About us

The site lists 72 works set in Middle-earth. You can sort them by the date of their story or by release date, filter them by type, and switch between a detailed list and a vertical timeline.

Not every adaptation tells the same story, so the timeline has three axes:

Tolkien timeline 35 works

Tolkien's own books, and the adaptations that follow them closely, like the 1981 BBC radio series.

Cinematic timeline 17 works

Peter Jackson's films and everything made in the same film universe, from The War of the Rohirrim to the games based on the films.

Standalone timeline 20 works

Everything else: The Rings of Power, the animated films, Shadow of Mordor, The Lord of the Rings Online and many more.

Two more pages go beyond Middle-earth: Tolkien's other works (27 books, from Roverandom to Beowulf) and books about Tolkien (60 biographies, atlases and studies). And to go further with other fans, the community page lists 53 podcasts, channels and societies about Tolkien.

Dates in Middle-earth come from Tolkien's own writings, mostly the appendices of The Lord of the Rings and their Tale of Years. When a story gives no exact year, the work is only placed in its Age. Release dates are the first publication or the first release.

Every entry was checked against reliable sources: Tolkien's texts, the publishers and studios, and the Tolkien Society. Fans know this world better than anyone, so if you spot a mistake, tell us and we'll fix it.

Two little games: draw Frodo's road from Bag End to Mount Doom, or Bilbo's road to the Lonely Mountain, on Tolkien's own maps, then see how close you got.

Walk to Mordor Walk to Erebor

Full disclaimer: I'm not affiliated at all with anything Tolkien related, nor Sauron or the Shire!

Middle-earth Timeline is an unofficial fan project. It has no link with the Tolkien Estate, Middle-earth Enterprises, Warner Bros., Amazon or any publisher. Names, covers, posters and maps belong to their owners and are shown to identify the works.