{"product_id":"the-shaping-of-middle-earth-9780345400437","title":"The Shaping of Middle-Earth","description":"\u003cb\u003ePoems and prose, maps and chronologies, detours and diversions along the road to Middle-earth . . . Christopher Tolkien has gathered archival materials that his late father, J. R. R. Tolkien, used to create the world and the history behind his classic stories.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis fourth volume of The History of Middle-earth presents early versions of those first tales, from the creation myth to the fall of Morgoth. Writings include a chronology of the events in Beleriand, the first Silmarillion map, and the only known description of the physical nature of Middle-earth's universe. Detailed annotations highlight changes ranging from the spelling of Elvish names to pivotal emendations whose effects reach even to the war of the ring. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Shaping of Middle-earth\u003c\/i\u003e presents a solid framework by which to trace the development of the early lore of Middle-earth. It is a truly indispensable reference work for those familiar with the history of that endlessly beloved land--and fascinating reading for those just entering that world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJohn Ronald Reuel Tolkien\u003c\/b\u003e was born on January 3, 1892, in Bloemfontein, South Africa. After serving in World War I, he embarked upon a distinguished academic career and was recognized as one of the finest philologists in the world. He was a professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford, a fellow of Pembroke College, and a fellow of Merton College until his retirement in 1959. He is, however, beloved throughout the world as the creator of Middle-earth and author of such classic works as \u003ci\u003eThe Hobbit \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eThe Lord of the Rings. He died on September 2, 1973, at the age of eighty-one.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Del Rey Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50608992321810,"sku":"9780345400437","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_96a4d189-3e22-4fc5-914a-7d807d88a7e2.jpg?v=1732327481","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-shaping-of-middle-earth-9780345400437","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}