The extraordinary history of Middle-earth comes to life in this essential five-volume collection from the beloved author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The History of Middle-earth chronicles the creation of the mythology languages and histories that form the foundation for Tolkien s most beloved works--The Hobbit The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. With painstaking documentation and analysis Christopher Tolkien guides readers through his father s legendarium. The Book of Lost Tales Part One & Part Two collect the early myths and legends that led to the writing of Tolkien s epic tale of war The Silmarillion. The Lays of Beleriand includes two of Middle-earth s most crucial stories--that of Túrin Turambar a hero living under a ruinous family curse and Lúthien an elven princess whose love for a mortal man is mirrored ages later in the romance of Arwen and Aragorn--and sheds light on the creation of Tolkien s mythology. The Shaping of Middle-earth traces the development of Middle-earth s earliest lore from the sundering of the world to Beleriand and the events of The Silmarillion. The Lost Road and Other Writings chronicles the original destruction of Númenor and includes essays on the complex languages of Middle-earth along with an extensive account of Elvish vocabularies.