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Middle-earth is where J.R.R. Tolkien set his fictional post-1937 stories. The name is a literal translation of the Old English term "Middangeard".

The history of Middle-earth covers a number of Ages:
 * "The Silmarillion" (1977) deals mainly with the First Age.
 * "The Hobbit" (1937) and "The Lord of the Rings" (1954-1955) deal exclusively with events towards the end of the Third Age and conclude at the dawn of the Fourth Age.

Middle-earth's setting is in a fictional period in Earth's own past. Tolkien insisted that Middle-earth is Earth in several of his letters, in one of them (no. 211) estimating the end of the Third Age to about 6,000 years before his own time. The action of the books is largely confined to the north-west of the Endor continent, implicitly corresponding to modern-day Europe. The history of Middle-earth is divided into several Ages: The Hobbit and the main text of The Lord of the Rings deal exclusively with events towards the end of the Third Age and conclude at the dawn of the Fourth Age, while The Silmarillion deals mainly with the First Age. The world (Arda) was originally flat but was made round near the end of the Second Age by Eru Ilúvatar, the Creator.

In letter #202 to Christopher Tolkien, J. R. R. Tolkien set out his policy regarding film adaptations of his works: "Art or Cash". He sold the film rights for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings to United Artists in 1969 after being faced with a sudden tax bill. They are currently in the hands of Tolkien Enterprises, which has no relation to the Tolkien Estate, which retains film rights to The Silmarillion and other works.