Unfinished Tales

Unlike The Silmarillion, for which the narrative fragments were modified to connect into a consistent and coherent work, the Unfinished Tales are presented as J. R. R. left them, with little more than names changed (the author having had a confusing habit of trying out different names for a character while writing a draft). Thus some of these begin or end awkwardly, while others are simply collections of "factual" information about Middle-earth. Each tale is followed by a long series of notes explaining inconsistencies and obscure points.

Unfinished Tales sold rather well, considering that it was a minimally-edited collection of posthumous works, and its success no doubt suggested embarking on the more ambitious work collectively titled The History of Middle-earth.

Contents

The First Age:

• Of Tuor[?] and his Coming to Gondolin
• Narn I Hîn Húrin (The Tale of the Children of Húrin[?])

• A Description of the Island of Númenor
• Aldarion[?] and Erendis[?]: The Mariner's Wife
• The Line of Elros: Kings of Númenor
• The History of Galadriel and Celeborn

• The Disaster of the Gladden Fields
• Cirion[?] and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan
• The Quest of Erebor[?]
• The Hunt for the Ring
• The Battles of the Fords of Isen[?]

• The Drúedain[?]
• The Istari
• The Palantíri