Click on image to enlarge.

The Book of Lost Tales: Volume 1 contains versions of ten of the original legends of Valinor...the Undying Lands to the Uttermost West of Middle-earth. This volume is full of mythic detail and it is a difficult read. You see a lot Christopher Tolkien's editing (by necessity) in this book rather than his father's splendid narrative. On the other hand, it is required reading for those interested in understanding Tolkien's creative process.

The Book of Lost Tales 1 & 2 are the first two volumes of the 12 volume History of Middle-earth series, and represent the first major works of fiction by J.R.R.Tolkien. They are, in essence, the first drafts of the myths and legends that he would later develop into The Silmarillion. Tolkien began writing these stories during World War I, and abandoned the work several years later. It is a collection of his earliest and unfinished writings which is edited by his son Christopher Tolkien.

Of Special Interest:

Volume 1 contains the tale of the birth of the Two Trees.

Volume 1 tells the story of the coming of the Elves to Valinor and the flight of the Noldor into exile.

Volume 1 contains the narrative of the making of the sun and the moon, described here in fuller form than anywhere else in Tolkien's writings.