Unfinished Tales

6W J. R. R. Tolkien. Introduction commentary, index, and maps by Christopher Tolkien. London: Unwin Paperbacks, 1982.

Notes

Unfinished Tales is a compendium of lore that was meticulously compiled, edited, and annotated by the author's son, Christopher Tolkien. Wading through an overwhelming archival maze of disjointed manuscripts, variant outlines, and loose handwritten notes left behind after his father's death, Christopher chose not to alter or complete the texts into a falsely seamless narrative, but rather to present them in their raw, organic fragments. His extensive, scholarly commentary and comprehensive footnotes accompany each section—such as the sole surviving standalone narrative of the island kingdom of Númenor, the strategic origins of the Wizards, and the harrowing military details of the Disaster of the Gladden Fields. By openly illuminating the elder Tolkien's shifting creative process and shifting timelines, Christopher transformed what could have been loose literary remnants into a profound, pseudo-historical archive that grants dedicated readers unprecedented insight into the evolving mechanics of Middle-earth, permanently codifying the author's posthumous legacy.

Description

Crisp paperback. Cover illustration by Roger Garland.