Other JRR Tolkien Works - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

wburns710 · 04-04-2022, 08:12 PM

Hello all..... I have read the Hobbit, and the Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien.

I currently have the Silmarillion to read.

What I was wondering was, is there any other good JRR Tolkien books worth reading for a pretty big fan? Let me know along with which ones I should read first, I am trying to catch up on all things Tolkien!

Galadriel55 · 04-04-2022, 09:16 PM

Oh boy. The full list of Tolkien's writ would take rather a while. Or, in Gandalf's words:"Mercy!" cried Gandalf. "If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you."

But if the question is what to read after The Sil, and we don't do a Gandalf, there is a handful to choose from. Children of Hurin expounds in more detail on one of the chapters of The Sil, if you like the First Age material. Unfinished Tales has a few wonderful stories too, from both First Age events and the later Ages - some of these stories are referenced in LOTR glancingly but without details. There are various other collections of early works and late works, but they tend to become gradually less cohesive the deeper you delve. Then there are the non-Middle-earth works, like Farmer Giles of Ham, Leaf by Niggle, and Roverandom. Tolkien's various poems, which are a combination of Middle-earth and not. His more scholarly writings. Letters. You can go on and on. But if you're interested in reading more Middle-earth Tolkien, probably Unfinished Tales and Children of Hurin are the next go to (pick one depending on how much you enjoy or dislike the Turin chapter in The Sil).

It’s a dangerous business indeed, reading Tolkien. You step into the Book, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to. Do you realize that this is the very path that goes through Mirkwood, and that if you let it, it might take you to the Lonely Mountain or even further and to worse places?

We'd love to hear your thoughts as you read along. We love to discuss all things Tolkien here, and it's always great to hear new people's perspectives!

Inziladun · 04-05-2022, 05:31 AM

Welcome, wburns710!

I would echo much of what G55 said.

I think Unfinished Tales is a great work for "filling in the blanks" on some things a Middle-earth reader might wonder about.

As for the non-ME stuff, Farmer Giles is a personal favorite of mine. I see a lot of Bilbo Baggins in the protagonist there.

I also like Smith of Wootton Major, where there are again some Middle-earth parallells in a more "real" setting.

04-04-2022, 08:12 PM	#1
wburns710 Newly Deceased Join Date: Apr 2022 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 1	Other JRR Tolkien Works Hello all..... I have read the Hobbit, and the Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien. I currently have the Silmarillion to read. What I was wondering was, is there any other good JRR Tolkien books worth reading for a pretty big fan? Let me know along with which ones I should read first, I am trying to catch up on all things Tolkien!

04-04-2022, 09:16 PM	#2
Galadriel55 Blossom of Dwimordene Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: The realm of forgotten words Posts: 10,401	Oh boy. The full list of Tolkien's writ would take rather a while. Or, in Gandalf's words:"Mercy!" cried Gandalf. "If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you." But if the question is what to read after The Sil, and we don't do a Gandalf, there is a handful to choose from. Children of Hurin expounds in more detail on one of the chapters of The Sil, if you like the First Age material. Unfinished Tales has a few wonderful stories too, from both First Age events and the later Ages - some of these stories are referenced in LOTR glancingly but without details. There are various other collections of early works and late works, but they tend to become gradually less cohesive the deeper you delve. Then there are the non-Middle-earth works, like Farmer Giles of Ham, Leaf by Niggle, and Roverandom. Tolkien's various poems, which are a combination of Middle-earth and not. His more scholarly writings. Letters. You can go on and on. But if you're interested in reading more Middle-earth Tolkien, probably Unfinished Tales and Children of Hurin are the next go to (pick one depending on how much you enjoy or dislike the Turin chapter in The Sil). It’s a dangerous business indeed, reading Tolkien. You step into the Book, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to. Do you realize that this is the very path that goes through Mirkwood, and that if you let it, it might take you to the Lonely Mountain or even further and to worse places? We'd love to hear your thoughts as you read along. We love to discuss all things Tolkien here, and it's always great to hear new people's perspectives! __________________ You passed from under darkened dome, you enter now the secret land. - Take me to Finrod's fabled home!... ~ Finrod: The Rock Opera

04-05-2022, 05:31 AM	#3
Inziladun Gruesome Spectre Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Heaven's doorstep Posts: 8,037	Welcome, wburns710! I would echo much of what G55 said. I think Unfinished Tales is a great work for "filling in the blanks" on some things a Middle-earth reader might wonder about. As for the non-ME stuff, Farmer Giles is a personal favorite of mine. I see a lot of Bilbo Baggins in the protagonist there. I also like Smith of Wootton Major, where there are again some Middle-earth parallells in a more "real" setting. __________________ Music alone proves the existence of God.