About the archive
Sources
Every substantial encyclopedia entry references one or more of these records, so readers can verify claims rather than take them on faith. Sources are grouped by what kind of authority they carry.
Primary texts
The Hobbit · 1937Primary texts
J.R.R. Tolkien
Published in Tolkien’s lifetime. The primary narrative of Bilbo’s journey.
The Lord of the Rings · 1954–55Primary texts
J.R.R. Tolkien
Three volumes: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King.
Supplementary writings
The Silmarillion · 1977Supplementary writings
J.R.R. Tolkien (ed. Christopher Tolkien)
Posthumously edited. Contains the Ainulindalë, Valaquenta, Quenta Silmarillion, Akallabêth and Of the Rings of Power.
Unfinished Tales · 1980Supplementary writings
J.R.R. Tolkien (ed. Christopher Tolkien)
Expanded and alternative accounts of the First, Second and Third Ages.
The Children of Húrin · 2007Supplementary writings
J.R.R. Tolkien (ed. Christopher Tolkien)
A continuous narrative assembled from earlier drafts.
Beren and Lúthien · 2017Supplementary writings
J.R.R. Tolkien (ed. Christopher Tolkien)
Multiple versions of the tale, showing how the story evolved.
The Fall of Gondolin · 2018Supplementary writings
J.R.R. Tolkien (ed. Christopher Tolkien)
Assembled versions of the earliest tale of the First Age.
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil · 1962Supplementary writings
J.R.R. Tolkien
A collection of verse, some of it framing Middle-earth legend.
The History of Middle-earth · 1983–96Supplementary writings
J.R.R. Tolkien (ed. Christopher Tolkien)
Twelve volumes documenting the evolution of the legendarium.
Adaptations
The Hobbit film trilogy (Peter Jackson) · 2012–14Adaptations
Warner Bros. / New Line Cinema
An adaptation, not a Tolkien novel. Invented characters include Tauriel and Alfrid.
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (Peter Jackson) · 2001–03Adaptations
New Line Cinema
Widely acclaimed adaptation with notable departures from the texts.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power · 2022–Adaptations
Amazon Prime Video
Television adaptation. Compresses the Second Age and invents characters such as Arondir and Halbrand.
Reference works
The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien · 1981Reference works
J.R.R. Tolkien (ed. Humphrey Carpenter)
Authorial commentary useful for interpretation, but not always narrative canon.
Ages of Arda
The calendar the archive works in: the great spans of the history of Arda, from the creation of the world to the beginning of the Dominion of Men.
Before the Ages
Before the reckoning of time
The creation of Eä through the Music of the Ainur, and the shaping of Arda by the Valar.
The First Age
The Elder Days
The awakening of the Elves, the wars against Morgoth, and the great tragedies of Beleriand ending in the War of Wrath.
The Second Age
S.A. 1 – 3441
The rise and downfall of Númenor, the forging of the Rings of Power, and the Last Alliance of Elves and Men.
The Third Age
T.A. 1 – 3021
The kingdoms of the Dúnedain, the long history of the Ring, the quest of Erebor, and the War of the Ring.
The Fourth Age
After the War of the Ring
The Reunited Kingdom, the waning of the Elves, and the beginning of the Dominion of Men.