LoTR has been known as "The Trilogy" long before Peter Jackson's movie suite. I read it first in High School in the 1970's and it was known as The Trilogy back then. Still, you are correct that it is really one novel in 6 books and the release of the novel as three volumes of two books each was something of a publisher's decision from what I have read.
That would be interesting to see 🙂 I have high hopes for War of the Rohirrim, and I’m sure studios would be willing to pursue other stories in this format if the film is successful.
I suppose my question is 'when will Peter Jackson give us a long expected 3rd trilogy? 1. The Silmarillion Beren and Lúthien 2. The Silmarillion The Children of Húrin 3. The Silmarillion The Fall of Gondolin
Another great video James. Thank you. I also missed these when they came out. I seen prices lately. Preety pricy now. I have them in hardcover but the none deluxe versions.
My opinion: Children of Hurin was an invaluable addition into the Tolkien library as it serves the best way to enter into the First Age writings (After reading it the Silmarillion is mich more digestible). On the other hand, Beren and Gondolin books are very convoluted and provide an odd experience. Those are for tolkien nerds only (beginner level nerds, as the hardcore ones have already consumed HOME)
A beautiful set but I have to agree it is surpassing strange that the is no map for the tale of Beren and Luthien, particularly given the geographic range that tale covers.
i only have the beren and luthian- in paperback, but it still contains the beautifull artwork, though the other two will be leaving my local bookshop soon
@@brewingbooks i mostly read in bed, making hardbacks are a bit heavy and cumbersome, i also dont really display all my wonderfull books every room (exept the bathrooms)have a bookcase including the shed
Thanks to this video, I rediscovered the fold-out 'small' Beleriand map in Children of Húrin, but also the big fold-out coloured (full) Beleriand map in my Ted Nasmith-illustrated Silmarillion. I think I'll get a high-quality copy of that made to stick on my wall!
Sorry i’m a month late, hopefully you’ll still see this. This is likely because the fall of Numenor is set in a different age, and happens over a significantly longer period of time; Thus, it cannot be neatly told as a single tale. Numenorian history (as well as numenor’s fall) is less a single dramatic tale, and is instead a long and decently complicated period of decline, which could probably be divided into multiple works if there was more solid information on it. Additionally, the fall of Numenor, is removed from the 3 great tales of the Silmarilion, as it takes place long after the events of the first age, with the Silmarils, Morgoth, etc, so it doesn’t really fit.
There are other trilogies: The Bagginses Trilogy • The Hobbit • The Lord of the Rings, and • Bilbo's Last Song Also, The History of Middle-earth, whilst being 12 books, is published as 3 volumes, so maybe that is a trilogy.
Last week I was in Barnes & Noble‘s flipping through a copy of Beren and Luthien for the first time. I found the writings style strange. I wasn’t sure if I was looking at a story or really long songs/poems. And whats with all the numbering? This made me wonder…as I have only read the hobbit, lotr, and the silmarillion…. Do all these other Christopher tolkien books (not just these three from the video, but all the others he has produced) read like actual story books (like lotr) or is it something different? It just seemed like something else as I flipped through.
I can’t speak for every Christopher Tolkien book, as I have not read the history of middle earth, but I can speak to the three great tales books. The children of Hûrin is, more or less, a completed novel. It reads stylistically somewhere in between the silmarilion/lotr, with a plot that specifically follows the life of one character. Beren and luthien, and the fall of gondolin, on the other hand, are not complete stories. They are compilations of finished and unfinished versions of each of their titular stories, interspersed with analysis by Christopher Tolkien, as J.R.R.T. never wrote full books for the 2 stories. Some of them are poems, others are more traditional stories, but all of them draw upon writing styles from older English history and invoke a similar feeling to Beowulf, or similar mythology.
The Children of Hurin is unique for being structured as a complete novel. The Silmarillion (as you know) is a lot of connected shorter stories rather than one big one, and the rest - Unfinished Tales, Beren and Luthien, The Fall of Gondolin, and all of the History of Middle-earth especially - have a more scholarly bent to them. They collect all of JRR Tolkien's incomplete drafts and works in progress that were deemed publication-worthy, and intersperse them with commentary and context from Christopher.
As my fellow commentators have stated, it sometimes reads more like an academic book than a narrative. I think Beren and Luthien is the most analytical of the three tales. Nonetheless, I find it fascinating to read about and understand how the story evolved in different stages, and how it exists in different formats. It almost gives you an over-the-shoulder look into Tolkien’s writing process 🙂
I’ll add this: The Children of Húrin while a complete story was spliced together from two different drafts. As I recall the first half a later more polish, but unfinished version and the second half from an earlier completed, but less polished version. Bonus addition: everything of John’s published posthumously was an unfinished works and some of them are quite rough.
