Return of the Shadow: The History of the Lord of the Rings Part 1 (History of Middle-earth) - Hardcover

Tolkien, J. R. R.; Tolkien, Christopher

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0395498635 ISBN 13: 9780395498637

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1989

Synopsis

In this sixth volume of The History of Middle-earth the story reaches The Lord of the Rings. In The Return of the Shadow (an abandoned title for the first volume) Christopher Tolkien describes, with full citation of the earliest notes, outline plans, and narrative drafts, the intricate evolution of The Fellowship of the Ring and the gradual emergence of the conceptions that transformed what J.R.R. Tolkien for long believed would be a far shorter book, 'a sequel to The Hobbit'. The enlargement of Bilbo's 'magic ring' into the supremely potent and dangerous Ruling Ring of the Dark Lord is traced and the precise moment is seen when, in an astonishing and unforeseen leap in the earliest narrative, a Black Rider first rode into the Shire, his significance still unknown. The character of the hobbit called Trotter (afterwards Strider or Aragorn) is developed while his indentity remains an absolute puzzle, and the suspicion only very slowly becomes certainty that he must after all be a Man. The hobbits, Frodo's companions, undergo intricate permutations of name and personality, and other major figures appear in strange modes: a sinister Treebeard, in league with the Enemy, a ferocious and malevolent Farmer Maggot.

The story in this book ends at the point where J.R.R. Tolkien halted in the story for a long time, as the Company of the Ring, still lacking Legolas and Gimli, stood before the tomb of Balin in the Mines of Moria. The Return of the Shadow is illustrated with reproductions of the first maps and notable pages from the earliest manuscripts.

About this title

From the Back Cover

'The Return of the Shadow' is the first part of the history of the creation of 'The Lord of the Rings', a fascinating study of Tolkien's great masterpiece, from its inception to the end of the first volume, 'The Fellowship of the Ring'.

In 'The Return of the Shadow' (the abandoned title of the first volume of 'The Lord of the Rings') we see how Bilbo's 'magic' ring evolved into the supremely dangerous Ruling Ring of the Dark Lord; and the precise, and astonishingly unforeseen, moment when a Black Rider first rode into the Shire. The character of the hobbit called Trotter (afterwards Strider or Aragorn) is developed, though his true identity seems to be an insoluble problem. Frodo's companions undergo many changes of name and personality; and other major figures appear in unfamiliar guises: a sinister Treebeard, in league with the Enemy, and a ferocious, malevolent Farmer Maggot.

This book comes complete with reproductions of the first maps and facsimile pages from the earlier manuscripts.

”The pure imaginative power of J.R.R.Tolkien shines through...an excellent example of the creative imagination at work.”
BALTIMORE SUN

About the Author

J.R.R.Tolkien (1892-1973) was a distinguished academic, though he is best known for writing The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, plus other stories and essays. His books have been translated into over 30 languages and have sold many millions of copies worldwide

Edition details

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Publication date: 1989
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0395498635
• ISBN 13: 9780395498637
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 497