The History of Middle-earth summaries are an ongoing pet project of mine, an attempt to summarize and connect various of Tolkien's early works that were published post-humously by his son Christopher Tolkien as the History of Middle-earth series. The series is notoriously challenging in many places for readers unfamiliar with the minutia of Tolkien's world, and I hope that the summaries will address this dilemma by making clearer the connections between the early versions and the works as they appear in publication. Additionally, I am often asked by new fans of The Silmarillion: "Which of the HoMe books should I own?" As the summaries evolve, it should become clearer to readers without the need (or finances) for the entire set to see which books most directly address their particular interests.
This project will understandably take many years to complete, so interested readers should check back often for updates. So far, I have managed to post a new summary every month or so. In addition, The History of Middle-earth is being read and discussed in conjunction with the summaries on the SWG Yahoo! group, the SWG LiveJournal community, and the Henneth-Annûn Yahoo! group. I encourage interested readers to join one of these discussions to share their thoughts on the series.
The Book of Lost Tales 1
I am making my summaries publicly available in hopes that they will be used by Tolkien fans and groups exploring the History of Middle-earth series. Therefore, summaries are freely available for posting online, reprinting, or distributing as needed for non-profit ventures. When credit is given, it should be given to Dawn Felagund with www.silmarillionwritersguild.org listed as my contact.
Inquiries may be directed to me at DawnFelagund@gmail.com.
Dawn Felagund is the founder and owner of the Silmarillion Writers' Guild and has written about one hundred stories, poems, and essays about J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion, some of which have been translated and published in fan magazines around the world. Dawn is a graduate student in the humanities, and her academic work on Tolkien's cosmogony and the Tolkien fan community has appeared in Mythprint and Silver Leaves (in press) and has been presented at Mythmoot II, Mythmoot III, and the New York Tolkien Conference. Dawn can be emailed at DawnFelagund@gmail.com.
History of Middle-earth Summaries. The History of Middle-earth project is an ongoing attempt to summarize the entire book series and put together the many ideas, commentaries, and footnotes of the series into easy-to-follow summaries.
Silmarillion Chapter Summaries. Designed as a resource for leading readings of The Silmarillion, the chapter summaries are also a nice review for those returning to unfamiliar sections of the book or who would like guidance while reading it for the first time.
A Woman in Few Words: The Character of Nerdanel and Her Treatment in Canon and Fandom. A review of the canon facts available on Nerdanel and discussion of why she remains so popular with fans despite her scarce appearances in the texts.