Not sure why you'd give Peter Jackson credit for making LotR a "trilogy." It really was ONE story that was told in 6 part spread across 3 books (hence trilogy of books.) Each of the 3 books was written and published in separate years, but told one longer story. It's 100% a classical trilogy even though it tells a single overall story.
LotR was not written separately, Tolkien wrote the whole thing and turned it in as one novel. The publisher told him they couldn’t publish something that big at the time. Do it was broken into three parts and sold in parts. Tolkien was no happy with that. It is because if that, that it is mistakenly referred to as a trilogy.
@@Welverin While he did write the whole story at one time, the problem with trying to pass it off as "not a trilogy" is that he was still updating, changing, modifying the later "books" 3,4,5,6 in the years following publication of the first two "books" that made up Fellowship. It's a bit like saying the Star Wars prequels weren't a trilogy because George had a version of all three stories written down when he shot Phantom Menace. I realize it's not EXACTLY the same, but it was a trilogy as he released the parts no mater how much "one book" it was when first presented to his publisher.
LoTR has been known as "The Trilogy" long before Peter Jackson's movie suite. I read it first in High School in the 1970's and it was known as The Trilogy back then. Still, you are correct that it is really one novel in 6 books and the release of the novel as three volumes of two books each was something of a publisher's decision from what I have read.
I have Children of Hurin. It was an excellent read, I read along to Christopher Lee’s audio recording. It was epic. Cheer. ✌🏻
Wonderful!
I hope these get adapted into animated movies. Crossing my fingers that war of the rohirrim is success
That would be interesting to see 🙂 I have high hopes for War of the Rohirrim, and I’m sure studios would be willing to pursue other stories in this format if the film is successful.
@@brewingbooks yes the potential is there
I suppose my question is 'when will Peter Jackson give us a long expected 3rd trilogy?
1. The Silmarillion Beren and Lúthien
2. The Silmarillion The Children of Húrin
3. The Silmarillion The Fall of Gondolin
As lovely as that sounds, I have a feeling Peter Jackson is done with such large-scale projects, especially with Tolkien’s world.
I have all 3 1st printing. Children of Hurin was the bundle of a deluxe book and audiobook coming in a helmet-stamped cardboard box.
That is very rare, only ever seen a photo of the book and CD in the box.
How wonderful! 😃
Another great video!
Thanks so much! 😃
Cool! I'm planning on reading these at some point :D
Looking forward to your thoughts on these then 🙂
@@brewingbooks thanks! :)
Another great video James. Thank you. I also missed these when they came out. I seen prices lately. Preety pricy now. I have them in hardcover but the none deluxe versions.
Hardcovers are fantastic just the same! They’re certainly a prized piece in any Tolkien collection 🙂
well that adds 3 more books i need to add to my shelf
Hehe great!
Great stuff as always mate! Thanks for sharing
Thank you! 😃
My opinion: Children of Hurin was an invaluable addition into the Tolkien library as it serves the best way to enter into the First Age writings (After reading it the Silmarillion is mich more digestible). On the other hand, Beren and Gondolin books are very convoluted and provide an odd experience. Those are for tolkien nerds only (beginner level nerds, as the hardcore ones have already consumed HOME)
Great reads, all of them.
Absolutely 😃
A beautiful set but I have to agree it is surpassing strange that the is no map for the tale of Beren and Luthien, particularly given the geographic range that tale covers.
Theyre awesome, wish I had em ...
There are paperbacks too! 🙂
Are you gonna make a video going over the new reprintings of The Histody of Middle-earth books? I'd love to hear your opinion on them.
I’d love to get these some day but not at the moment. The prices are too expensive!
i only have the beren and luthian- in paperback, but it still contains the beautifull artwork, though the other two will be leaving my local bookshop soon
Indeed, the paperback editions are exactly the same in terms of content (both text and illustrations), and they’re handier to read 😅
@@brewingbooks i mostly read in bed, making hardbacks are a bit heavy and cumbersome, i also dont really display all my wonderfull books every room (exept the bathrooms)have a bookcase including the shed
Thanks to this video, I rediscovered the fold-out 'small' Beleriand map in Children of Húrin, but also the big fold-out coloured (full) Beleriand map in my Ted Nasmith-illustrated Silmarillion. I think I'll get a high-quality copy of that made to stick on my wall!
Can you please leave links to where to buy these books always?
Sure 🙂
@@brewingbooks Thanks!
The slipcase deluxe set is my favorite of them all! Do you prefer that one over the Allan Lee set as well?
