Days before days - First Age
The Book of Lost Tales: Part I
Released October 1983
The Book of Lost Tales stands at the beginning of the entire conception of Middle-earth and Valinor
MIDDLE-EARTH TIMELINE
This timeline places J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth writings in the order of the events they tell, not the order they were published. It covers the books Tolkien published in his lifetime, those edited after his death by his son Christopher Tolkien, and the BBC's 1981 radio adaptation of The Lord of the Rings.
The twelve volumes of The History of Middle-earth (1983-1996) show how these stories were drafted and rewritten, from The Book of Lost Tales to Sauron Defeated, and are placed next to the stories they document. Not sure where to start? Read our Tolkien reading order guide, or switch to the condensed vertical timeline.
Days before days - First Age
Released October 1983
The Book of Lost Tales stands at the beginning of the entire conception of Middle-earth and Valinor
Days before days - First Age
Released September 1977
The Silmarillion is an account of the Elder Days, of the First Age of Tolkien's world
First Age
Released August 1984
The second of a two-book set that contains the early myths and legends which led to the writing of Tolkien’s epic tale of war, The Silmarillion.
First Age
Released August 1985
The third volume that contains the early myths and legends which led to the writing of Tolkien's epic tale of war, The Silmarillion.
Days before days - Second Age
Released August 1987
The fifth volume of the History of Middle-earth, containing the early myths and legends which led to the writing of Tolkien’s epic tale of war, The Silmarillion.
Days before days - First Age
Released August 1986
The fourth volume that contains the early myths and legends which led to the writing of Tolkien’s epic tale of war, The Silmarillion.
Days before days - First Age
Released September 1993
The first of two companion volumes which documents the later writing of The Silmarillion, Tolkien's epic tale of war.
First Age
Released October 1994
The second of two companion volumes which documents the later writing of The Silmarillion, Tolkien’s epic tale of war.
First Age
Released June 2017
The tale of Beren and Lúthien was, or became, an essential element in the evolution of The Silmarillion, the myths and legends of the First Age of the World conceived by J.R.R. Tolkien.
First Age
Released April 2007
The Children of Húrin tells the tragic story of Túrin and Niënor, cursed by Morgoth, and their doomed fates in Middle-earth.
First Age
Released August 2018
In the Tale of The Fall of Gondolin are two of the greatest powers in the world. There is Morgoth of the uttermost evil, unseen in this story but ruling over a vast military power from his fortress of Angband.
First Age - Third Age
Released October 1980
Tuor's journey to Gondolin, the kings of Númenor, Isildur's death at the Gladden Fields and Gandalf's own account of the Quest of Erebor: the tales Tolkien left unfinished, edited by Christopher Tolkien.
Second Age
Released September 2021
The first ever publication of J.R.R. Tolkien's final writings on Middle-earth, covering a wide range of subjects, and the perfect next read for those who have enjoyed Unfinished Tales and the History of Middle-earth series and are hungry for more.
Second Age
Released November 2022
The Fall of Númenor recounts the rise and catastrophic downfall of the island kingdom of Númenor, led to ruin by pride and defiance against the Valar.
Second Age - Fourth Age
Released September 1996
The concluding volume of The History of Middle-earth series, which examines the Appendices to The Lord of the Rings.
Third Age
Released November 1962
A volume of songs, rhymes and poems from "The Red Book"
Third Age
Released May 2007 - June 2007
This examination of how J.R.R. Tolkien came to write his original masterpiece
Third Age, 2941
Released September 1937
Bilbo Baggins lives a quiet life in the Shire until the wizard Gandalf arrives with thirteen dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield
Third Age, 2941
Released November 2003
Play as Bilbo Baggins and follow Thorin's company from Bag End to the Lonely Mountain in this adaptation of Tolkien's novel.
Third Age, 2941
Released September 1968 - November 1968
The 1968 BBC radio adaptation follows Bilbo Baggins and Thorin's company on their quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug.
Third Age, 2941
Released January 1989 - January 1990
Tolkien's The Hobbit retold in comic form, with David Wenzel's watercolour paintings bringing Bilbo, the dwarves and Smaug to life.
Third Age, 2941
Released December 1982
Type your way from Bag End to Smaug's lair in the classic 1982 text adventure, where Gandalf, Thorin and the goblins live their own lives.
Third Age, 2941
Released January 1979
Bilbo Baggins joins Thorin's company of dwarves on the road to the Lonely Mountain in this 1979 American radio dramatization.
Third Age, 3001
Released July 1954
During the Third Age, Bilbo Baggins of the Shire departs from his home, leaving behind his mysterious magic ring to his cousin and heir, Frodo Baggins
Third Age
Released August 1988
The first part of The History of The Lord of the Rings, an enthralling account of the writing of the Book of the Century which contains many additional scenes.
Third Age, 3018 - 3019
Released September 2002
Based on Tolkien's novel, The Fellowship of the Ring chronicles the journey of Frodo Baggins, a young hobbit from the Shire, as he embarks on a perilous quest to destroy the One Ring.
Third Age
Released March 1981 - August 1981
The 1981 BBC radio adaptation follows Frodo's quest to destroy the One Ring and defeat Sauron.
Third Age, 3018 - 3019
Released January 1979
The 1979 American radio dramatization follows Frodo's quest to destroy the One Ring, with Tom Bombadil included.
Third Age, 3018 - 3019
Released January 1990
Lead Frodo and the Fellowship out of the Shire in Interplay's 1990 role-playing adaptation of The Fellowship of the Ring.
Third Age
Released September 1989
After the perilous halt in the Mines of Moria, the Fellowship ventures into the uncharted lands south and east of the Misty Mountains.
Third Age, 3019
Released November 1954
In the aftermath of the breaking of the Fellowship, The Two Towers chronicles the divergent paths of the remaining members as they struggle to continue their quest to defeat Sauron.
Third Age
Released August 1990
The third part of The History of The Lord of the Rings, an enthralling account of the writing of the Book of the Century which contains many additional scenes.
Third Age, 3019
Released October 1955
The armies of the Dark Lord are massing as his evil shadow spreads even wider.
Third Age
Released January 1992
The final part of The History of The Lord of the Rings, an enthralling account of the writing of the Book of the Century which contains many additional scenes and includes the unpublished Epilogue in its entirety.
Third Age
Released January 1990
Aboard the ship leaving the Grey Havens, old Bilbo says goodbye to Middle-earth in this short poem by Tolkien, illustrated by Pauline Baynes.
The Silmarillion comes first: it opens with the creation of the world in the Ainulindalë and covers the First Age, then summarises the Second and Third Ages.
Tolkien called three stories of the First Age his Great Tales: The Children of Húrin, Beren and Lúthien and The Fall of Gondolin. Christopher Tolkien published each as a standalone book in 2007, 2017 and 2018.
It is a twelve-volume series edited by Christopher Tolkien and published between 1983 and 1996. It collects his father's drafts and earlier versions of the legendarium, including the writing of The Lord of the Rings.
It was published in three volumes: The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers in 1954, and The Return of the King in 1955. The Hobbit had come out in 1937.