J.R.R. Tolkien discussion

I am starting to read The Silmarillion and The Children of Hurin in near future. I have read the Hobbit few years ago and my passion for more Tolkien adventures is approaching back :) I am planning to read all books related to The Hobbit and LOTR. My reading order will be the following:

The Hobbit (finished reading)
LOTR
The SIlmarillion
The Children of Hurin
The History of Middle Earth (all volumes)
The Unfinished Tales

Any thoughts? Am I missing anything?

I think it is good to read first the books by J.R.R. Tolkien that he published and therefore approved of in his own lifetime, they being The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, Smith of Wootton Major, Farmer Giles of Ham, Tree and Leaf and The Adventures of Tom Bombadil. Then read The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, The Children of Hurin, and The History of Middle-earth. You may also enjoy reading J.R.R. Tolkien, A Biography by Humphrey Carpenter, Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics by J.R.R. Tolkien and Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary by J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Christopher Tolkien. Welcome to the group, Sargis.

Hi Sargis, I think your order is logical, though at some point, just read them all, as Philip has suggested. I think if you like the Hobbit, you'll end up loving them all.

Philip wrote: "I think it is good to read first the books by J.R.R. Tolkien that he published and therefore approved of in his own lifetime, they being The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, Smith of Wootton Major, F..."

Thank you Philip, I will take your suggestions into consideration. :]

Steve wrote: "Hi Sargis, I think your order is logical, though at some point, just read them all, as Philip has suggested. I think if you like the Hobbit, you'll end up loving them all."

Hi Steve,
Thanks for welcoming! I am a huge Tolkien fan :]

I usually go in the order of Silmarillion, Hobbit, LOTR. The latter gets read every year between December and March. Sometimes I add the others as well, and am doing so this year.

Hey Sargis, I agree with Phillip that it might be best to read the works published and therefore approved by Tolkien and then move on to The Silmarillion and The Children of Hurin but I don't think there's a wrong order. You may also benefit from reading some of Tolkien's more scholarly work concerning Medieval literature. His translations of Beowulf, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo are all amazing medieval texts that certainly influenced Tolkien and can be found in a single paperback edition offered by Ballantine/Del Rey Books. Tolkien's translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in particular is probably the reason that my specialization at University was Medieval History. Tolkien's knowledge of ancient language is well noted and his ability to accurately translate books that were written hundreds of years ago and reanimate them for modern audiences is legendary. These scholarly works would certainly provide beneficial insight into his works of High Fantasy as they influenced Tolkien and his sub-created world very much. Though I'd recommend this course of study after you read everything concerning Middle Earth or Faerie.

Matthew wrote: "Hey Sargis, I agree with Phillip that it might be best to read the works published and therefore approved by Tolkien and then move on to The Silmarillion and The Children of Hurin but I don't think..."

Greetings Mattew! :) Thank you for your response and observation on Tolkien's non-Middle-Earth related material. I will definitely look forward into reading The Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

I already began reading the Silmarillion a few days ago. I am half way done with the book and I might say that I love it very much. Of course, as any other Tolkien admirer I would not read the book without referencing the material, so it takes time for now because there are many-many characters to know and get familiar with. But I am satisfied with the progress because as of right now I get the sense of who-is-who. We will see were the journey will take me :]

As I have now finished the Silmarillion and the children of Hurin, I was wondering if it will be a smart move to read the Hobbit and LOTR next, or should I read the 12 volumes on the Middle-Earth? My question is derives from my curiosity about the chronological accuracy of Middle Earth stories.

That you have read The Silmarillion and The Children of Hurin first, before reading The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, is unusual. It is good that you have done, however, as both books deal with the history of the First Age of Middle-earth. Certainly, I would read The Hobbit and then The Lord Of The Rings next. Not only because they are great books, published by J.R.R. Tolkien in his own lifetime, but also because they deal with the events at the end of the Third Age of Middle-earth. Then perhaps it would be good to read Unfinished Tales. The History of Middle-earth series of books, edited by Christopher Tolkien, are quite often more like academic rather literary works, but they include many interesting pieces about the history of Valinor and Middle-earth.

Philip wrote: "That you have read The Silmarillion and The Children of Hurin first, before reading The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, is unusual. It is good that you have done, however, as both books deal with..."

Thank you for your suggestion, Philip. I will certainly follow it :)

As I have mentioned before I have read the Hobbit some years ago, without considering to read other works by J.R.R. Tolkien. But now, when I have finished reading The Silmarillion and The Children of Hurin, I want to re-read the Hobbit and read the LOTR series. Maybe this time I will have a different interpretation about the Hobbit, than I already had when I had a veyr narrow understanding of the Middle-Earth in general. :)