Ugh … definitely a tough choice! 😅 Deluxe editions were always my favorite overall, but those Alan Lee editions are a soft spot 😂
Can someone tell me where is the best place to buy deluxe books?
I thought the first trilogy you mentioned was The Hobbit, The LotR and The Silmarillion 😅
Haha! Well, I guess they can be 😅
I get confused between The Fall of Gondolin and The Fall of Numenor. Is there a reason why The Fall of Numenor is not part of the great tales?
Sorry i’m a month late, hopefully you’ll still see this. This is likely because the fall of Numenor is set in a different age, and happens over a significantly longer period of time; Thus, it cannot be neatly told as a single tale. Numenorian history (as well as numenor’s fall) is less a single dramatic tale, and is instead a long and decently complicated period of decline, which could probably be divided into multiple works if there was more solid information on it. Additionally, the fall of Numenor, is removed from the 3 great tales of the Silmarilion, as it takes place long after the events of the first age, with the Silmarils, Morgoth, etc, so it doesn’t really fit.
There are other trilogies:
The Bagginses Trilogy
• The Hobbit
• The Lord of the Rings, and
• Bilbo's Last Song
Also, The History of Middle-earth, whilst being 12 books, is published as 3 volumes, so maybe that is a trilogy.
Very good candidates indeed 😅
Last week I was in Barnes & Noble‘s flipping through a copy of Beren and Luthien for the first time.
I found the writings style strange. I wasn’t sure if I was looking at a story or really long songs/poems. And whats with all the numbering?
This made me wonder…as I have only read the hobbit, lotr, and the silmarillion…. Do all these other Christopher tolkien books (not just these three from the video, but all the others he has produced) read like actual story books (like lotr) or is it something different? It just seemed like something else as I flipped through.
I can’t speak for every Christopher Tolkien book, as I have not read the history of middle earth, but I can speak to the three great tales books. The children of Hûrin is, more or less, a completed novel. It reads stylistically somewhere in between the silmarilion/lotr, with a plot that specifically follows the life of one character.
Beren and luthien, and the fall of gondolin, on the other hand, are not complete stories. They are compilations of finished and unfinished versions of each of their titular stories, interspersed with analysis by Christopher Tolkien, as J.R.R.T. never wrote full books for the 2 stories. Some of them are poems, others are more traditional stories, but all of them draw upon writing styles from older English history and invoke a similar feeling to Beowulf, or similar mythology.
The Children of Hurin is unique for being structured as a complete novel. The Silmarillion (as you know) is a lot of connected shorter stories rather than one big one, and the rest - Unfinished Tales, Beren and Luthien, The Fall of Gondolin, and all of the History of Middle-earth especially - have a more scholarly bent to them. They collect all of JRR Tolkien's incomplete drafts and works in progress that were deemed publication-worthy, and intersperse them with commentary and context from Christopher.
As my fellow commentators have stated, it sometimes reads more like an academic book than a narrative. I think Beren and Luthien is the most analytical of the three tales. Nonetheless, I find it fascinating to read about and understand how the story evolved in different stages, and how it exists in different formats. It almost gives you an over-the-shoulder look into Tolkien’s writing process 🙂
I’ll add this: The Children of Húrin while a complete story was spliced together from two different drafts.
As I recall the first half a later more polish, but unfinished version and the second half from an earlier completed, but less polished version.
Bonus addition: everything of John’s published posthumously was an unfinished works and some of them are quite rough.
Not sure why you'd give Peter Jackson credit for making LotR a "trilogy." It really was ONE story that was told in 6 part spread across 3 books (hence trilogy of books.) Each of the 3 books was written and published in separate years, but told one longer story. It's 100% a classical trilogy even though it tells a single overall story.
Perhaps I’d say Peter Jackson helped repopularise the concept of a “trilogy”
LotR was not written separately, Tolkien wrote the whole thing and turned it in as one novel. The publisher told him they couldn’t publish something that big at the time. Do it was broken into three parts and sold in parts. Tolkien was no happy with that.
It is because if that, that it is mistakenly referred to as a trilogy.
@@Welverin While he did write the whole story at one time, the problem with trying to pass it off as "not a trilogy" is that he was still updating, changing, modifying the later "books" 3,4,5,6 in the years following publication of the first two "books" that made up Fellowship. It's a bit like saying the Star Wars prequels weren't a trilogy because George had a version of all three stories written down when he shot Phantom Menace. I realize it's not EXACTLY the same, but it was a trilogy as he released the parts no mater how much "one book" it was when first presented to his publisher.
@@JonRowlison No.