great insight into Tolkien's thoughts regarding overarching themes of ME; discussion of Morgoth's "creation" or "corruption" of Orcs, Balrogs, and all manner of other baddies; and Customs of the Eldar) and PEOPLES OF MIDDLE EARTH (the name says it all; it has some neat additional background material regarding the Free Peoples).

I recently picked up The Origins of Tolkien's Middle-earth FOR DUMMIES, SPARK NOTES The Hobbit, and SPARK NOTES The Lord of the Rings. I think these three books are an excellent resource for Loremasters.

Hobbits, Elves and Wizards: The Wonders and Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" by Michael Stanton. Amazon has one of those sneak peaks (click to LOOK INSIDE), I would suggest taking a look if the notion piques your interest. I stumbled on this tiny book at a used book store. And, in some very important ways, it unlocked much of the mystery around Tolkien's dialogue and character development. The author is a literary professor who has been teaching The LotR as an undergraduate class. This serves the dual purpose of being solidly grounded, but very accessible. In fact, I think it is one of the most important studies on The LotR to read and the easiest to absorb. It's written in quite a compelling way so that I find myself returning to it year after year from sheer appreciation of the subject.

Regards,
E