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J.R.R. Tolkien

British author best known for *The Lord of the Rings* and *The Hobbit* fantasy series. His works have sold over 150 million copies and profoundly shaped modern fantasy literature. This page provides the J.R.R. Tolkien books in order, including both chronological order and series reading order.

All books · chronological

1921A Middle English Reader and VocabularyPOoNB · 1Buy ↗

1936Beowulf and the CriticsPOoNB · 2Buy ↗

1937The HobbitPOoTLotRB · 1Buy ↗

1939Tolkien on Fairy-storiesPOoNB · 3Buy ↗

1945The Lay of Aotrou and ItrounPOoSN · 1Buy ↗

1945Leaf by NigglePOoSS · 1Buy ↗

1949Tales from the Perilous RealmPOoSSC · 1Buy ↗

1949Farmer Giles of HamPOoSN · 2Buy ↗

1954The Fellowship of the RingPOoTLotRB · 2Buy ↗

1954The Two TowersPOoTLotRB · 3Buy ↗

1955The Return of the KingPOoTLotRB · 4Buy ↗

1962The Adventures of Tom BombadilPOoSSC · 2Buy ↗

1964Tree and LeafPOoSSC · 3Buy ↗

1966The Tolkien ReaderPOoSSC · 4Buy ↗

1967The Road Goes Ever OnPOoPC · 1Buy ↗

1967Smith of Wootton MajorPOoSS · 2Buy ↗

1971Poems and StoriesPOoSSC · 5Buy ↗

1974Bilbo's Last SongPOoTLotRB · 5Buy ↗

1976Drawings by TolkienPOoSN · 3Buy ↗

1976Letters from Father Christmas(With: Baillie Tolkien)POoNB · 4Buy ↗

1977The SilmarillionPOoSSC · 6Buy ↗

1979Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien(With: Christopher Tolkien)POoC · 1Buy ↗

1980Unfinished Tales of N�menor and Middle-EarthPOoSSC · 7Buy ↗

1981The Letters of J.R.R. TolkienPOoNB · 5Buy ↗

1982Finn and Hengest: The Fragment and the EpisodePOoNB · 6Buy ↗

1983The Book of Lost Tales, Part OnePOoTHoMB · 1Buy ↗

1983The Book of Lost Tales, Part TwoPOoTHoMB · 2Buy ↗

1983The Monsters and the Critics: The Essays of J.R.R. TolkienPOoNB · 7Buy ↗

1985The Lays of BeleriandPOoTHoMB · 3Buy ↗

1986The Shaping of Middle-earthPOoTHoMB · 4Buy ↗

1987The Lost Road and Other WritingsPOoTHoMB · 5Buy ↗

1988The Return of the ShadowPOoHOTLOTRC · 1Buy ↗

1989The Treason of IsengardPOoHOTLOTRC · 2Buy ↗

1990The War of the RingPOoHOTLOTRC · 3Buy ↗

1992Tolkien's World: Paintings of Middle-EarthPOoMUB · 1Buy ↗

1992Sauron DefeatedPOoHOTLOTRC · 4Buy ↗

1993Morgoth's Ring: The Legends of AmanPOoLSC · 1Buy ↗

1994The War of the JewelsPOoTHoMB · 6Buy ↗

1996Realms of Tolkien: Images of Middle-EarthPOoMUB · 2Buy ↗

1996The Peoples of Middle-earthPOoSSC · 8Buy ↗

1998RoverandomPOoSN · 4Buy ↗

1999Poems From The HobbitPOoMUB · 3Buy ↗

2002The History of Middle Earth IndexPOoTHoMB · 7Buy ↗

2002The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Insiders' GuidePOoNB · 8Buy ↗

2002A Tolkien MiscellanyPOoSSC · 9Buy ↗

2007The Children of H�rin(By: Christopher Tolkien)POoToMEB · 1Buy ↗

2007The Children of H�rinPOoSN · 5Buy ↗

2009The Legend of Sigurd & Gudr�nPOoSN · 6Buy ↗

2013The Fall of ArthurPOoSSC · 10Buy ↗

2015The Story of KullervoPOoSN · 7Buy ↗

2016The Lost ManuscriptPOoSN · 8Buy ↗

2017Beren and L�thienPOoSN · 9Buy ↗

2018The Fall of GondolinPOoToMEB · 2Buy ↗

2018The Great Tales of Middle-EarthPOoTHoMB · 8Buy ↗

2021The Nature of Middle-Earth(With: Carl F. Hostetter)POoNB · 9Buy ↗

2021Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo(With: Christopher Tolkien)POoSSC · 11Buy ↗

