Today is a bittersweet day. Even after his death, we got Tolkien books – Middle-Earth or otherwise – every few years. We might continue to see more of his works, but it looks like we’re really at the end of the journey. Today, forty-eight years to the day of Tolkien’s death (September 2nd, 1973), Marnier Books released The Nature of Middle-Earth. And according to the description, this is the last Middle-Earth book. Be right back, I need to go cry now.
What Is the Last Middle-Earth Book About?
The Nature of Middle-Earth by J.R.R. Tolkien
J.R.R. Tolkien’s Final Middle-Earth Writings
CR: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Many of the Middle-Earth books that came out after Tolkien’s death were a mix of new stories and revealing notes. It looks like The Nature of Middle-Earth will be a mix of both – fitting for what might be the last book in the mythology. As the publisher describes:
The first ever publication of J.R.R. Tolkien’s final writings on Middle-earth, covering a wide range of subjects and perfect for those who have read and enjoyed The Silmarillion, The Lord of the Rings, Unfinished Tales, and The History of Middle-earth, and want to learn more about Tolkien’s magnificent world.
For (literally) billions of people over the last eighty-five years of Middle-Earth, each book felt like a new discovery. For many – including myself – it changed us in fundamental ways. As we tried to further understand his epic, we started to understand more about ourselves. But, as it turns out, we weren’t alone in that ongoing discovery. For Tolkien, like us,“Middle-earth was part of an entire world to be explored.” However, “the writings in The Nature of Middle-Earth reveal the journeys that he took as he sought to better understand his unique creation.”
We often look at writers as casually playing God, but telling stories is much more personal than that. It will be wonderful to read how Tolkien processed his own work. And though it might be the last Middle-Earth book, it might be the most informative and personal one of them all.
Yes, I have Lord of the Rings tattoos on each arm. (Tattoos from Sacred Space Tattoo Studio)