?s about HoME

[jbru119]

just started BoLTs 1... I just need a few things cleared up...

1. Eriol (AElfwine) arrived at Tol Eressea in what time period?... maybe I missed something, but at first I thought he arrived far after the WotR (accidentally of course), but now I think he arrived sometime during, perhaps, the TA... just a little confused about that...

2. Is ME Europe? Britian? I know early on he said it was Europe, and then later retracted... in BoLTs 1 does Chris say that originally Valinor was Britian, and then later Britian was ME?...

my brain is totally worn out from Latin this semester... I don't have any room in thier for JRRT right now... I'm totally confused...

3. Should I be reading HoME straight thru? or can I just skip around? I have the first five (Ballantine box-set), and then I have HoLotR... I know when I read UT I just skipped around that book, but I was much easier since there were big gaps between stories anyway... just wondering how other people tackled these...

4. Are the Ballantine HoME (1-5) the same as the Houghton-Mifflin books? I hope that sooner or later HM produces paper backs of all the HoME books (not just 1, 2, and 6-9)

thats all for now... thanks in advance to anyone who reads all my rambling (blah, blah, blah) and responds!!!

[Inderjit S]

1. Eriol (AElfwine) arrived at Tol Eressea in what time period?... maybe I missed something, but at first I thought he arrived far after the WotR (accidentally of course), but now I think he arrived sometime during, perhaps, the TA... just a little confused about that...

The Lost Tales pre-dates the Rings trilogy by some 20 years. So there was no Third Age or no Hobbits at this point they only came into conception when readers began to request a sequel to The Hobbit. It was then that Tolkien began to envisage the power and importance of the Ring.

It takes place in our times, though the time dates vary. The Tale of Tinúviel and The History of Eriol Ælfwine give ample detail of Eriol Ælfwine's history.

The Lost Tales mythology can be seen as a distinct mythology, from which the Silmarillion was borne. The descriptions of
Tol Eressëa match that of some places in Britain because Tolkien wanted to create a mythology for England.

Some of the Elves still resided in "Britain" (Or Lúthien) and Eriol Ælfwine had been searching for them for most of his life. The best place to look for his history is in the chapter The History of Eriol Ælfwine (BoLT 2)

Should I be reading HoME straight thru? or can I just skip around?

It's up to you. I would advocate reading the last three editions Morgoth's Ring, War of the Jewels, Peoples of Middle-Earth with the Published Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales. Unless you have a intrinsic interest in Lord of the Rings I would recommend that you leave volumes 6-9 The Return of the Shadow, The Treason of Isengard, The War of the Ring, Sauron Defeated till last. I would also recommend reading HoME 4 and 5 The Shaping of Middle-Earth and The Lost Road together.

[Arvedui]

Originally posted by jbru119
just started BoLTs 1... I just need a few things cleared up...

4. Are the Ballantine HoME (1-5) the same as the Houghton-Mifflin books? I hope that sooner or later HM produces paper backs of all the HoME books (not just 1, 2, and 6-9)

I'm not sure about the Ballantine books, but concerning your question about paperbacks, I happen to have 11 out of 12 of the books, all in paperback. I don't have all of them here, but Those that I have are published by Harper Collins.

[Aiwendil2]

I would advise reading HoMe in order - including the commentary, which is important. I know that a lot of people skip around, but it rather seems to me that this would only lead to confusion. HoMe is complex and often difficult to keep track of even when one reads it in the proper order.

And also, speaking as one who did in fact read the whole thing in order, it is immensely fun.