The Third Age: The Lord of the Rings [Books]

Principal Works – The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings:

The Hobbit: or There and Back Again.
Originally published by Allen & Unwin in 1937 (2nd ed. 1951, 3rd ed. 1966, 4th ed. 1978) and by HM in 1938 (2nd Amer. ed. 1951 [cloth] and 1965 [paper], 3rd Amer. ed. 1966); many editions are currently available, including special 50th anniversary editions; standard ones are: HM, 1966 (ISBN 0-395-28265-9) (paper); Ballantine, 1966 (ISBN 0-345-33968-1) (paper). -Buy at Amazon.com

The Lord of the Rings: compleat version.
Originally published by Allen & Unwin in 1954-55 and by HM in 1955-56; revised edition in 1965; sometimes published as one volume but generally as three; the 1987 HM editions referred to below are the most recent attempt to correct the many textual errors that have crept in over the years. [See the Note on the Text, by Douglas A. Anderson, at the beginning of FR of that edition.] -Buy at Amazon.com

The Fellowship of the Ring: first part to The Lord of the Rings.
HM, 1987 (ISBN 0-395-48931-8); HM, 1987 (ISBN 0-395-27223-8) (paper); Ballantine, 1965 (ISBN 0-345-33970-3)(paper). -Buy at Amazon.com

The Two Towers: second part to The Lord of the Rings.
HM, 1987 (ISBN 0-395-48933-4); HM, 1987 (ISBN 0-395-27222-X) (paper); Ballantine, 1965 (ISBN 0-345-33971-1)(paper). -Buy at Amazon.com

The Return of the King: third part to The Lord of the Rings.
HM, 1987 (ISBN 0-395-48930-X); HM, 1987 (ISBN 0-395-27221-I) (paper); Ballantine, 1965 (ISBN 0-345-33973-8)(paper). -Buy at Amazon.com

Other Related Middle-earth Works:

Any writing by J.R.R. Tolkien which extends our knowledge of Middle-earth (excluding the History of Middle-earth series). The Letters are included because of the many strange and wonderful insights into Middle-earth that they contain, which indeed is why most people read them. A Tolkien Compass is included because it contains “The Guide to Names in LotR”, a fascinating but far too little known compilation, also by JRRT himself.

The Silmarillion: story of events prier to The Lord of the Rings.
Edited by Christopher Tolkien. HM, 1977 (ISBN 0-395-25730-I); HM, 1983 (ISBN 0-395-34646-0) (paper); Ballantine, 1985 (ISBN 0-345-32581-8) (paper). -Buy at Amazon.com

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Selected and Edited by Humphrey Carpenter with the assistance of Christopher Tolkien. HM, 1981 (ISBN 0-395-31555-7). -Buy at Amazon.com

The Road Goes Ever On: A Song Cycle.
Poems by J.R.R. Tolkien set to music by Donald Swann. HM, 1967, 1978 (ISBN 0-395-24758-6) [op]. Allen & Unwin, 1968, 1978 (ISBN 0-04-784011-0) (British edition).

A Tolkien Compass.
Including J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Guide to the Names in The Lord of the Rings” (prepared for publication by Christopher Tolkien). Edited by Jared Lobdell. Open Court Publishing Company, 1975 (ISBN 0-87548-316-X); Open Court Publishing Company, 1975 (ISBN 0-87548-303-8) (paper); Ballantine, 1980 (ISBN 0-345-28855-6) (paper).

Unfinished Tales.
Edited by Christopher Tolkien. HM, 1980 (ISBN 0-395-29917-9) [op]; HM, 1982 (ISBN 0-395-32441-6) (paper); Ballantine, 1988 (ISBN 0-345-35711-6)(paper). -Buy at Amazon.com

Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien.
HM, 1979 (ISBN 0-395-28523-2) [op].

The History of Middle-earth Series

Since 1984 Christopher Tolkien has been presenting his father’s unpublished writings: his editing is both very careful and extremely detailed. These books are admittedly not for everyone, but being as they are rather a mixed bag, neither should they be dismissed without consideration. Brief descriptions have therefore been provided to aid individual decisions. It must be said up front that, rumors to the contary notwithstanding, these are not new stories (though they arguably approach being new stories in several cases).

The History of Middle-earth: Volumes I-VII

The Book of Lost Tales, Part One.
(HoM-e Vol I). HM, 1984 (ISBN 0-395-35439-0) [op]; HM, 1986 (ISBN 0-395-40927-6) (paper); Del Rey (Ballantine), 1992 (ISBN 0-345-37521-1) (paper). -Buy at Amazon.com

The Book of Lost Tales, Part Two.
(HoM-e Vol II). HM, 1984 (ISBN 0-395-36614-3) [op]; HM, 1986 (ISBN 0-395-42640-5) (paper); Del Rey (Ballantine), 1992 (ISBN 0-345-37522-X) (paper). -Buy at Amazon.com

The Lays of Beleriand.
(HoM-e Vol III). HM, 1985 (ISBN 0-395-39429-5); HM, 1988 (ISBN 0-395-48683-1) (paper). -Buy at Amazon.com

The Shaping of Middle-earth: The Quenta, The Ambarkanta, and The Annals.
(HoM-e Vol IV). HM, 1986 (ISBN 0-395-42501-8). -Buy at Amazon.com

The Lost Road and Other Writings: Language and Legend Before ‘The Lord of the Rings’.
(HoM-e Vol V). HM, 1987 (ISBN 0-395-45519-7). -Buy at Amazon.com

The Return of the Shadow: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part One.
(HoM-e Vol VI). HM, 1988 (ISBN 0-395-49863-5).

The Treason of Isengard: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part Two.
(HoM-e Vol VII). HM, 1989 (ISBN 0-395-51562-9).

The War of the Ring: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part Three.
(HoM-e Vol VIII). HM, 1990 (ISBN 0-395-56008-X).

Sauron Defeated: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part Four.
(HoM-e Vol IX). HM, 1992 (ISBN 0-395-60649-7).

The Rest >
There are still many books in relation to The Lord of the Rings and it would take me forever to go through them all. So click here to see a list of most of the other books. I am trying to get them all linked to online bookstores that have them. From there you may want to check them out.