Treasured by readers young and old, these works of sweeping fantasy, steeped in unrivalled magic and other-worldliness have sold more than 150 million copies around the world. When they were first published, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings became instant classics.

Including all sorts of adventures with Gandalf, Gollum, dragons and monsters, in the quest to destroy the One Ring! Books such as The Adventures of Tom Bombalil, or Bilbo’s Last Song.Immerse yourself in Middle-earth with Tolkien’s classic masterpiece, telling the complete story of Bilbo Baggins and the Hobbits’ epic encounters. Other books are generally not timeline specific and different in nature. I know that we did not cover every single book that is attached in some way to Middle Earth, but it does cover what we consider to be the canon way to read the series. Pick the route that makes the most sense for you. There is no real fantastic white and black way to read the Lord of the Rings Canon, based on if you are a massive Tolkien fan, or just getting into the books for the first time. These books cover things about the series from the times before the War for the Ring to what could have been the start of the sequel to the Lord of the Rings itself. Though these books do not necessary fit into any one specific time in the series, they are great reads for anyone that needs more middle earth in their life. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring It’s with this that we alter the order between Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales.

There were additional works that were edited by Christopher Tolkien that are described in the events of the Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales that when added into the book series that give a more story like take on some of the events.

The Recommended Order to Read the Lord of the Rings Series (Expanded) The last two books in this list: The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales take place throughout the history of Middle Earth but nearly entirely before the events of the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, but would be incredibly complex and hard to follow without first being grounded in the world with the The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings series. Tolkien, with some edited works by Christopher Tolkien as well. If you read the books in that order, you will get the majority of the story of Middle Earth as it was envisioned by J.R.R.

Books in lord of the rings trilogy