HarperCollins to release unpublished Tolkien 'treasure trove'

HarperCollins is to publish a “treasure trove” of a previously unseen collection of writings exploring Middle-earth penned by J R R Tolkien, in the decades after The Lord of the Rings was published.

The Tolkien Estate has granted the publisher world rights to The Nature of Middle-earth, which will be edited by Carl F Hostetter and promises to transport readers back to the world of The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales and The Lord of the Rings.

It will be published on 24th June 2021, and simultaneously in North America by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Chris Smith, deputy publishing director, explained: “It is well known that J R R Tolkien published The Hobbit in 1937 and The Lord of the Rings in 1954– 55. What may be less known is that he continued to write about Middle-earth in the decades that followed, right up until the years before his death in 1973.

“For him, Middle-earth was part of an entire world to be explored, and the writings in The Nature of Middle-earth reveal the journeys that he took as he sought to better understand his unique creation. From sweeping themes as profound as Elvish immortality and reincarnation, and the Powers of the Valar, to the more earth-bound subjects of the lands and beasts of Númenor, the geography of the Rivers and Beacon-hills of Gondor, and even who had beards!

“This new collection is a veritable treasure-trove offering readers a chance to peer over Professor Tolkien’s shoulder at the very moment of discovery: and on every page, Middle-earth is once again brought to extraordinary life.”

The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy have been international bestseller in more than 70 languages, collectively selling more than 150 million copies worldwide. 2018's The Fall of Gondolin (HarperCollins) sold 42,275 copies across all editions, for £700,000 through Nielsen BookScan.