2022The Fall of N�menor: and Other Tales from the Second Age of Middle-earthPOoToMEB · 3Buy ↗

2023The Battle of Maldon(With: Peter Grybauskaus)POoSSC · 12Buy ↗

Book series · browse all →

Publication Order of The History of Middle-Earth Books8 books · 1983–2018

01The Book of Lost Tales, Part One1983Buy ↗

02The Book of Lost Tales, Part Two1983Buy ↗

03The Lays of Beleriand1985Buy ↗

04The Shaping of Middle-earth1986Buy ↗

05The Lost Road and Other Writings1987Buy ↗

06The War of the Jewels1994Buy ↗

07The History of Middle Earth Index2002Buy ↗

08The Great Tales of Middle-Earth2018Buy ↗

Publication Order of Tales of Middle Earth Books3 books · 2007–2022

01The Children of H�rin(By: Christopher Tolkien)2007Buy ↗

02The Fall of Gondolin2018Buy ↗

03The Fall of N�menor: and Other Tales from the Second Age of Middle-earth2022Buy ↗

Publication Order of The Lord of the Rings Books5 books · 1937–1974

01The Hobbit1937Buy ↗

02The Fellowship of the Ring1954Buy ↗

03The Two Towers1954Buy ↗

04The Return of the King1955Buy ↗

05Bilbo's Last Song1974Buy ↗

Publication Order of History Of The Lord Of The Rings Collections4 books · 1988–1992

01The Return of the Shadow1988Buy ↗

02The Treason of Isengard1989Buy ↗

03The War of the Ring1990Buy ↗

04Sauron Defeated1992Buy ↗

Publication Order of Middle-Earth Universe Books3 books · 1992–1999

01Tolkien's World: Paintings of Middle-Earth1992Buy ↗

02Realms of Tolkien: Images of Middle-Earth1996Buy ↗

03Poems From The Hobbit1999Buy ↗

Publication Order of Later Silmarillion Collections1 book · 1993

01Morgoth's Ring: The Legends of Aman1993Buy ↗

Publication Order of Short Story Collections12 books · 1949–2023

01Tales from the Perilous Realm1949Buy ↗

02The Adventures of Tom Bombadil1962Buy ↗

03Tree and Leaf1964Buy ↗

04The Tolkien Reader1966Buy ↗

05Poems and Stories1971Buy ↗

06The Silmarillion1977Buy ↗

07Unfinished Tales of N�menor and Middle-Earth1980Buy ↗

08The Peoples of Middle-earth1996Buy ↗

09A Tolkien Miscellany2002Buy ↗

10The Fall of Arthur2013Buy ↗

11Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo(With: Christopher Tolkien)2021Buy ↗

12The Battle of Maldon(With: Peter Grybauskaus)2023Buy ↗

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books9 books · 1921–2021

01A Middle English Reader and Vocabulary1921Buy ↗

02Beowulf and the Critics1936Buy ↗

03Tolkien on Fairy-stories1939Buy ↗

04Letters from Father Christmas(With: Baillie Tolkien)1976Buy ↗

05The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien1981Buy ↗

06Finn and Hengest: The Fragment and the Episode1982Buy ↗

07The Monsters and the Critics: The Essays of J.R.R. Tolkien1983Buy ↗

08The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Insiders' Guide2002Buy ↗

09The Nature of Middle-Earth(With: Carl F. Hostetter)2021Buy ↗

Publication Order of Standalone Novels9 books · 1945–2017

01The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun1945Buy ↗

02Farmer Giles of Ham1949Buy ↗

03Drawings by Tolkien1976Buy ↗

04Roverandom1998Buy ↗

05The Children of H�rin2007Buy ↗

06The Legend of Sigurd & Gudr�n2009Buy ↗

07The Story of Kullervo2015Buy ↗

08The Lost Manuscript2016Buy ↗

09Beren and L�thien2017Buy ↗

Publication Order of Poetry Collections1 book · 1967

01The Road Goes Ever On1967Buy ↗

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas2 books · 1945–1967

01Leaf by Niggle1945Buy ↗

02Smith of Wootton Major1967Buy ↗

Publication Order of Collections1 book · 1979

01Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien(With: Christopher Tolkien)1979Buy ↗

More authors

A.G. Howard→A.G. Riddle→A.J. Aalto→A.J. Rivers→